Complaints Procedure

When to use this

Use this procedure if you are unhappy with something we have done, or failed to do. That includes the service you received, the way you were treated, a delay, a bill, or the way we handled your personal data.

Complaining costs nothing and does not affect the service you receive. We would much rather hear from you than lose you quietly.

If your complaint is about a school, university, language centre, host family or airline, their own complaints procedure applies, because your contract is with them. Tell us anyway. We will help you make the complaint and we will chase it with them.

How to complain

Contact us in whichever way suits you:

• Email admin@happyeducation.uk with "Complaint" in the subject line
• Phone or WhatsApp +44 7735 826785
• Write to: Complaints, HAPPY EDUCATION CONSULTANCY LTD, 16 Upper Woburn Place, London, England, WC1H 0AF

It helps if you tell us:

• your name and the best way to reach you
• what happened, and roughly when
• who you dealt with, if you know
• what you would like us to do to put it right

Please complain within 12 months of the event, or of finding out about it. We will still look at a later complaint where we reasonably can, but records and memories fade.

Stage 1: we look into it

1. We acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and tell you who is handling it.
2. We look into what happened. We may contact you for more detail, and we will read our records of your case.
3. We give you a full written response within 15 working days of acknowledging it. The response explains what we found, whether we think something went wrong, and what we propose to do.
4. If we need longer, for example because we are waiting on an institution, we will tell you before the 15 days are up, explain why, and give you a date. The whole of stage 1 will not take more than 30 working days.

Where we got something wrong, we will say so and apologise. Where we do not agree, we will explain our reasoning rather than simply saying no.

Stage 2: a review

If you are not satisfied with our stage 1 response, ask for a review within 20 working days of receiving it. Say what you think we got wrong.

The review is carried out by the company director, who has not been the person handling your case day to day. You will get a written response within 15 working days. This is our final response.

If you are still not satisfied

Data protection complaints. You can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at any time, whether or not you have been through this procedure: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, helpline 0303 123 1113.

Consumer complaints in the UK. The Citizens Advice consumer service gives free advice and can refer a case to Trading Standards: citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer, 0808 223 1133.

If you are in Türkiye. As a consumer resident in Türkiye you may be able to use the Turkish consumer bodies, the Tüketici Hakem Heyeti or the consumer courts, in addition to the routes above. Which one is open to you depends on the value of the claim and where the contract was made.

Unregulated immigration advice. If you believe any person or business has given you immigration advice without being registered to do so, you can report it to the Immigration Advice Authority. That applies to us as much as to anybody else.

Court. You can take a claim to court. In England and Wales, the small claims track handles most consumer claims up to a modest value without a solicitor.

Alternative dispute resolution. We are not currently a member of a certified ADR scheme. If we reach the end of this procedure without agreement, we will tell you in writing whether we are willing to use an ADR provider in your case and, if so, which one.

What we do with complaints

We record every complaint, what caused it and what we changed as a result, and the director reviews them. Complaint files are kept for 6 years from closure, as set out in our privacy policy.

We treat your complaint confidentially. We will only share it with an institution or a third party where that is necessary to resolve it, and we will tell you when we do.

Complaints on behalf of someone else

If you are complaining for someone else, for example a parent for a student over 18, we need that person's written permission before we can discuss their information with you. For a student under 18, a parent or legal guardian can complain directly.

Behaviour

Nearly every complaint is made reasonably, and we treat every complainant with respect. In rare cases, where contact becomes abusive or threatening, we may limit how and when we communicate. We will tell you in writing if we do, and we will still investigate and answer the complaint.