Guide to Effective Complaining

Contents

1. What is a complaint?
2. What Should I Do?
3. After Stage 2…
4. Complaint Form Checklist
5. What if I’m unhappy with the decision?

What is a complaint?

The University define a complaint as "any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf."

The University has committed to trying to resolve complaints to the satisfaction of the complainant wherever this is possible. Where this isn’t possible, they will give the complainant a clear response to each of their points of complaint and will always try to respond as quickly as they can (and on the spot where possible).

You can find the University Complaints Procedure in the University Regulations. It is designed to deal with problems ranging from the quality of teaching or supervision to bullying and harassment. You can use the procedure to complain about various things the University does or services it provides such as:

• failure or refusal to provide a service;
• inadequate quality or standard of service, or an unreasonable delay in providing a service;
• the quality of facilities or learning resources;
• dissatisfaction with one of our policies or its impact on the individual (although it is recognised that policy is set at the discretion of the university);
• failure to properly apply law, procedure or guidance when delivering services;
• failure to follow the appropriate administrative process;
• conduct, treatment by or attitude of a member of staff or contractor (except where there are arrangements in place for the contractor to handle the complaint themselves); or
• disagreement with a decision, (except where there is a statutory procedure for challenging that decision, or an established appeals process followed throughout the sector).

You should not use the complaints procedure to complain about the actions or behaviour of another student.

If you have concerns about the actions or behaviour of another student and are considering reporting them to the University you should firstly review the information we have on on the University's Student Conduct procedures and approach the SRC Advice Centre for further guidance.

The time limit for submitting a complaint is normally 6 months from the date you first became aware of the problem although in some circumstances an extension of up to 12 months may be permitted by the University’s Deputy Secretary.

Where a contractor delivers a service on behalf of the university, the university remain responsible and accountable for ensuring that the services provided meet the University of Glasgow’s standard. If you wish to make a complaint about a contracted service, you might need to first check if they have their own complaints procedure in place.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may be able to accept a stage 2 complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, we'd encourage you to get in touch with the SRC Advice Centre for advice on how best to present this to the University.

GUSRC has also produced a Guide to University Complaints leaflet.

The University also has an range of complaint FAQs within their complaints home page.

What Should I Do?

The University operates a two stage complaint process and Stage 1 of the University Complaints Procedure is known as “frontline resolution” and this simply requires you to raise the complaint with a member of University staff. This does not have to be in writing although it may be helpful to submit the complaint in this way as this may assist you in presenting your complaint as concisely as possible. Should you wish to put the complaint in writing you can simply do this by emailing the relevant member of staff you believe may be able to resolve the complaint.

So for example if you wish to make a complaint about a particular member of staff in a particular School in the University but don't feel comfortable emailing that member of staff directly, it may be appropriate to email your complaint to the Head of School. You can find contact details and email addresses for all Unviersity staff members via the University Staff A-Z. 

Stage 1 complaints should be investigated and a decision provided within 5 working days however in certain circumstances a further 5 working day extension can be requested by the University where information or staff members are unavailable. At any time during this process, if you are at all unsure, want to talk it over with someone or would like to request representation, please contact The Advice Centre and our trained and experienced staff will be happy to help.

If your complaint is about harassment, and you would like to explore whether there may be an informal resolution, there are specially trained Respect Advisors within the University who may be able to help: Respect Advisors Network.

What if I’m unhappy with the decision?

If you’re unhappy with the resolution offered after this first stage of the procedure you can ask the University to further investigate your complaint. This is known as Stage Two and to proceed to this stage you simply have to put your complaint directly to the Complaints Resolution Team at the University by:

Completing the online Complaints Form.

You can also submit your complaint via:

Email: complaints@glasgow.ac.uk
In writing: Complaints Resolution Team, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ.
By telephone: 0141 330 6441.

It may be helpful for you to read our Tips for Writing a Stage 2 Complaint guide.

Complaint Form Checklist

Use this list to check that you’ve included all the information that the Complaint Investigator will look for before you submit the complaint form.

• Have you included your name, address, phone number and email address?
• Have you clearly stated what the problem is that you are complaining about?
• Have you given enough detail for the investigator to understand the situation?
• Have you included your evidence? If you’ve mentioned things like a doctor’s letter or excerpts from your course handbook, you should include these.
• Read through your complaint — have you stuck to the facts? Is your complaint easy to read? If not, it’s likely the complaints investigator will also think this.
• What remedy have you asked for? Is it realistic?

Once you’ve checked that you have everything, you’re ready to submit your complaint. If you’re not sure about anything in your complaint form, one the Advice Centre staff members can read through it to see if they think you’ve missed any important details.

After Stage 2…

If you have been through Stages 1 and 2 and are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been dealt with, you may wish to consider a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Click here to view the SPSO complaints leaflet.