1. Introduction

At Civil Enforcement Limited, we strive to take complaints seriously as they help us improve areas of our products and services and resolve any issues relating to the consistency and quality of our business operations.

Our complaints policy is an opportunity for customers to tell us when we might have fallen short of expectation, and how we can put things right.

Civil Enforcement Limited receive, evaluate, make, and record its decisions on complaints in a non-discriminatory manner, in accordance with the requirements of our accredited parking association.

2. Policy Scope

The policy is designed to deal with concerns raised in relation to parking enforcement only; complaints that do not relate to matters pertaining to the BPA’s Approved Operator Code of Practice or Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 are not covered under the scope of the policy.

Our complaints policy does not cover:

  • Appeals/dissatisfaction relating to the issuance of a Parking Charge
  • Comments regarding the amount of a Parking Charge
  • Decisions made by our in-house appeals department
  • Comments on our policies or policy decisions
  • Matters that have already been fully investigated through this complaints procedure
  • Decisions made by the Parking on Private Land Appeals service (POPLA)
  • Anonymous complaints
  • Car parking tariffs

3. Definition of a Complaint

The complaints policy is not intended to be used as a method for motorists to appeal a Parking Charge. Matters relating specifically to appeals must be made in writing as detailed on the notice informing you about the Parking Charge.

If a complaint is received that is considered to be or includes an appeal against the validity of a Parking Charge, we will treat it as an appeal and advise you of this, unless we are informed that you do not wish it to be handled as an appeal.

Our definition of a complaint is something about the quality of the service provided by us, our processes and/or the behaviour of our staff.

Our definition of an appeal is an objection against the decision to issue a Parking Charge where a change to that decision is required.

4. How to make a Complaint

Customers who wish to make a complaint must do so in writing. This is to ensure we know exactly what is the nature of the complaint and this reduces the possibility of ambiguity. The complaint will then be registered onto our system and a unique reference code generated. A full name and valid email address must be provided for your complaint to be considered and processed.

Once the complaint has been received, we will acknowledge the complaint within 14 days and provide a unique reference code. The acknowledgement will be sent to the name and address, or email provided. In the absence of valid contact details, it may not be possible to process a complaint or process it within the published timeframes.

We will respond to complaints within 28 days of receipt. In some cases, however, the allotted timeframe could be extended due to the nature of the complaint and the complexities surrounding any investigation. If we are unable to reply to the complaint within 28 days, we will write to you to advise of progress.

A complaint must be made in writing via post to Civil Enforcement, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3PF. This should be addressed to the attention of the Complaints Officer, or by completing our online complaints form by clicking here.

The complaint must be made within 56 days of the incident taking place.

5. How Complaints will be recorded

Complaints will be recorded on a complaints register and kept on file for 36 months and these will be available on request to authorised bodies. The details that will be retained will be:

  • Date of complaint
  • Copy of complaint
  • Copy of all correspondence
  • The outcome
  • Details of any corrective action required

All personal data will be redacted in line with GDPR requirements.

The complaints register will be reviewed periodically to identify trends and training opportunities.

6. Escalation Process

6.1 Stage one

In the event that you are not satisfied with the handling of the complaint, the complaint can be escalated to our Compliance Lead. They will acknowledge the escalated complaint within 14 days. A full response to your complaint will be issued within 28 days unless exceptional circumstances have been identified. If more time is needed, you will be written to with an update.

6.2 Stage two

If you remain dissatisfied with our determination of the complaint, we will provide you with the details to enable you to complain to the British Parking Association (full details will be provided at the appropriate time).

In order to escalate a complaint to the British Parking Association, you must supply the British Parking Association with a copy of our final complaint response. The British Parking Association will not review escalated complaints where this is not provided by you.

The BPA Complaints Portal link for escalated complaints can be accessed from the following webpage https://www.britishparking.co.uk/Contact-Us-Public

7. Confidentiality

All complaints will be dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please note, when a complaint concerns the issuing of a Parking Charge issued by us, Civil Enforcement Limited are the data controller. As such you should be aware that any information provided in connection with the complaint will be used by Civil Enforcement Limited to help us deal with it. Your information may also be passed to Civil Enforcement Limited staff who were enforcing any parking restrictions or conditions at the relevant site. Information may also be shared with the landowner and any permit service provider if relevant to allowing the complaint to be investigated and resolved.

For more information on how we use your information you can contact our Data Protection Officer, Civil Enforcement Ltd, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3PF or by email at dataprotectionofficer@ce-service.co.uk. If you request a copy of your information you will not need to pay any fee. More information about your rights concerning the use of your personal data is available within our privacy policy found on our website https://www.ce-service.co.uk/privacy-policy