Complaints

We take complaints seriously and appreciate that mistakes can be learning opportunities. We want to learn from complaints, so that we can do better in the future and can put things right where they have gone wrong.

Our definition of a complaint

A complaint is when someone lets us know that they are unhappy about any aspect of Alzheimer’s Society’s work. Some examples might include, but are not limited to:

• the standard, inclusiveness, or appropriateness of service we provide
• something we have or haven’t done
• a policy, campaign, or anything else we promote
• Alzheimer’s Society’s report, strategy, or position on a particular issue
• the behaviour, skills or knowledge or our staff, volunteers and people acting on our behalf 
• the way we have treated their personal information, including photographs

How to complain

Online

You can submit your complaint online through our Feedback form.

By phone

You can call our Supporter Care team on 0330 333 0804, 8am to 10pm every day (except Christmas Day).

By post

You can write into us at the following address:

Alzheimer's Society
Suite 2
1st Floor East Wing
Plumer House
Tailyour Road
Plymouth
PL6 5DH

You can also make your complaint to any Alzheimer’s Society employee or volunteer – either by telling them verbally or in writing.

What happens when you make a complaint

If you can, tell us who you are so that we can look into and help resolve the situation. 
We will also record your complaint, even when:

• We resolve it immediately and don’t need to take any further action 
• You make your complaint anonymously

If we  consider that someone is in danger, we will immediately refer to a manager, and follow our safeguarding policy and procedures.

We will store your complaint securely, in accordance with privacy and data protection laws and our policies.

The Society has a two-stage complaints resolution process

Stage 1: Local Resolution

• We will log your complaint immediately and aim to resolve it straight away. If this is not possible, then the Society will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 days, and we will aim to resolve your complaint within 10 working days. 
• If we are unable to resolve your complaint within this time frame, we will let you know within 20 working days over when you can expect to hear from us. This may happen if your complaint is particularly complex. 

Stage 2: Appeal

• If you are not satisfied with our response to your initial complaint, you can formally appeal the decision within 10 working days of receiving our response. Please let us know why you are unhappy with the decision made. You can do this by replying to our response, or using the contact methods in the 'How to Complain' section.
• We will give you the outcome of your appeal within 20 days of receiving it. This will  include our findings and conclusions.
• If we are still unable to settle the complaint we will advise you of any appropriate external body to whom you may refer the issue.

To make sure that we value and learn from complaints, we:

• Deal with all complaints in a timely, appropriate and professional way
• Keep statistical information about the number, type and seriousness of complaints we receive 
• Provide regular reports to our Chief Executive and Board of Trustees about all the complaints we receive 
• Make sure our employees and people acting on our behalf know about our complaints policy and procedures

Taking your complaint outside of Alzheimer’s Society 

The Charity Commission regulates registered charities in England and Wales. They make sure that charities are accountable, well-run, and meet their legal obligations. The Commission will receive complaints related to suspected serious abuse or illegal activity at a charity. 

The Charity Commission do advise that you initially contact the charity directly with your complaint, although you do not need to wait for Alzheimer’s Society to complete its investigation before contacting them.

You can contact The Charity Commission in the following ways:

Online

You can find out more about the type of complaints that the Charity Commission can consider by filling out:

• The Raising concerns about a charity form on The UK Charity Commission website.
• The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Contact form.

By phone

• You can contact The UK Charity Commission team on 0300 066 9197 (9am - 5pm Monday to Friday).
• For The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, contact the team on 028 3832 0220 (9am - 5pm Monday to Friday).

Complaints about fundraising

Any Alzheimer’s Society supporter making a complaint about our fundraising activities, who is dissatisfied with the outcome or response times, can (after Stage 2: Appeal) refer their complaint to the Fundraising Regulator via telephone on 0300 999 3407 or web form.

You can also complain to the Fundraising Regulator if you have a concern about the way you have been asked for donations or how fundraisers have behaved. You can also make your complaint to the Fundraising Regulator in writing by sending it to:

Fundraising Regulator
2nd Floor, CAN Mezzanine
49-51 East Road London
N1 6AH.

Complaints about advertising 

If your complaint is about advertising that you feel is offensive, deceptive, or inaccurate you can make a complaint online to the Advertising Standards Authority.
You can also call them on 020 7492 2222.