Business & Computing Examinations (BCE) is committed to providing a quality service for its members and working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect of all our stakeholders. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our Centres, candidates, customers and stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.
We believe that the Exam Board provides good qualifications for all our candidates and that all staff work very hard to build positive relationships will all stakeholders. However the Exam Board is obliged to have procedures in place in case there are complaints. The policy sets out procedure that the Exam Board follows in such cases.
We aim to be fair, open and honest when dealing with any complaint. We give careful consideration to all complaints and deal with them as swiftly as possible. We aim to resolve any complaint through dialogue and mutual understanding and, in all cases, we put the interests of the Centres, candidates, customers and stakeholders above all other issues. We provide sufficient opportunity for any complaint to be fully discussed, and then resolved.
Therefore we aim to ensure that:
• Making a complaint is as easy as possible
• We treat a complaint as clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for an immediate response
• We deal with it promptly, politely and when appropriate, confidentially
• We respond in the right way, for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong, or information on any action taken.
• We learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures.
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly. Our aims are to:
• Resolve informal concerns quickly
• Keep matters low-key
• Enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred.
An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.
Business & Computing Examinations defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction that requires a formal response.
The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
Our responsibility will be to:
• Acknowledge the formal complaint in writing
• Respond within a stated period of time (10 working days)
• Deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint
• Take action where appropriate
A complainant’s responsibility is to:
• Bring their complaint, in writing, to BCE’s attention normally within 8 weeks of the issue arising
• Raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff at BCE (or our Centres)
• Explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date
• Allow BCE a reasonable time to deal with the matter
• Recognise that some circumstances may be beyond BCE’s control
The complaints process
1. If a candidate is concerned about anything to do with the programmes that we are providing at Centres, they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their Centre head. Most matters of concern can be dealt with in this way. All Centre heads work very hard to ensure that each candidate is happy at the Centre and is making good progress; they always want to know if there is a problem, so that they can take action before the problems seriously affects the candidate’s progress.
2. Where the candidate feels that a situation has not been resolved through contact with the Centre head, or that their concern is of a sufficient serious nature, they should make an appointment to discuss it with BCE external representatives. The BCE Representative considers any such complaint very seriously and investigates each case thoroughly. Most complaints are normally resolved at this stage.
3. Should the candidate or stakeholder have a complaint about the Centre or BCE representatives in general, they can write to BCE Office in London.
Responsibility for Action:All staff
Confidentiality: All complaints are recorded and kept confidentially. Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both the complainant and BCE maintain confidentiality. However, the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own merit). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.
Monitoring and Reporting: BCE will prepare an annually report of complaints made and their resolution.
Business & Computing Examinations (BCE) is committed to providing a quality service for its members and working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect of all our stakeholders. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our Centres, candidates, customers and stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.
An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.