Complaints Procedure
How to raise a complaint — about the Service or about how we've handled personal data — and what happens next.
Effective 2026-09-07
1. Tell us — we would rather know
If something has gone wrong, please tell us. Most problems are quicker to fix than to complain about, and we would rather hear about them.
2. Two routes
2.1 Service complaints
Anything about the Service, billing, support, or how we have dealt with you.
Email support@effectiveclerking.co.uk, with “Complaint” in the subject line. Tell us what happened, when, what you would like us to do, and how to reach you.
2.2 Data protection complaints
Anything about how we have handled personal data — yours or anyone’s.
Email support@effectiveclerking.co.uk, with “Data protection complaint” in the subject line.
You can also write to us at 17 Wheatfield Road, Bedford, MK45 3QF.
3. What happens, and when
| Stage | Service complaints | Data protection complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgement | Within 5 working days | Within 30 days — this is a statutory requirement |
| Investigation | We look into it, ask you for anything else we need, and check our records | The same, plus appropriate enquiries into the processing concerned |
| Keeping you informed | We update you at least every 10 working days while it is open | We keep you informed of progress without undue delay |
| Outcome | Within 20 working days of acknowledgement, or we tell you why longer is needed and when to expect an answer | Without undue delay once our enquiries are complete |
| What we tell you | What we found, what we are doing, and what you can do if you are not satisfied | The same |
4. If you are not satisfied
4.1 Ask us to look again. Reply to our response saying why, and it will be reviewed by Vijith Vijay. We will respond within 10 working days.
4.2 Data protection complaints — the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can complain to the ICO at any stage; you do not have to come to us first, though it usually helps.
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
4.3 Alternative dispute resolution. We are not a member of an alternative dispute resolution scheme and are not required to be. Nothing in this procedure affects your right to take legal action.
5. Complaints about AI output
If the Service has produced output that is materially wrong, misattributed, or unsafe, tell us at support@effectiveclerking.co.uk. This is not a formal complaint unless you want it to be — we log AI output reports separately, review them, and use them to improve the system. We would much rather hear about it than not.
6. Complaints made to us about a customer
If you are a governor, trustee, member of staff or other individual and your concern is about how a school, trust or clerk has handled your personal data in their records:
They are the controller, and the complaint needs to go to them.
If you contact us, we will pass it on without undue delay and tell you we have done so.
If you do not know who to contact, tell us what you know at support@effectiveclerking.co.uk and we will help you identify the right organisation.
We cannot investigate a customer’s own handling of their records, and we will not disclose their records to you, because they are not ours to disclose.
7. How we use complaints
We keep a record of every complaint, what caused it, and what we did. We review them periodically to find patterns worth fixing. Records are kept for 3 years, or 6 years where the complaint involved a personal data breach.
8. Accessibility of this procedure
If you need to complain in a different format — by phone, or with support from someone else — tell us at support@effectiveclerking.co.uk and we will make arrangements.