If you have an issue with any of the services you receive from Amey, make sure you register an official complaint; this gives them a true picture of the service they are delivering, as well as the information needed for them to change processes and resolve the issue for the future.
On the flip side, if you have a positive comment about their service, please let them know so that it can be developed as “best practice”.
DIO has appointed a new supplier to carry out their regular SFA customer satisfaction survey.
In future, Opinion Research Service (ORS) will be carrying out these short phone surveys.
Until now, DIO has selected 200 UK SFA occupants to take part in the monthly survey. DIO has now increased this to 500 occupants who will be contacted.
Your feedback helps shape the future delivery of Service Family Accommodation. If ORS contacts you, please take the opportunity to let them hear your views.
Please rest assured that your personal data will remain safe and secure.
Back to topDIO have recently announced a compensation scheme in the UK to cover missed appointments and significant issues at move-in for SFA and SSFA.
Claims will only be accepted for issues that occurred after 1 April 2017 and must be made within 14 days of the issue occurring – claims for any other issues e.g. damage to belongings, food expenses for loss of cooking facilities etc. should continue to be made by the usual methods.
Compensation will be in the form of High Street Vouchers – no alternatives will be offered. DIO have produced a fact sheet that covers the information you will need to make a claim.
Back to topIf you live in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) (a hiring) the allocation, sourcing, move-in and other issues will be dealt with by Mears.
If you have an issue with Mears, please read on for the complaints process you should follow.
Complaint process
Stage 1
If you are dissatisfied with the service, please call the Mears Help desk on 0800 032 4547 or email Mears at resident.complaints@mearsgroup.co.uk
Once you have registered a complaint, a Mears customer care manager will contact you giving you a reference number for your complaint. An explanation on how the process works will be provided along with regular updates on the progress of your complaint.
Stage 2
If your complaint has been formally closed at stage 1 and you are not satisfied with the response, you can raise the complaint to a stage 2 with DIO. You can do this in two ways:
Online: by completing the online stage 2 complaint form, which for security reasons is only available on the MOD intranet. Please ensure you quote the reference number given to you by Mears at Stage 1. To access the form, your soldier can copy and paste the following URL into their browser bar when logged on to the defence intranet (DII): http://defenceintranet.diif.r.mil.uk/libraries/3/Docs1/20150612.1/DIO-SD-Accn-Stage2-Complaint-Form.xsn
Letter: by writing to the Customer Services Team (address below). Please ensure you quote the reference number given to you by Mears at Stage 1. Briefly set out your complaint, why you are not satisfied with the stage 1 response and what outcome you would like.
Customer Service Team
DIO Service Delivery Accommodation
Ground Floor
Swales Pavilion
RAF Wyton
CAMBS
PE28 2EA
If you make a stage 2 complaint, DIO will have access to your stage 1 complaint details and records, so you do not need to re-submit the full details of your complaint.
DIO will acknowledge it within three working days and provide a reference number. An investigation will then be carried out; however, there is no standard response time due to the need to further investigate complaints that vary in nature and complexity.
Stage 3
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive at stage 1 and 2, you can escalate your complaint to the Independent Housing Review Panel by writing to:
Independent Housing Review Panel
CD(P) Service and Veterans Welfare Accommodation Policy C2
Ministry of Defence
Floor 6, Zone A
Main Building
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2HB
Since the start of the Amey contract, AFF has continued to hear from families that the complaints process is not fit for purpose and we have consistently fed this back to Amey and DIO.
AFF has been copied into correspondence that compliments the complaints team; something we have not seen before. As a result, we asked Stuart Jones, the Head of Complaints (now called the Customer Solutions and Insight team), to tell you what has changed and why. Click here to read more.
Please let AFF know about your recent experiences with complaints by emailing housingsupport@aff.org.uk.
Back to topFor full details of the Amey complaints process, click here and for details on the gov.uk website, click here.
Complaint submission timings
To effectively deal with complaints, it is necessary for them to be considered as close as possible to the date of the matter arising. Therefore, complaints are to be submitted within the timings detailed below. Complaints submitted outside these timings will only be considered if there are clear extenuating circumstances, such as deployments, training etc. Accepting complaints outside of these timings will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
If the complaint is related to a culmination of events/matters, then it should be submitted within 28 days of the last event.
Full information about SFA complaints can be found in JSP 464: tri-Service accommodation regulations (TSARs) Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 6
Maintenance/Repairs and Allocations
Stage 1:
Stage 1 complaints about contractors, maintenance staff or allocation services are handled by Amey.
You can log a complaint via Amey using:
You can also call 0800 707 6000 Option 5, email them at customercare@ameydefenceservices.co.uk or visit your local customer service centre to speak to someone in person.
Remember: when making a complaint, always ask for a complaint reference number so that you can be sure it has been logged and it can be tracked.
Stage 2 complaints:
If your Stage 1 complaint has been closed but you are still dissatisfied, you can escalate your complaint to DIO by one of two methods:
Any emails not containing all of this information will not be accepted by the Customer Service Team. Please send your email to: diordaccn-stage2noreply@mod.gov.uk
Quote the Stage 1 complaint reference number and briefly set out your complaint, why you are not satisfied with the Stage 1 response and what outcome you would like.
DIO should acknowledge your Stage 2 complaint within three working days and provide you with a reference number. An investigation will then be carried out – depending on the nature of the complaint, this can take some time.
Stage 3 complaints:
If you have completed Stage 2 and are still dissatisfied, you can escalate your complaint to the Independent Housing Review Panel at the following address:
Independent Housing Review Panel
CD (P) Services and Veterans Welfare
Accommodation Policy C2
Ministry of Defence
Floor 6, Zone A
Main Building
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2HB
Remember:
When making a complaint, give as much detail as possible about the issue and be very clear about your desired outcome.
In order to proceed to the next stage of the complaints process you must ensure that the earlier stages have been closed. The relevant complaints team should let you know when it has been closed but it would be wise to call Amey or DIO to check that this has been done before escalating to the next level.
Remember: when making a complaint, give as much detail as possible about the issue and be very clear about your desired outcome. You have to wait for each stage to be closed before you can escalate to the next level.
Back to topTop tips for a constructive complaint
How do I write a letter of complaint?
It may sound obvious but, start by talking directly to your neighbours – perhaps they don’t realise how much the sound is travelling, or that their dog is barking the whole time they are out.
There are ways to do this; plan what you are going to say, and always stay calm and polite.
Choose the right time
If the issue is noisy parties, it’s probably not a good idea to go round mid-party after they’ve had a few drinks, wait until it’s over and then talk about it.
Remind them that you have children, or need to get up for work, and ask them to let you know about a party in advance or to turn the sound down after a certain time.
What if the problem continues?
Noisy civilians
Who do you go to for help if you are living next to civilians?
Try to resolve it yourself and keep your UWO informed. You can get in touch with your local council, their landlord (if they have one) or contact the community police for advice.
Attend community meetings from time to time in your area.
Being a good neighbour
What should you do if you are approached about your noise levels?
The rules
Remember that under the terms of your licence to occupy an SFA, you have agreed that:
To talk to us about a complaint or a nuisance neighbour, contact housingsupport@aff.org.uk
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