Code of Practice For Complaint Handling
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Purpose of our Code of Practice
This Code of Practice (CoP) aims to give you, the client, a clear statement of how we conduct our business and to describe the relationship between you and us in all matters concerning your purchase of services from us. This CoP provides a statement of the services available from Alliance to business and residential customers and those interested in finding out more about Alliance. It explains how we provide these services and the key support services and company policies that underpin them. It describes your relationship with us and how you can and should contact us when you need help or want to change the services you have and how we will respond. It also describes what you should do in the unlikely event of something going wrong or if you feel you need to make a complaint. The CoP has been approved by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator.
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Customer Service
As a company that values its customers Alliance is justifiably proud of the quality of service it provides. Our team of experienced staff strive to ensure that you get what you want, when you want it. We will do our best to meet your requirements to your satisfaction. Alliance values its customers and aims for the highest standards of account management and customer service. By investing in our people and in systems to support our customer service activity and by continually developing our services, we aim to deliver the best in customer service to stay ahead of our competitors.
Alliances experienced team continuously strive to find new ways to meet customers' evolving communication needs. We offer businesses of all sizes and from all sectors and individual consumers a variety of 'best of breed' solutions using a range of new, emerging and established technologies.
We are an independent company and operate our own communications facilities, as well as sharing infrastructure with other carriers and distributing the services of other network operators. We offer our services through authorised dealers and have a direct sales force.
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Contacting Alliance
There are a number of ways that you can contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions and explain our services to you.
Sales
Tel : 0800 634 0422
sales@alliancecoms.comCustomer Services
Tel : 0845 053 0162
Fax: 0845 053 0163
customerservice@alliancecoms.comWeb www.alliancecoms.com
Our offices are contactable from 9.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)
If you would prefer to write to us instead, please address your letter to:
Alliance Communications Ltd
Customer Services
PO Box 2556
Bristol
BS8 9AU -
Range of products and services
Alliance provides a wide range of communications services falling into four broad categories:
VoIP
A business grade VoIP solution, enabling your business to realise long term cost efficiencies and access to extensive functionality.
Fixed Line
A business grade discount telephone service including line rental, non geographic numbers, premium rate services, private circuits and ISDN.
Mobile
Mobile business solutions from all the UK networks, with access to the latest network offers and new mobile handsets.
Broadband
Alliance supplies a range of leading edge broadband products, allowing cost effective voice and data connections to the internet for both residential and business users.
The minimum contract period is for 12 months from the service commencement date and will automatically renew for further successive periods of 12 months duration, unless the customer notifies Alliance in writing that they wish to terminate the agreement. Written notice should be provided to the contact address detailed in section 3.
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Alliance employee identification
All staff who visit customers' premises carry official company identification e.g. a business card, which should be clearly displayed. Customers should request to be shown this identification if it is not immediately visible before allowing anyone into their premises.
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Installation of services
We offer a wide range of services and our sales team can confirm the serviceability of your address for each of these services. Delivery timescales are agreed with customers in advance of installation.
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Repair and maintenance
Alliance carries out preventative and corrective maintenance over its networks and services. Our aim is to minimise inconvenience and correct faults through remote diagnostic tools used at our National Service Centre and/or with other technical support centres. However, should a network fault occur which is within our direct control, we aim to clear this type of fault ( i.e. that does not require a customer visit) within 8 hours.
We encourage our customers to call us for technical support, via our customer service number regardless of the nature of the problem.
The level of repair commitment, fault fixing and service availability depends on the type of service you purchase and the terms and conditions under which you obtain that particular service from us. If you subscribe to a service carrying a specific service level guarantee, we will credit you accordingly if we fall short of our guarantee.
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Calling-Line and Called-Line Identity
Your phone number is by default displayed to the person whom you are calling. However, you can alter this by requesting that your phone number should not be displayed to the person whom you are calling on a call-by-call basis or for all calls. However, even if you request withholding of a phone number, we are legally obliged to pass it on in certain circumstances e.g. to the emergency services in case of an emergency. To request any of the above facilities, please contact our customer service team.
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Call barring
If you want to have a particular number barred so that it cannot be dialled from your phone, please contact our customer service team (please see contact details above under Section 5). Please note that this option may not be available with all Alliance services.
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Ceasing service
Customers are able to cease their service with us at any time in accordance with the terms and conditions of their service contract.
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Prices
Alliance publishes its prices in electronic and paper form available from our sales and customer service teams. We may change these from time to time either permanently or for limited periods (offers and promotions) and will provide at least seven days' public notification of such changes to our customers.
Our intention is to be competitive with other leading communication providers and to offer our customers excellent value for money.
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Billing
We bill all our calls and charges monthly in arrears and all subscription charges monthly in advance. Where payment is not made within the agreed terms we may send reminder letters. If you fail to respond to our reminder letters and your bill remains unpaid we may suspend your service. Legal action may be taken as part of our debt recovery process.
If you dispute any part or full amount invoiced to you please notify us before your payment becomes overdue in order for us to take appropriate action.
Bills are paid by Direct Debit or with our prior agreement by credit/debit card or cheque. All calls are itemised, bills are also made available online. -
Complaint Handling
Our customer service team endeavour to achieve one call resolution, however if we fail to resolve your issue satisfactorily you may ask to speak to a team leader. If your issue remains unresolved please send details of your complaint in writing to the Customer Service Manager who will review the issue and where appropriate agree a settlement.
Customer Services Director
Alliance Communications Ltd
PO Box 2556
Bristol
BS8 9AU -
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
If the complaint is unresolved, Alliance are a member of OTELO, an independent ADR scheme that the unresolved complaints can be referred to. OTELO resolves disputes between member operators and their residential and small business customers, an unresolved complaint can be referred to OTELO twelve weeks after it was first made or if Alliance confirm to you in writing that we feel the complaint has reached 'deadlock'.
OTELO
PO Box 730, Warrington, WA4 6WU
Telephone 0845 050 1614 or 01925 430 049
enquiries@otelo.org.uk
www.otelo.org.uk -
Special needs
At Alliance we take our responsibility towards disabled customers very seriously. We are aware of the requirements of the current regulations (Telecommunications Services for Disabled Persons Regulations and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and have been working hard to accommodate their requirements.
We offer a number of different services for our customers with special needs. These services are designed to not only meet the demands of the current regulations, but to also enable us to offer the best possible service to these customers.
If you would like to request any of our literature, including this code, in large print or audio format, please contact Customer Services with your full name, address and telephone number so that we can send it to you or contact you in the unlikely event of a problem.
In the event of a fault, where any client or special needs client has a need of urgent repair, and where the product or service is supported for it, priority is given to restoring such a customer's service. Please note that priority fault repair is only available for some products and services and may also incur a separate charge.
In order to take advantage of our priority fault repair service, customers with special needs must pre-register their requirements with us. In order to register please call our customer service team on 0845 053 0162.
Disabled customers who are dependent upon the internet may nominate somebody who can help them deal with Alliance bills, and their account in general. Specifically, this nominee can:
be the person to whom the customer's bill is sent
be the person to whom any enquiry will be made by Alliance in the event of a bill not being paid
pay the bill on behalf of the customer - but will not be held legally liable for the bill
In order to take advantage of any or all of the elements of our Protected Service Scheme, customers with special needs must register their requirements with us. In order to register please call our customer service team.
Clients who have problems reading the terms and conditions of their contract should ask for their Alliance sales person to explain them or for an audio copy.
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Data Protection
We will treat any information we have about you in confidence and will not disclose it to anyone except you, or in accordance with any instructions you have given us. However, there are circumstances in which we may be required by law to disclose information. Such requests normally come from Statutory Authorities, for example, Police Forces, Revenue and Customs etc. Any such disclosure will be strictly controlled and will be made fully in accordance with current UK legislation, in particular the Data Protection Act.
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Communication with our customers
We believe in effective communications with our customers. Customers can contact us by phone on the numbers specified above (How to contact us ), or at any time by e-mail.
We will also "promote" our services, including special offers, through a variety of media. In doing this we will abide by the industry-accepted standards, in particular by:
- following the UK Direct Marketing Association guidelines on when to ring customers (only between 8.00 am and 9.00pm, unless specifically requested to call outside these hours)
- stopping specified "promotional" contact with individual customers if requested to do so by the customer and according to their wishes, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Mailing Preference Scheme (MPS), and the Facsimile Preference Scheme (FPS)
- following the rules of relevant regulatory bodies such as the , Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS), Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
- abiding by the Distance and Doorstep Selling, and other relevant UK and EU regulations. The existence of this code will be brought to customers' attention in appropriate ways.
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Social responsibility
Alliance takes its role within society and its responsibilities to its employees seriously. Alliance is committed to developing and maintaining good environmental standards. Alliance monitors areas such as waste management, energy and water usage, and transport.
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Review of this Code
Alliance will review this Code of Practice annually, or more frequently should events require such a review.
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Approval of this Code
Ofcom has approved this Code of Practice
All information is correct at the time of loading to website. Alliance Communications Limited - March 2006
