Complaints procedure
The short version
- If you are worried about a reaction or your health after a treatment, please call us now on 07583 321635. If you can't reach us, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.
- To complain, tell us in whatever way suits you. We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and give you a full response within 20 working days.
- If we cannot settle your complaint, we will tell you about an independent dispute resolution provider. You can also raise concerns about a registered practitioner with their professional regulator, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
- Complaining will never affect the care you receive.
1. If you are worried about your health
1.1 If you think you are having a serious reaction or a medical emergency, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111.
1.2 If you have any concern after a treatment, please call us now on 07583 321635 (call or WhatsApp). If you can't reach us, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999. Please do not wait to make a complaint first. Our treatment information and consent notice explains the warning signs to look out for.
1.3 You can also report a suspected side effect of a medicine or a problem with a medical device or cosmetic product to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.
2. How to complain
2.1 We want to hear from you if anything has not gone as it should, whether it is about a treatment, a booking, an order, a payment, the app or how you were treated. You can tell us:
- in person at the clinic;
- by phone or WhatsApp on 07583 321635;
- by email at [email protected];
- through Help and feedback in the Refined app; or
- by post to Rachel Storey, Refined Medical Aesthetics, Double Row, Seaton Delaval, Whitley Bay, NE25 0PP.
2.2 Please tell us what happened, when, what you would like us to do, and the best way to contact you. If you have photographs or documents that help explain your complaint, you can share them with us, but you do not have to.
2.3 Please complain as soon as you can, ideally within 12 months of what happened or of when you became aware of it. We will still consider later complaints where we reasonably can.
2.4 Someone else, such as a family member, can complain on your behalf with your written permission.
3. What happens next
3.1 We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and tell you who is dealing with it.
3.2 Complaints about your care or a treatment are handled by our founder, Rachel Storey. Complaints about the app, the shop, payments or your account are handled by the member of our team who looks after those areas, and are shared with our founder where they affect your care.
3.3 We may ask to speak to you or meet you to understand your complaint, and we may need to look at your records.
3.4 We will give you a full written response within 20 working days. If we need longer, for example because we are waiting for information from someone else, we will tell you why and when you can expect our response.
3.5 Our response will explain what we found, what we will do to put things right where we have got something wrong, and what we have learned.
3.6 Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.
4. Your care while you complain
4.1 Making a complaint will never affect the care or treatment you receive from us.
4.2 While a complaint is open, we will not ask you to leave a review and we will not send you marketing about the subject of your complaint.
4.3 We keep a confidential record of complaints and what we did about them, separate from your clinical record. Our privacy notice explains how we look after your information.
5. If you are not satisfied with our response
5.1 Independent dispute resolution. If we cannot settle your complaint, we will give you the name and website of an alternative dispute resolution provider and tell you whether we will use it. Our final response will include these details.
5.2 Professional regulators. Your booking tells you who your practitioner is. If you are concerned about the fitness to practise of a registered healthcare professional, you can raise it with their professional regulator. For nurses, including our founder, Rachel Storey, this is the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) at nmc.org.uk. A regulator looks at whether a professional is safe to practise. It does not resolve complaints about services or award compensation.
5.3 Other organisations that may be able to help:
- Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk, consumer helpline 0808 223 1133) gives free advice about your consumer rights, including about the shop, bookings and refunds;
- the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113), if your complaint is about how we have used your personal information;
- Klarna, if your complaint is about a Klarna payment plan, and then the Financial Ombudsman Service (financial-ombudsman.org.uk) if you are not satisfied with Klarna's response;
- your card provider, if you paid by card and think you may be entitled to a chargeback; and
- the Advertising Standards Authority (asa.org.uk), if your complaint is about one of our adverts.
5.4 You can also take legal action. For smaller claims, you can use the small claims process in the county court. Nothing in this procedure affects your legal rights.
6. Learning from complaints
6.1 We review every complaint to see what we can learn and whether we need to change how we work.