Complaints Procedure

Rounce Funeral Services Limited Complaints Procedure
Effective Date: 02/11/2020

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We only have one chance to get a funeral right. But on the rare occasion when things do go wrong, it’s important that families have access to a system of redress they can trust.

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Any complaint made against a SAIF (Society Of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors) member (Rounce Funeral Services is member 2002) is taken extremely seriously, both by us and by the Society.

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In the first instance, any complaint must be brought to the attention the Managing Director, Mr Christopher Rounce of Rounce Funeral Services, 3 Half Moon Parade, Half Moon Lane, Worthing BN13 2EL, setting out all the facts in writing to us soon as possible. 

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Under the SAIF Code of Practice, Rounce Funeral Services has a duty to acknowledge, investigate and respond in detail to your complaint as quickly as practically possible.

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Rounce Funeral Services will treat the matter with the utmost seriousness and in most cases provide a solution acceptable to the client.  We will give a written response to you and where appropriate, an apology and/or offer of compensation and/or other form of redress as soon as practically possible.

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If the Managing Director is not available, all recommendations and decisions relating to complaints will be approved and sanctioned by a director or senior manager.

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If however, you are not satisfied at any stage with the response you receive from Rounce Funeral Services or if you believe the matter needs to be more formally investigated then you can either:

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a) Refer your complaint to the (SAIF) Society’s Professional Standards Committee or

b) Pay a fee to SAIF for referral to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).

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All such referrals should be made within 12 months of the funeral taking place. Only in exceptional circumstances will a complaint be reviewed if older than 12 months and on the discretion of the Standard’s Chairman.

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The SAIF Complaints Form needs to be completed by the client (the person who arranged the funeral) accompanied by all associated correspondence.

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The procedures involved in both of these options are set out below, but depending on the alternative you choose you should address all correspondence to either the Professional Standards Committee or CEDR c/o SAIF Business Centre, 3 Bullfields, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9DB or email: standards@saif.org.uk

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a) Referring Complaints to the (SAIF) Society’s Professional Standards Committee.

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This option should be chosen when:
You still wish to come to an amicable resolution of your complaint with Rounce Funeral Services but feel the Society should have the opportunity to investigate the matter and propose an acceptable solution, while also taking appropriate action to prevent any repetition of the problem.

 

Normally, the Chairman and the members of the Professional Standards Committee will try to recommend a 
solution acceptable to both parties while also taking suitable corrective action, if required, in relation to the Funeral Director.

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If however, you are not satisfied at any stage either with the way your complaint is being handled or with the proposed solution which of course you are not bound to accept, you can require that the matter be transferred to the Independent Arbitrator of the CEDR. Also, the Chairman of the Standards Committee can request such a transfer if it is felt that the matter is beyond their authority.

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b) Referring Complaints to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).

An application on this basis must be accompanied by the following fee payable by the complainant:

• Conciliation £100
• Arbitration (Documents Only) £ 200

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This fee may be recoverable from any award made by the arbitrator in the complainant’s favour. The remainder of the fee charged for the arbitration referral is payable by SAIF.

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CEDR consists of two stages, conciliation and arbitration. The first stage, which consists of an informal process of conciliation, can be bypassed if one or both of the parties expressly opt to proceed directly to arbitration.

If the parties have previously attempted to resolve their dispute using conciliation and the customer wishes to refer the dispute to arbitration, they must submit an application to the administrator within 28 days of the end of the conciliation proceedings.

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The award of the arbitrator will be generally final and legally binding on both parties. If, however, either Party considers the Award is one that no reasonable Arbitrator should have reached on the basis of the documents presented, any payment ordered should still be made, but they may write requesting that the matter be referred to 
review.

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An application for Review by the Appellant will only be considered if:

• CEDR receives it within 21 days of the date that the award was dispatched to the Parties by CEDR.
• It is accompanied by a copy of the Arbitrator’s Award together with a statement setting out the reasons why the Award is one that no reasonable arbitrator should have reached on the basis of the documents presented.
• A fee, known as the ‘CEDR Fee’ is sent with the respective paperwork to ‘CEDR’. For current day fee, contact the SAIF office.

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In Conclusion

 

Once the Review Procedure has been completed, no further steps can be taken by any Party under these Rules. Any party considering the possibility of an appeal to the courts, if indeed such an appeal is legally possible, is strongly advised to seek legal advice.

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Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do contact the SAIF Business Centre:

Tel no: (01279) 726777 Fax no: (01279) 726300

E-mail Address: standards@saif.org.uk

The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors 
SAIF Business Centre, 3 Bullfields, Sawbridgeworth, Herts CM21 9D