A2B Assessments complaints policy and procedure
A2B Assessments prides itself on providing a quality service to all its customers and stakeholders.
We understand that sometimes the Disabled Students’ Allowance process can be challenging. We are committed to making this process as clear and simple as possible.
We work according to our core values which are:
- Simplicity
- Integrity
- Success
We do our best to adhere to these values but sometimes we don’t always get it right. On these occasions, we actively encourage our customers and stakeholders to give open and honest feedback to us when our level of service does not meet our own high standards.
We use this feedback to learn, improve and adapt our processes to ensure we keep evolving as a company, meeting the high standards of customer service that we strive to deliver.
We understand that the DSA is made up of many moving parts and therefore it is important to contact the right team for support when going through the complaints process.
Funding Body Complaints
Your funding body is the organisation that funds your needs assessment and your support. They ultimately make the final decision on whether or not your support is approved.
If your complaint refers to the level of service received from your funding body or a decision made by them regarding your support, please contact them directly to process your complaint.
Further information for making a complaint to your funding body can be found below:
Support Provider Complaints
Your support provider is the company or companies that provide your DSA-approved recommendations.
These providers include:
- assistive technology hardware/software providers
- assistive technology training providers
- non-medical help providers (1-1 support)
- taxi providers
- ergonomic equipment providers
If your complaint refers to the level of service received from one or more of your support providers, you must contact them directly.
Your support providers’ contact details can be found on your DSA Entitlement letter from page 2 onwards. Your funding body will send this letter to you through email within 4 weeks of your assessment. An example of what this letter looks like can be found on our website.
Higher Education Institute Complaints
If your complaint refers to the level of service received from your university, please contact your disability and wellbeing department directly to process your complaint.
Complaints about A2B Assessments
Please note, we are only able to process complaints in relation to the services we provide.
A2B’s services include:
- all correspondence, both written and verbal, between A2B Assessments and you, the customer
- the needs assessment
- the needs assessment report
A2B’s services do not include:
- the decisions made by your funding body regarding what recommendations are approved
- the services received from support providers and your higher education institute
If your complaint relates to services provided by A2B Assessments, please follow the complaints process detailed below.
Many concerns can be resolved quickly, without the need for a formal complaint. Please contact us as soon as possible before raising a formal complaint by any of the methods below:
- telephone – 020 3301 0236
- email – [email protected]
We will respond to informal concerns within 10 working days. However, there may be times when a concern can take longer than 10 working days to respond to. In these instances, we will give you an updated timescale of when your concern will be processed and a resolution sought.
If an informal concern cannot be resolved to a satisfactory level, the formal complaints procedure should be followed.
Stage 1
If we are unable to resolve your concerns using the informal process above, you can raise a formal complaint. To do this, please complete our Formal Complaints Form.
After you have completed the complaints form, the details of your complaint will be logged in our internal database. This information will then be processed and a suitable member of staff will contact you with a response to your complaint. Please allow up to 10 working days for this response.
We aim to resolve all complaints as quickly as possible. More complex complaints may require more time to resolve. In these cases, you will be given updated timescales on when to expect a full and comprehensive reply.
Stage 2
If you are not satisfied with our initial response and the proposed resolution to your complaint then you can ask for your complaint to be escalated to the Customer Experience Manager of A2B Assessments.
The Customer Experience Manager will acknowledge your request and reply to you with a full explanation within 10 working days.
The Customer Experience Manager aims to resolve all escalated complaints as quickly as possible. More complex complaints may require more time to resolve. In these cases, you will be given updated timescales on when to expect a full and comprehensive reply.
Stage 3
If you remain dissatisfied with A2B Assessments’ response after completing the previous two stages and wish to escalate your complaint to a third party, we advise you to contact the Disability Services at your University explaining the basis of your complaint.
If you cannot reach a resolution with your university, please contact your funding body for further assistance.
