Complaints Procedure
Our Standards
All funeral homes which form part of the Berriedale family of business set themselves extremely high standards when it comes to the provision of services to our clients, and also to all deceased persons in our care.
We are committed to being clear and open with you on all aspects of our business, including being transparent regarding charges for our services, including third party charges (disbursements).
Our aim is to offer the highest possible standard of service to our clients on every occasion, and, whilst we strive to achieve this, we recognise that problems can still arise and mistakes may be made and that you may wish to make a complaint about our services.
If you wish to complain
If you have any questions or concerns, we would encourage you speak to a member of our team in order to answer any queries you may have before there is a need to make a complaint.
In addition, at any time, you have the right to complain to The National Society Of Allied And Independent Funeral Directors of which all Berriedale funeral homes are members. SAIF offers a free and independent Dispute Resolution Service which can be viewed at:
https://saif.org.uk/about-saif/complaints/
If you do decide to make a formal complaint, we encourage you to speak to us first and to allow us the opportunity to work with you to resolve the matter. We aim to resolve all complaints as quickly as possible.
Considerations
We will always work with you to establish the detail and circumstances of your complaint.
The complaint may involve the activities of third parties (such as funeral officiants or activities which take place at third party venues). Whilst recognising some aspects of your complaint may involve third parties, we will nevertheless try to reach a satisfactory conclusion to your complaint by engaging these third parties on your behalf when this is possible and appropriate to do so.
At times, we may be constrained in law in responding to certain aspects of a complaint.
For example, we may be bound by duties of confidentiality or by data protection laws.
Whilst taking into consideration these constraints, we aim to be as transparent as possible in our response to any complaint.
How to complain
You can complain to us in the following ways:
Stages and timescales
We have a four-stage complaints process:
Stage 1 – Acknowledgement
Within 5 working days of receiving a complaint, we aim to have acknowledged the complaint in writing (either via email or post).
Stage 2 – Investigation
During this stage, we may need to request further information to enable us to fully understand the complaint and to commence our investigation.
Stage 3 – Discussion and resolution
Within 20 working days of receiving the complaint, our investigation should be completed and a suitable resolution proposed to you. During this period, we may need to correspond on an ongoing basis to request additional information and/or to discuss the proposed resolution.
Stage 4 – Appeal
If the proposed resolution is not accepted, then an Appeal should be communicated to us in writing within 10 working days of receipt of the proposed resolution.
We will review the Appeal and communicate any final response. In our correspondence, we will also provide the details of the free and independent Dispute Resolution Service offered by The National Society Of Allied And Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). This service can be used if you remain dissatisfied with our final response. A complaint to the SAIF must be made within 12 months of the date of the funeral.
Please note
If for any reason the timescales above are unachievable, we will work with you to agree appropriate revised timeframes.
The vast majority of complaints will be reasonable and both sides will act in good faith to achieve a fair resolution. We aim to be professional and courteous at all times in our dealings with you, and we expect the same in return when you are engaging with members of our team.
Your right to privacy
All complaints received will be dealt with taking into account confidentiality and complaints will be handled in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Our Westhill branch is located just outside of Aberdeen City in Aberdeenshire. The original proprietors, James, and Janet Steven, along with Ian and Kathleen Macintosh, set up Macintosh and Steven over 40 years ago, which had many funeral homes over Aberdeen City and Shire.
Berriedale, Bridge of Don was taken over in June 2022 after many different purposes over the years. It was initially the Stewart Donald building and work yard. It was sold in portions, and much of the land turned into the surrounding flats you see today.