The Postal Services (Consumer Complaints Handling Standards) Regulations 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations require a licensed provider of postal services that provide licensed postal services to relevant consumers to have in place, publish and comply with a complaints handling procedure to handle consumer complaints from receipt through to completion. The complaints handling procedure must meet the requirements set out in regulation 3, which include a requirement that the procedure be transparent, simple and inexpensive, be in plain and intelligible language and must describe the process the licensed provider will follow to investigate and complete a complaint, and the likely timescale for that process.

Regulation 4 specifies the information that the licensed provider must record about a consumer complaint, and regulation 5 provides that where the licensed provider becomes aware that it will not be able to complete a consumer complaint through its complaints handling procedure it must inform the complainant of their right to refer the complaint to a qualifying redress scheme. Regulation 6 requires each licensed provider to allocate sufficient resources to enable them to handle consumer complaints, and regulation 7 makes provision for the handling of consumer complaints made by vulnerable consumers.

The Regulations also require each licensed provider to record consumer complaints made through its complaints handling procedure and publish an annual report containing information on the consumer complaints it has received.

The Regulations do not require complaints handling procedures to apply to senders of mail who have a contract with a licensed provider, where the complaint relates to mail items conveyed under that contract.