Customer Service : How to complain

Unhappy with something? Please let us know 

At the University of Southampton Library we are committed to providing an excellent service to all our customers. If something does go wrong, however, or if there is something you are unhappy with, we want to know so we can put things right

What will happen with my complaint? 

If we can resolve the problem there and then, we will. 

If we need to investigate your complaint, that may take us a little longer. We'll let you know what steps we are taking and when we expect to give you a full response. That will usually be within 10 working days. 

What if I'm unhappy with your response? 

If you are not happy with our intial response, please let us know. We will then escalate your complaint to the Library's Leadership Team.  They will consider your complaint and our response and reply to you directly within 10 working days.  

If you are still unhappy at that stage, you can submit a formal complaint using the University's central student complaints process.

you can find out more about the formal complaints process on this page -  Regulations Governing Student Complaints 2023-24

What happens to the information you have about my complaint? 

we process all personal information in accordance with the University's Data Protection Policy

we will treat all compaints with the highest level of confidentiality. However, in certain circumstances we may disclose information to: 

• inform staff of any allegation made against them and give them an opportunity to respond
• allow an investigation to be carried out properly 
• fulfil our duties around staff/student wellbeing or as required by law 

The outcomes and recommendations from complaint investigations may be anonymised and shared with other teams in the University in the spirit of institutional learning. 

As part of the continuous improvement we will record and monitor complaints to identify trends, areas of good practice and where improvements could be made. This will inform out practices, procedures and activities such as staff training, supervision or service delivery in order to enhance the quality of the student experience.