Complaints against work undertaken by APHC Members
The APHC Consumer Complaints Process is only for customers who have had work undertaken by an APHC member.
Before you begin the complaints process, please check the company is an APHC member here: APHC members | Find APHC members | Approved Contractors
If the company is not an APHC member we will not process your complaint. You will need to contact Citizens Advice who are an independent body for consumer complaints on 0808 223 1133.
The APHC Consumer Complaints Process is designed to act as a conciliation between a consumer and the APHC member company carrying out work, with a view to resolving the complaint, which may include rectification of work by the company.
APHC Certification is a voluntary certification body. Essentially this means we assess businesses against technical and scheme standards to ensure work is undertaken competently and that trading practices comply with our Consumer Code.
The APHC Member company may be asked to attend the work location during any site inspections and you must be prepared to allow the APHC Member Company to come back to rectify the work. If you do not want the company back to the workplace, we may not be able to take the complaint further.
Details of complaints that we will investigate.
APHC will investigate complaints under its complaints process relating to the following:
- Installation defects where a lack of technical competence shown by the installation business is an issue (please note that we are not able to deal with complaints relating to product defects that are outside the manufacturer warranty period).
- Disputes of a contractual nature between contractor and client (please note that APHC is not able to provide comment on the price or cost of work undertaken).
APHC will not investigate the following:
- Claims for compensation (APHC cannot award such claims).
- Under current trading laws, investigation of complaints relating to prices charged to complete a job or the time taken to complete work.
- A complaint where either party has referred the matter for legal action.
- Business to business complaints as these will have to refer to the terms of the contract signed for work carried out.
The APHC Consumer Complaints Process is only available to customers who have had work undertaken by an APHC member firm.
First action in the event of a complaint
If you are dissatisfied with the work undertaken by an APHC member your first action should be to raise the matter in writing with the member firm, in order to provide them with the opportunity to fully consider your complaint.
When you are writing to the APHC member Company the following information may be useful, and always remember, the person you are complaining to, is a person just like us. They’ll respond to an email depending on its tone and content, so think about what you want to say carefully before you click send. We’ve pulled together some hints and tips to help you get the response you’re looking for:
- Be polite.
- Stick to the facts. Try not to let any emotion or judgment spill out.
- Don’t use threats, including negative posts on social media.
- Shorter is better. Keep the information concise and to the point.
- Include any customer reference numbers or invoice numbers you have.
- Include a brief history of the issue and any correspondence so far, if it’s helpful.
- Use names of people you have spoken to if you have them.
- Explain clearly what you want as a solution or outcome.
If your complaint remains unresolved
If you feel that your complaint has not been adequately dealt with by the APHC member firm as a result of submitting your complaint, then we operate an independent dispute and conciliation process aimed at resolving your complaint.
All complaints must be submitted to APHC on our complaint notification form and any supporting evidence must be provided with this form including quotation/ estimate details, detail of contact with the member firm etc. Copies of the complaint notification form can be obtained by contacting us on 0121 711 5030 or info@aphc.co.uk
The complaint investigation process
On receipt of your complaint notification form together with any supporting evidence we will review the complaint details forwarded and undertake a fair and balanced investigation.
In progressing the complaint, we may seek feedback from the member firm on the details of the complaint forwarded and where necessary we may require undertaking a technical inspection of the work undertaken.
Should a technical inspection be necessary a mutually convenient date will be agreed with you in advance, and we will require a representative of the member firm in attendance. Please note that this inspection is only to observe and report findings, no adjustment or alteration of work will take place and the inspection does not constitute a system safety check.
On completion of the complaint investigation process we will communicate our findings and proposed actions to resolve the complaint to both parties.
If the complaint reveals defective work
Should our complaint findings indicate defective work then we will ask the member firm to carry out remedial work within a fixed timescale (please note that we can only instruct the member firm to carry out remedial work, should you wish for them not to undertake this work then the complaint cannot be progressed further).
If the work is carried out by an APHC competent persons scheme member and the member fails to respond to a notice to undertake rectification work arising from a complaint, then the Financial Protection Scheme may assist with rectifying the work.
If our complaint investigation reveals deficiencies in relation to non-compliance with regulations or safety, or the member firm fails to carry out requested remedial work following our complaint investigation then disciplinary action will be progressed against the member firm. Such action could include expulsion from membership.
What if I do not agree with the APHC findings
In the event that you do not agree with the APHC investigation findings then a right of appeal will be offered to you. An appeal can be made on an APHC decision by forwarding written grounds for the appeal within 14 days of our decision being made to the Certification Manager, APHC, 12 The Pavilions, Cranmore Drive, Solihull, B90 4SB. The appeal will be independently considered, and the findings of the appeal panel communicated to you, the findings of the appeal panel will be final.
Complaints against APHC Services
In the event that you are dissatisfied with the services provided by APHC, we have a formal complaints procedure designed to review your complaint and if necessary amend our procedures accordingly.
First action in the event of a complaint
If you wish to make a formal complaint about our services then complaints should normally be made in writing please contact us on 0121 711 5030 or info@aphc.co.uk in order to obtain a copy of our complaints form. You should complete the form fully and provide any supporting evidence, then return it to the Quality Manager, APHC, 12 The Pavilions, Cranmore Drive, Solihull, B90 4SB.
Following receipt of your complaint the Quality Manager will carry out an investigation and report back to you on the findings. Any necessary corrective actions will be identified and if necessary changes to our procedures will be made.
What if I do not agree with the APHC findings
In the event that you do not agree with the APHC investigation findings then a right of appeal will be offered to you. An appeal can be made on an APHC decision by forwarding written grounds for the appeal within 14 days of our decision being made to the Chief Executive Officer, APHC, 12 The Pavilions, Cranmore Drive, Solihull, B90 4SB. The appeal will be independently considered and the findings of the appeal panel communicated to you, the findings of the appeal panel will be final.
