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How we handle consumer complaints

Learn about our fair and impartial complaints investigation process

When buying and servicing healthcare and assistive technology products, things can sometimes go wrong. If they do, we know how difficult and distressing this can be for you. If your dispute is with one of our 400+ member businesses, however, we are able to help.

By following our simple five-step process, the BHTA may be able to help you reach an amicable resolution without the expense and stress of taking the issue to the courts.

Once you have formally raised a complaint with the BHTA, our expert team will determine whether the complaint is valid.

In particular, we will consider:

• If the member has infringed on your legal rights
• If the member has been guilty of maladministration (including inefficiency or undue delay) in a way that has resulted in you losing money or suffering inconvenience
• If the member has not complied with our Code of Practice

When we can’t investigate a complaint

There are certain circumstances that prevent us from being able to handle a complaint made by you:

• If the complaint is against a company that is not a BHTA member – Verify if a company is a member
• If you have not gone through the company’s complaints process and reached a stalemate – See Step 2 of our ‘Raise a complaint’ process
• If the complaint is being, or has been dealt with by a court, an alternative dispute resolution provider, or similar body
• If the complaint relates to a point in time prior to the company becoming a Code member


How we investigate complaints

Once we have confirmed that the complaint is valid, we’ll begin to get to the bottom of what has happened. To do this, we:

• Ask for your side of the story in full, including documentation, email correspondences, letters, telephone records, and more
• Ask for the member company’s side of the story within seven working days, including as much evidence as possible
• We evaluate both sides in detail, searching for evidence where breaches of our Code of Practice, or of the law, have occurred
• We attempt to settle the dispute by proposing a solution following the findings of our investigation

We aim for both parties to reach an agreement within 90 days of the written complaint being submitted to us, however, it very much depends on the complexity of the complaint.

If an agreement cannot be reached, you have two options:

• To take up your own independent court action
• We can refer you to the Independent Arbitrator

More questions about how we can support you?

We are always working to make our process as simple as possible for consumers to understand. If you have questions about our association, our Code of Practice, or our members, check out our consumer FAQ.

We are here for you

We are dedicated to helping you find vital equipment and services from companies that you can trust.