Customer Complaints Procedure

Do you have a complaints process?

Yes. At the Social Investment Business we always try to give the best service possible. However, we recognise that sometimes this does not always happen and that there may be instances where our service falls below reasonable expectation. On such an occasion, you may wish to make a complaint.

What can I complain about?

You can complain if you believe that:

• we have delayed, made mistakes in, or failed to follow our stated processes
• we have failed to give you access to information or have given you incorrect advice or information
• we have not treated you politely or honestly
• we have discriminated against you or not treated you fairly

What is the process?

We have a two- stage process:

Stage 1 – When we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge it within three working days and advise you who will be responsible for responding. This will typically be the Manager of the particular department concerned who will aim to send you a substantive response within 15 working days.

Stage 2 – Within 15 days of being informed of the Stage 1 investigation outcome, if you are not satisfied with the response and can outline the reasons why, you can request that the complaint is escalated to Stage 2 of our complaints process. We will acknowledge this within 3 working days and advise you who will be responsible for responding. This will usually be the relevant department Director or in some cases the Chief Executive. We will aim to respond in 15 working days from receipt of the escalation request.

We may find your problem can be resolved quickly by an initial phone call on either of the complaints stages. If this is not possible we make every effort to respond within our timescales and keep you informed of any delay should our investigation take longer than anticipated.

Can I appeal against a funding decision?

Funding decisions are not normally subject to appeal. An appeal will be considered only where a complaint identifies a material flaw in the decision‑making process, rather than disagreement with the outcome itself.

If your complaint concerns a funding decision, you should first contact the Relationship Manager you have been working with, or the member of staff who received your application, to discuss your concerns.

We will consider an appeal only if, following investigation, it is established that one or more of the following apply:

• our published procedures were not followed correctly;
• a significant part of your application was misunderstood; or
• relevant information provided as part of the application was not taken into account.

What we won’t consider

We will not consider appeals that:

• challenge the professional judgment of the decision‑makers where the process was correctly followed;
• are based solely on disagreement with the outcome;
• introduce new information that was not included in the original application; or
• seek to re‑score or re‑assess an application without evidence of a procedural error.

Feedback and resubmission

We aim to provide clear and constructive feedback to all unsuccessful applicants. Once you have addressed the issues identified in that feedback, you are welcome to submit a new application, subject to funds being available.

How can I make a complaint?

You can make a complaint by phone, email, in person or via complaints@sibgroup.org.uk.

If I do not want to make a formal complaint but would like to make a suggestion or general comment; how do I do this? We are also interested in any comments that you may wish to make about any aspects of our service. If you have a Relationship Manager you deal with at SIB, please do raise with them in the first instance. You can also give us a call (on +44 (0) 20 3096 7900) or email us at enquiries@sibgroup.org.uk