Complaints about members of the IED
All members of the IED undertake to abide by the Code and Rules of Conduct.
If you have an issue with an IED member, please consider contacting the IED office for initial advice and an informal discussion before submitting a formal complaint.
Every member of the Institution shall exercise their professional skill and judgement to the best of their ability and uphold the reputation and dignity of the profession by discharging their professional responsibilities with integrity, and shall safeguard the public interest in matters of safety, health and otherwise.
In joining the IED, all members agree to abide by the Code and Rules of Conduct. Members re-affirm their commitment to the Rules through the annual renewal of their membership. Suggestions that a member’s conduct has contravened the Code are reviewed under the Institution’s Regulations for the enforcement of the Code and Rules of Professional Conduct. Complaints about the professional conduct (as described in the paragraph above and more detail in the Code) of members should be made by letter, with supporting documentation, to:
Chief Executive Officer
Institution of Engineering Designers
Courtleigh
Westbury Leigh
Westbury
Wiltshire
BA13 3TA
Tel: +44 (0)1373 822801
Email: ied@ied.org.uk
The CEO will convene a meeting of the panel to review the complaint in accordance with the Code and Rules of Conduct.
Complaints about the IED or our staff
The Institution of Engineering Designers aims to provide efficient and effective services and whilst every care is taken to ensure that our services are of good quality, we accept that, on occasions, complaints will be made.
This page sets out our complaints process. It explains what we consider to be a complaint, how the process works and what you need to do if you’d like to make a complaint.
What is a complaint?
We consider a complaint to be an expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by IED, or our staff.
We will treat complaints positively and recognise that they present opportunities to identify improvements which can be made to our service delivery standards. We will deal with complaints quickly, taking prompt action to resolve the complaint, and taking steps to ensure that complaints of a similar nature do not arise in the future.
We will always try to resolve problems informally, if possible, in the first instance. Our staff will:
- identify themselves to you
- listen to your complaint and take details
- offer an explanation if they are able to
- offer a resolution if possible
- if a resolution is not possible, inform you of the action they will be taking
- inform you of the further options available if you are unhappy with the resolution
Please note: This process is not to be used to make a complaint about an IED member, or to appeal against the result of a membership application. In these cases, please refer to the ‘Complaints about members procedure’ and the ‘Membership appeals procedure’.
When to raise a formal complaint
We will always try to deal with and resolve complaints at the point they were received. If you are unhappy with the initial explanation and resolution offered to you, you can register a formal complaint with the Chief Executive, or the Chair, if the complaint is about the CEO. Your complaint should be made within two months.
There are two ways in which you can register your complaint:
- email ied@ied.org.uk
- write to the Chief Executive Officer or Chair at:
Institution of Engineering Designers
Courtleigh
Westbury Leigh
Westbury
Wiltshire
BA13 3TA
If you have made a complaint verbally (either face-to-face or over the phone) we would ask you to put it in writing.
What you need to provide
We will ask you to send as much information as possible, so we can investigate your complaint effectively. You should include:
- your name and a valid email or home address to enable us to reply to you
- a clear description of your complaint
- copies of earlier associated correspondence between yourself and IED
Next steps
Acknowledging your complaint
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and give you a reasonable expectation of when you should receive a reply.
Investigating the complaint
The Chief Executive Officer will investigate the complaint and let you know the outcome. The investigation will involve a thorough review of all the related and relevant correspondence between IED and yourself in relation to the complaint.
The Chief Executive Officer will then decide whether:
- the complaint has been handled correctly, and as effectively as possible
- the complainant’s questions have been answered
- the complaint should be upheld and, if it is, what should be done to remedy it
Taking your complaint further
If you are not content with the Chief Executive Officer’s reply, the next step would be to take your complaint to the IED Chair of Council. The Chair will conduct a full investigation of how your complaint has been previously handled and any resolution offered before informing you of their findings. The Chair’s decision is final.
After the final decision has been made the Chair will acknowledge any correspondence from you but, unless any new issues are raised that they consider significant, no further replies will be sent.
Whatever decision is made, we’ll make sure we learn from the process and use any issues raised to improve our services.