Everest & Everest Conservatories Complaints Procedure
At Everest, we pride ourselves on providing our customers with an exceptional service. However, we understand that occasionally things can go wrong. When they do, in the first instance you should raise your concerns via a customer service enquiry form here.
Complaints Resolution Timescales
Should we resolve your complaint by the close of the third business day; following the day on which we receive your complaint, we will issue you with a written communication, called a ‘summary resolution communication’, acknowledging that you made a complaint to us and setting out that the complaint has been resolved along with any specific details.
We will always aim to issue a resolution to complaints within 8 weeks from the date that they were raised. This is called a ‘final resolution communication’ and will include whether the complaint is deemed to be upheld or not upheld (for example responding and resolving any minor issues promptly). It will detail what has gone wrong and what we have done/are doing or intend to do, about it.
‘Summary resolution communications’ and ‘Final resolution communications’ will further set out any rights that may be applicable to you, depending on the nature of your complaint. For example, Alternative Dispute Resolution via The Glass and Glazing Federation or The Glazing Arbitration Scheme, or if it concerns a finance product; you may be able to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
If you are still dissatisfied and wish to make a formal complaint, please follow the steps outlined below. All complaints are taken extremely seriously, and we aim to resolve them where possible. The time that this will take depends on the nature of the complaint e.g. whether replacements are required etc but we always aim to agree a resolution within 8 weeks. We will keep you fully updated throughout and where we have reason to believe we may surpass the 8-week deadline, we shall inform you of this as well as any rights applicable to you.
Once an agreed resolution has been issued, if this includes any further work to be completed at a later date, we will continue to manage the complaint until all works are fully completed.
Please note that we can only progress complaints relating to orders installed on or after 1st June 2020 and by Everest 2020 Ltd or Everest Conservatories Ltd. If you have any issues relating to orders installed before 1st June 2020, please click here for further information.
Step 1 – Raising a Formal Complaint
You can contact us to raise a formal complaint here. You can also write to us at Everest, Unit 1, Albany Place, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 3BT. You can also send an email to customer.relations@everest.co.uk or call 01707 933680. Office hours are Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm.
It is important that you provide:
- Your name, address, email address and contact telephone number
- Any order or other reference number you have
- Exactly what went wrong, including when it happened, what happened, and who was involved
- Photographs of the issue if possible
- How you would like us to resolve the matter
Once we have received a formal complaint from you, this is what will happen next:
- We will assign a Complaint Management Co-Ordinator to your case. They will manage your complaint to resolution and will be your point of contact throughout
- If further information is needed, your Complaint Management Co-Ordinator will call you within one working day (Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm), to introduce themselves and to discuss the issues that you are having. This will ensure that they have a thorough understanding of what has happened
- A written acknowledge of your complaint will then be sent to you by email (or post if you we don’t have an email address for you) within 2 working days. This will detail the issues that you have reported and include the contact details of your Complaint Management Co-Ordinator
Step 2 – Investigation
The investigation of your complaint will be undertaken by your Complaint Management Co-Ordinator, who will liaise with the relevant department(s) responsible for the issue you have raised and work with them on a resolution plan.
If your complaint relates to workmanship or product quality, it is likely that an inspection will need to be booked. Following the inspection, if any rectification work is required, a report will be drafted, detailing exactly what is planned. This will be shared with you to ensure that you agree that there is nothing missing from the report.
Once any parts and/or replacements are received at the Installation Centre and have been checked, an appointment will then be made with you, for the work to be carried out. We will call you again on the day before your appointment, to ensure that you are still in agreement with the works that are planned and that nothing further needs to be added.
Step 3 – Resolution & Closure
Once the investigation into what went wrong is compete, if this is done within three days, we will issue a ‘Summary resolution communication’. Where this is done within 8 weeks, we will issue a ‘Final resolution communication’.
Whichever communication you receive will include whether the complaint is deemed to be upheld or not. Where a complaint is not upheld, an example could be where we have already responded and resolved minor issues promptly.
Where it is necessary for further works to be completed after a final resolution communication has been issued (for example where bespoke replacements are required, or dates offered to complete work are not convenient), then your Complaint Management Co-Ordinator will continue to manage your case and communicate with you – until all works are completed correctly.
Step 4 – Further Monitoring & Closure
If your complaint has meant that we’ve needed to return to complete further works after the date of your Final resolution communication, we will call you on the day after your appointment, to ensure that you are happy with the work completed.
Once you confirm that any outstanding issues have been rectified to your satisfaction, we will then close the case and confirm this to you in writing.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Everest are members of The Glass and Glazing Federation and if you are not satisfied with the outcome you may ask them to look into your complaint. You should contact them within 6 months of receiving our final resolution letter with an overview of your complaint and a copy of your contract. You can contact The Glass and Glazing Federation:
As a member of GGF & FENSA, Everest is also registered with The Glazing Arbitration Scheme (TGAS). Upon receiving our final resolution letter if you remain unhappy with our final decision, it may be possible to participate in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process that TGAS provides which is operated by CEDR, International Dispute Resolution Centre, 70 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1EU.
To check whether your claim is eligible for ADR via TGAS, their criteria and details on how to apply, can be found here:- TGAS - Consumer FAQs. You can also contact complaints@FENSA.org.uk or call 0207 6453713 but this must be only after receiving my final resolution letter.
Complaints related to Consumer Credit Finance
All complaints are treated in the same way as set out above. This includes how you make the complaint; the timescales in which we endeavour to come back to you and the investigation process. Yet complaints relating to an FCA regulated finance agreement, the sale of which or any other connected complaint relating to us, provides certain legal rights to consumers.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your complaint or the outcome after the receipt of a Summary Resolution Communication or Final Resolution Communication; you have the option to escalate your complaint onto the Financial Ombudsman Service (‘FOS’). This must be done with 6 months of receiving either a Summary Resolution Communication or Final Resolution Communication, it cannot be done before or after that period.
FOS contact details:
The FOS are an independent mediator, their role is to look at both sides of the argument as well as the decision reached, the evidence and information in support of the firm’s decision. They then make a decision on whether or not they agree with the firm’s decision or not and make recommendations on how to resolve the matter with the customer.
You can find out more about the FOS by visiting www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
Additional Protection when using our finance product as a method of payment
Your finance agreement will provide you with protection under Consumer Credit legislation. This means that the lender is jointly responsible with Everest 2020 Ltd or Everest Conservatories Ltd, for the goods and services to which the finance agreement applies.
Everest Complaints Policy (updated October 2023)