Complaints Policy

Watcom IV Health & Beauty

Effective date: 5 May 2026
Website: www.watcomivhealthandbeauty.com

1. Introduction

Watcom IV Health & Beauty is committed to providing a professional, safe, respectful and high-quality service. We aim to treat every client, patient, student, visitor and enquirer fairly and with care.

We recognise that concerns, dissatisfaction or complaints may sometimes arise. This Complaints Policy explains how you can raise a complaint, how we will handle it, what information we may need, and what you can do if you remain dissatisfied after we have responded.

We take complaints seriously and use them to review our service, improve our procedures, support staff training, address risks and maintain appropriate standards.

This Complaints Policy should be read together with our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, treatment consent forms, medical questionnaires, aftercare information, booking terms, training academy terms and any service-specific information provided to you.

2. Who we are

Business name: Watcom IV Health & Beauty
Legal entity: WATCOM LIMITED
Company number: 09669255
Clinic address: 14 Imperial Arcade, Huddersfield, HD1 2BR
Email: support@watcomivhealthandbeauty.com
Telephone: 07862 653508
Website: www.watcomivhealthandbeauty.com

References in this policy to “Watcom”, “Watcom IV Health & Beauty”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean WATCOM LIMITED trading as Watcom IV Health & Beauty.

3. Purpose of this Complaints Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that complaints are handled:

• Fairly
• Promptly
• Respectfully
• Confidentially where appropriate
• Consistently
• Objectively
• In a way that allows us to learn and improve
• In line with applicable legal, professional, consumer and data protection duties

We will not treat you less favourably because you have made a complaint in good faith.

4. What this policy covers

This policy may apply to complaints about:

• Customer service
• Appointment handling
• Booking, cancellation or rescheduling issues
• Consultations
• Treatment experience
• Aftercare information
• Communication from our team
• Payment, deposits, refunds or invoices
• Training academy services
• Course administration
• Website enquiries or online booking issues
• Clinic environment or facilities
• Staff conduct
• Concerns about safety, care, suitability or professional standards
• Privacy or personal data handling, where relevant

This policy does not replace urgent medical care, emergency support, safeguarding procedures, legal rights, regulatory processes, payment provider processes, pharmacy processes, laboratory processes, or the complaints procedures of third-party providers.

5. Urgent medical concerns and emergencies

A complaint is not an emergency route. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, severe allergic reaction, serious side effect, severe pain, breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, signs of infection, rapidly worsening symptoms or any urgent health concern, you should seek immediate medical help.

Depending on the situation, you should:

• Call 999 in an emergency
• Attend A&E where urgent care is needed
• Contact NHS 111 for urgent medical advice where appropriate
• Contact your GP, pharmacist, prescriber or relevant healthcare professional
• Contact us as soon as reasonably possible after seeking urgent help, where the concern relates to a service we provided

Our website, email inbox, social media pages, WhatsApp, booking system and complaints process are not emergency medical services and should not be relied upon for urgent medical assistance.

6. Who can make a complaint

A complaint may be made by:

• A client or patient who has received a service from us
• A person who has booked or enquired about a service
• A training academy student or prospective student
• A parent, guardian or person with parental responsibility, where relevant
• A representative acting on behalf of a client, patient or student, where appropriate consent or authority has been provided

If someone complains on your behalf, we may need your written consent before discussing personal, treatment, payment, health, training or confidential information with them.

We may refuse to discuss personal information with a third party where we are not satisfied that they have authority to act for you, where there are safeguarding concerns, or where disclosure would breach confidentiality, data protection law or another legal duty.

7. How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint by contacting us using any of the details below:

Email: support@watcomivhealthandbeauty.com
Telephone: 07862 653508
Address: 14 Imperial Arcade, Huddersfield, HD1 2BR

Where possible, we recommend making complaints in writing by email so that there is a clear record of the issue, the date raised and the information provided.

If you complain verbally, we may make a written note of the complaint and may ask you to confirm the details in writing so that we can investigate properly.

8. What to include in your complaint

To help us investigate your complaint properly, please include as much relevant information as possible, including:

• Your full name
• Your contact details
• The date of your appointment, enquiry, course or treatment
• The service, treatment or course involved
• The name of the practitioner, staff member or trainer involved, if known
• A clear description of what happened
• Why you are dissatisfied
• Any relevant photographs, documents, messages, receipts or evidence
• Details of any symptoms, side effects or adverse reactions, where relevant
• What outcome you are seeking
• Whether the matter is urgent

If your complaint relates to a treatment outcome, side effect, aftercare concern or possible complication, we may ask you to attend a review appointment or provide photographs so that the matter can be assessed properly.

9. Time limit for making a complaint

You should raise a complaint as soon as possible after the issue arises. Prompt complaints are usually easier to investigate because records, staff recollections, photographs, appointment details and relevant evidence are more likely to be available.

As a general guide, we ask that complaints are raised within 3 months of the event complained about, or within 3 months of you becoming aware of the issue.

We may still consider complaints made outside this period where there is a good reason for the delay and where it remains possible and fair to investigate. However, delay may limit what we can investigate, verify or resolve.

10. Acknowledgement of complaints

We aim to acknowledge written complaints within 5 working days of receipt.

Our acknowledgement may include:

• Confirmation that we have received your complaint
• A summary of the complaint as we understand it
• A request for further information, where needed
• An explanation of the next steps
• An estimated response timeframe
• Details of who will be handling the complaint, where appropriate

If we can resolve a straightforward concern quickly, we may do so without a lengthy formal investigation, provided this is appropriate and acceptable in the circumstances.

11. How we investigate complaints

The steps we take will depend on the nature and seriousness of the complaint.

Our investigation may include:

• Reviewing appointment records
• Reviewing consultation notes
• Reviewing consent forms, medical questionnaires or aftercare records
• Reviewing booking, payment, cancellation or communication records
• Speaking to staff, practitioners, trainers or third parties involved
• Reviewing photographs, documents, screenshots or other evidence
• Inviting you to provide further information
• Inviting you to attend a review appointment where clinically or practically appropriate
• Seeking input from a prescriber, pharmacist, laboratory, insurer, legal adviser or professional adviser where relevant
• Reviewing whether policies, training, procedures or service standards need improvement

We will try to investigate complaints fairly and objectively. Where a complaint involves a member of staff or practitioner, they may be asked for their account of what happened.

Where the complaint concerns clinical, treatment, medical, prescribing, pharmacy, laboratory or training matters, the investigation may take longer because additional records or professional input may be required.

12. Response timeframe

We aim to provide a written response to formal complaints within 20 working days of acknowledging the complaint.

If the complaint is complex, involves health records, treatment review, third-party input, staff absence, legal advice, insurance involvement, safeguarding issues, pharmacy information, laboratory information or other matters outside our immediate control, we may need longer.

If we cannot respond within 20 working days, we will aim to update you and explain the reason for the delay.

13. Our complaint response

Our complaint response may include:

• A summary of the complaint
• The evidence or information considered
• Our findings
• Whether the complaint is upheld, partially upheld or not upheld
• An explanation of the decision
• Any apology, where appropriate
• Any corrective action, where appropriate
• Any learning or service improvement identified
• Any proposed remedy, where appropriate
• Information about escalation or review options

We will not always be able to provide every internal detail, staff-management decision, confidential record, third-party information, legal advice, insurance communication or commercially sensitive information.

14. Possible outcomes and remedies

Depending on the nature of the complaint, possible outcomes may include:

• An explanation
• An apology
• A correction of an administrative error
• A review appointment
• Further aftercare advice
• A repeat or corrective service where appropriate and safe
• A partial or full refund where justified
• A credit or transfer where appropriate
• Staff feedback or training
• Changes to internal procedures
• Referral to another professional, where appropriate
• No further action where the complaint is not upheld

A complaint does not automatically entitle you to a refund, free treatment, compensation, repeat service, corrective treatment, course transfer or other remedy. Any remedy will depend on the facts, evidence, applicable law, service terms, clinical considerations and what is fair and proportionate in the circumstances.

Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights where a service has not been provided with reasonable care and skill or where another legal right applies.

15. Treatment outcome complaints

For complaints about treatment results, side effects, appearance, recovery, aftercare or possible complications, we may need to assess the area concerned before reaching a conclusion.

We may ask you to:

• Send clear photographs
• Attend a review appointment
• Provide details of symptoms or concerns
• Confirm what aftercare instructions were followed
• Confirm any medication, health changes or external treatments since your appointment
• Seek urgent medical advice where symptoms suggest an urgent health concern

We may not be able to properly investigate or resolve a treatment-related complaint if you refuse a reasonable review, delay reporting concerns, receive treatment elsewhere before we can assess the issue, fail to provide relevant information, or do not follow aftercare advice.

16. Refund and payment complaints

If your complaint concerns a payment, deposit, cancellation charge, refund, package, course fee or invoice, we will review the relevant booking records, payment records, cancellation terms, service records and applicable consumer rights.

Refunds are not automatic and will be assessed according to:

• The service booked
• The service provided
• The notice given for cancellation or rescheduling
• Whether a consultation, assessment, treatment, course or appointment time was provided
• Whether reasonable costs were incurred
• Whether products, medicines, laboratory work, course materials or third-party services were arranged
• Whether you attended, cancelled late or failed to attend
• The terms accepted at the time of booking
• Your statutory rights

We do not use complaint handling to punish clients, but we also reserve the right to defend lawful charges, deposits, no-show fees, late cancellation fees and payment claims where they are fair, reasonable and supported by the booking terms or applicable law.

17. Prescription, pharmacy and medicine-related complaints

Where a complaint relates to prescription-only medicines, medical weight management, prescribing decisions, pharmacy supply, medicine availability, medicine side effects, dose changes, delivery or dispensing, additional information may be required.

Depending on the issue, we may need to liaise with:

• The relevant prescriber
• A pharmacist or pharmacy provider
• A delivery or courier provider
• A medicine supplier
• A healthcare professional
• An insurer, regulator or legal adviser where necessary

We cannot guarantee a particular prescription, medicine, dose, brand, supply time, repeat prescription, treatment continuation or outcome. Clinical and prescribing decisions are subject to suitability, safety, professional judgement, legal requirements and medicine availability.

18. Training academy complaints

If your complaint relates to a training academy course, we may review course information, booking records, attendance records, trainer notes, assessment records, course materials, student conduct, eligibility information and payment records.

Training academy complaints may relate to:

• Course administration
• Course content
• Training delivery
• Trainer conduct
• Assessment or completion decisions
• Certification issues
• Course materials
• Course transfers, cancellations or refunds
• Student conduct or removal from a course

Completion of a course does not guarantee employment, insurance approval, legal authority to practise, professional registration, business success, client acquisition or income. Complaints about expectations that were not expressly promised will be considered fairly, but remedies will depend on the written course information and applicable law.

19. Confidentiality and personal data

Complaints may involve personal data, health data, treatment records, photographs, payment records, staff information or confidential business information. We will handle complaint information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

We may need to share complaint information with staff, practitioners, prescribers, pharmacists, laboratories, insurers, legal advisers, professional advisers, payment providers, regulators or other relevant parties where necessary and lawful for investigation, response, safety, legal compliance, insurance or dispute resolution.

We will not disclose your personal information to an unauthorised third party without a lawful basis.

20. Complaints made on behalf of someone else

If you make a complaint on behalf of another person, we may require written authority from that person before we can respond fully.

This may include:

• Written consent from the client, patient or student
• Proof of parental responsibility where relevant
• Proof of legal authority, such as power of attorney, where relevant
• Identity verification
• Confirmation of what information we are allowed to share

Where authority is not provided, we may still consider general service feedback, but we may be unable to disclose personal, medical, payment, treatment or confidential information.

21. Abusive, unreasonable or vexatious behaviour

We understand that complaints can be stressful. However, we will not accept abusive, threatening, discriminatory, aggressive, harassing, dishonest or unreasonable behaviour towards our staff, practitioners, trainers, contractors, clients or students.

Examples of unacceptable behaviour may include:

• Threats, intimidation or harassment
• Discriminatory or abusive language
• Repeated hostile calls, messages or emails
• Posting false, defamatory or misleading allegations
• Attempting to pressure staff into unsafe or inappropriate treatment
• Demanding outcomes that are not lawful, safe, reasonable or proportionate
• Refusing to provide relevant information while demanding a decision
• Refusing reasonable attempts to investigate or resolve the matter
• Using complaints to avoid lawful payment or booking terms

Where behaviour is abusive, threatening or unreasonable, we may limit communication to a specific channel, require written communication only, refuse future bookings, stop responding to repetitive correspondence, seek legal advice, contact the police, or take other appropriate action.

We will still consider legitimate complaints, but we expect all communication to remain respectful and safe.

22. If you remain dissatisfied

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our response, you may ask us to review the complaint. You should request a review within 10 working days of our response and explain clearly why you remain dissatisfied.

A review may consider whether:

• The complaint was properly understood
• Relevant evidence was considered
• The response was reasonable
• Further information has become available
• Any proposed remedy was appropriate
• Any further action is needed

We aim to respond to review requests within 20 working days, although complex matters may take longer. Once a review response has been issued, we may treat the internal complaint process as complete unless significant new evidence is provided.

23. External support and escalation

If you remain dissatisfied after our internal process, you may have external options depending on the nature of your complaint.

Depending on the issue, you may consider contacting:

• The Care Quality Commission (CQC), where the complaint concerns a health or care service that falls within CQC’s scope. CQC does not usually resolve individual complaints for you, but it may use information to monitor services and identify safety or quality concerns.
• Citizens Advice Consumer Service, where the complaint concerns consumer rights, payments, refunds, poor service or a contract dispute.
• Trading Standards, usually through Citizens Advice Consumer Service, where there may be a consumer protection issue.
• The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), where the complaint concerns personal data, privacy, data protection rights or how your information has been handled.
• A relevant professional body, insurer, pharmacy provider, laboratory provider, payment provider or course/accreditation body, where applicable to the specific issue.

If your complaint relates to NHS-funded services or another regulated pathway, different complaint routes may apply. We will provide relevant information where applicable.

24. Data protection complaints

If your complaint is about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us at support@watcomivhealthandbeauty.com.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

ICO website: www.ico.org.uk
ICO telephone: 0303 123 1113

25. Record keeping

We may keep records of complaints, investigations, evidence, correspondence, review outcomes, remedies, learning points and actions taken.

Complaint records may be kept for legal, insurance, regulatory, professional, training, quality assurance, dispute resolution, safeguarding, accounting or business reasons.

We will keep complaint records only for as long as necessary and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.

26. Learning from complaints

Where appropriate, we may use complaints to improve our service. This may include:

• Updating policies or procedures
• Improving communication
• Reviewing booking or cancellation processes
• Improving consent forms or aftercare information
• Providing staff feedback or training
• Improving treatment information
• Reviewing supplier, laboratory, pharmacy or third-party arrangements
• Improving training academy processes
• Strengthening safety, privacy or quality controls

Learning from a complaint does not necessarily mean that legal liability is accepted or that the complaint is upheld in full.

27. No admission of liability

Any apology, explanation, goodwill gesture, review appointment, corrective action, staff feedback, training update, refund, credit, replacement service or policy change offered as part of complaint handling does not automatically amount to an admission of legal liability, negligence, breach of contract, professional fault or wrongdoing.

We reserve all legal rights and defences, while still aiming to handle complaints fairly and constructively.

28. Changes to this Complaints Policy

We may update this Complaints Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business operations, legal requirements, regulatory guidance, internal procedures or complaint-handling arrangements.

The latest version will be published on our website with the effective date shown at the top.

29. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Complaints Policy or wish to make a complaint, please contact:

Watcom IV Health & Beauty
14 Imperial Arcade
Huddersfield
HD1 2BR

Email: support@watcomivhealthandbeauty.com
Telephone: 07862 653508