Complaints and Compliments
While Coventry University London strives to provide you with a positive and professional learning environment, there may be occasions when this does not happen, and you need to let us know.
Coventry University London recognises the rights of students, staff, applicants and members of the public to raise concerns about the services that we provide. We value all the feedback that we receive, good or bad, and aim to learn from any negative comment to help us improve the service we offer.
What is a complaint?
Any specific concern about the provision of a programme of study, a support service, administrative system or policy operated by Coventry University London . Or any specific concern about the activities of Coventry University London students whilst on University owned property or Coventry University London staff engaged in Coventry University London business.
Who can make a complaint?
- All current students
- All former students
- Any person affected by Coventry University London services
- Third party complaints will be considered. Although we encourage those with a complaint to approach us directly, if we are provided with clear authority that a representative is acting on your behalf, we can accept such a complaint
- Anonymous complaints will be considered, dependent on the seriousness of the complaint and the likelihood of confirming the allegation from attributable sources
What can I complain about?
An example of a complaint might be:
- The quality of our service or failure to provide a service
- Concerns about the delivery of a programme of study, teaching or administration
- Poor quality of facilities or learning resources
- The behaviour of a member of staff
When do I complain?
It is helpful if you raise your complaint as soon as possible after the problem has occurred as it will be easier for your concerns to be resolved more quickly. Delays often mean it can be difficult to investigate.
Coventry University London will not normally accept complaints 3 months after the event in question.
What support is available to me in helping me with my complaint?
We do understand that raising a complaint can be stressful and that the process can sometimes be difficult. We strongly encourage students to contact the Students Union Advice Centre at any point in the complaint process so that you feel supported.
You can contact the Students’ Union Advice Centre by telephone on 024 7679 5200 and by email suadvice@coventry.ac.uk
You may also wish to contact Coventry University London Student Support team if the issues raised in your complaint have made you feel anxious or stressed. They can be contacted by emailing care.culc@coventry.ac.uk . Please note that the Student Support team is not in place to resolve the complaints.
What is conciliation?
A scheme that provides students with an informal, supportive route to resolving complaints. A conciliator will be available to meet with you, listen to your concerns, and seek to resolve any issues or problems you have, whether it be about course details, assessment or even difficulties with another person.
How do I complain?
You can complain in writing by letter or email. You will need to complete the pro-forma for submitting complaints and email this into Registry at Coventry University London: registry.london@coventry.ac.uk Students are encouraged to talk to a conciliator or a member of staff who represents the area of your complaint as soon as you can as they might be able to resolve your concerns immediately.
Informal resolution via Conciliation
When things go wrong, we would encourage students to raise any concerns or queries as soon as possible, as this typically means they will be easier and quicker to resolve. We don’t want to discourage you from discussing any concerns with your Faculty course team or a member of the appropriate department, as they can resolve your concerns immediately. However, if this doesn’t help or you would like to talk to an impartial advisor, you may wish to immediately seek support from a Conciliator.
You can approach a Conciliator by email from the list below. There are a number of conciliators within Coventry University London who can deal with course related issues or other concerns.
The role of the Conciliator will be to meet with both parties and work with them to find a solution. They will offer advice on what would be an appropriate resolution to either party, adhering at all times to Coventry University London regulations. The emphasis will be on face to face communication wherever possible.
Once you have requested to meet with a Conciliator you will be contacted as quickly as possible to arrange a meeting.
Stage 1: Complaint to Campus Registrar or Manager of Service
Although we hope that we are able to resolve your complaint informally, we also recognise that students and others affected by the University’s service may wish to pursue their complaint through the University’s formal channel which is in line with Coventry University London's Complaints Procedure (Appendix 10 of the General Regulations).
We encourage you to complete the Complaint Pro-forma and return this to Coventry University London Registry at registry.london@coventry.ac.uk. Please provide as much information as possible in letting us know what has gone wrong and how you would like Coventry University London to put things right. Where possible, you must provide any relevant evidence and this should be sent within 10 working days of submitting your complaint. You will also be asked what steps you have taken so far to resolve the matter.
All formal complaints must be made within 3 months of the alleged incident, matter or concern. Complaints received outside of our advertised deadlines will be deemed out of time and the Coventry University London reserves the right not to progress the complaint any further.
Your complaint will be acknowledged by the next working day. A comprehensive response will normally be made available to you within 20 working days. If for any reason it is going to take longer, we will let you know as soon as we can and keep you updated on our progress.
Stage 2: Complaint to Vice-Chancellor
If you feel that Coventry University London has still not addressed your concerns, you are able to take your complaint to the final stage in the Coventry University London complaints process by making a direct report to the Vice-Chancellor. You can do this by emailing complaints.reg@coventry.ac.uk , and this must be within 10 working days of receiving your response to your Stage 1 complaint, otherwise your complaint will be deemed out of time.
Your stage 2 complaint will be acknowledged by the Coventry University main campus. The Vice-Chancellor will either investigate the complaint himself or ask one of his Senior Management team to investigate on his behalf. A comprehensive response will normally be made available to you within 20 working days.
Once you have received your response, you will have reached the end of the University’s internal procedures and shortly afterwards, the Registrar and Secretary will send you a Completion of Procedures letter. This will enable you (if you are a student), to take your complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) if you still feel your complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily. You must do this within 12 months of the date of the Completion of Procedures letter.
Before you complete this form, you should be aware that all personal information which you provide to us when submitting this form, will be processed in accordance with our Fair Processing Notice for Students. A copy of which can be found on our website.
If you consider it necessary to provide evidence in relation to a family member (or third party) you must first obtain permission in writing from the individual in question to submit the same to us for the purpose of your complaint. You must also provide us with a copy of that consent with your submission otherwise the evidence will be returned directly to you.
We will treat your complaint as confidentially as possible and only release the information to those who need it in order to investigate and respond to your concerns.
Compliments
If you wish to compliment a service, or a particular member of staff then please send an email to registry.london@coventry.ac.uk
