The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) has accepted recommendations made following a review of its complaint handling…
All recommendations put forward by the independent CIGA Consumer Champion Teresa Perchard have been accepted and will be implemented, it has emerged.
The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) underwent review as part of its Change Programme, which aimed to improve the experience of consumers who reported issues with cavity wall insulation.
During the review, Perchard collected the views of experts from across the industry, customers, consumer groups, policy makers, and installers. More than 250 organisations and individuals were invited to respond, and a total of 46 responses were received by the 18 September.
Among the recommendations were calls to improve the response time to complaints and to set up an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme to deal with particularly difficult cases.
CIGA said by January 2016 it will implement a number of measures including:
- publishing a guide to best practice in complaints handling
- publishing scheme rules to enable everyone to see the requirements a member company must meet
- publishing quarterly statistics on the number and nature of complaints CIGA receives
A second set of recommendations will also be implemented with a deadline of April 2016. This will coincide with the publication of the CIGA’s next annual report.
It includes:
- adopting targets to resolve 80 per cent of cases within 20 working days
- issuing a tender for the provision of independent Alternative Dispute Resolution and establishing clear limits before a case is referred
- recruiting two professionals as non-executive directors to expand diversity on the CIGA board
- developing a vulnerable person policy based on best practice
Chief Executive Gerry Miller said: “CIGA will accept all of the Consumer Champion’s recommendations as detailed in the Review.
“The process has shone a spotlight on CIGA like never before and although at times the process has been uncomfortable, I am confident that Teresa’s efforts will lead to a much improved consumer journey.
“While problems with cavity wall insulation are exceptionally rare, affecting only around two in every thousand installations, we accept that cases have existed where there have been unacceptable holdups in the process and customers have not been kept adequately informed.
“Appointing a Consumer Champion has been central to CIGA’s continuing push to make the organisation more responsive to consumers, improve transparency, and ensure that no consumer feels let down. CIGA exists to support consumers when things do go wrong, and today’s Review sets out a clear plan to fulfil that remit to the best of our ability.”
Perchard said the decision to implement the recommendations showed CIGA’s commitment to improving customer service. She said: “CIGA has already acknowledged the need to improve its customer service and to implement improvements, particularly in terms of public information.
“However, my review has highlighted the need to go further, particularly to improve the speed and quality of response to customers, make it easier for customers to get in touch with CIGA and provide access to independent dispute resolution.
“These changes need to be made to prove to customers that on the rare occasion where there is a fault with cavity wall insulation CIGA can be relied upon for support.
“I welcome CIGA’s announcement that it will implement my recommendations in full. If CIGA and its members implement the reforms I have set out, the experience of consumers will be substantially improved.
The full report can be viewed here: ‘Cavity wall insulation complaints – a review of CIGA complaints handling’