The Exchange marketplace is governed by a set of regulations and policies. Should any disputes arise between members either during a load booking or after, members have the option to raise a complaint concerning the specific booking in the diary.
The purpose of our complaints policy
To protect the integrity of the Exchange platform, our team strives to be neutral and fair with all members should any issues arise. Drivers have a responsibility to deliver freight professionally and efficiently, and load posters are responsible for honouring the payment terms advertised on the load.
If something happens during or after a booking that has seriously impacted a member’s business or reputation, and they believe it warrants a complaint, they must be able to submit evidence with the complaint otherwise our team will dismiss it, Complaints are taken very seriously as they pose a risk not only to another member’s business reputation but also to our platform. Should you wish to raise a complaint, the onus is on you to provide us with ample evidence to substantiate your claim. Then, and only then, can our team open the dispute, investigate, and arrive at a fair decision.
The policy exists as a framework for our complaints team to make objective decisions, based on factual evidence and to be transparent with members that procedure was followed.
The difference between raising a complaint and leaving feedback
Feedback is similar to leaving a rating on how you perceived the booking went. If you were happy with how it went, you would leave positive feedback. If you weren’t particularly happy with something, but it didn’t necessarily put your business in jeopardy or escalate to a very serious situation, the recommended course of action would be to leave negative feedback.
*Complaints should not be confused with negative feedback. They should only be raised in the most serious circumstances.
*Additionally, complaints will not be converted into feedback even if the decision reached by our team is not in your favour and vice versa.
There are two types of complaints that can be raised on the Exchange.
1. Payment complaint
To be raised only if non-payment of the invoice has exceeded 7 working days past the due date on the invoice, or there is a dispute concerning additional fees that weren’t agreed to.
If payment was received but was received late, your recourse is to leave negative feedback.
2. Delivery complaint
This type of complaint can be raised if a major issue arose with the driver’s service. These are more severe instances that warrant a delivery-related complaint. Examples of what warrants a delivery complaint could be co-loading without authorisation, holding goods for ransom, damaged goods, failure to communicate or threatening behaviour.
If you were simply unsatisfied with delivery, but you feel the seriousness doesn’t warrant a complaint and severing a business tie, you should leave negative feedback instead.
How the Exchange handles complaint submissions
Once a complaint is submitted our team will first check to see if any evidence has been attached. If there is no evidence, the complaint will not be reviewed and instead promptly dismissed. In this case, you will have to re-submit the complaint with the evidence attached for our team to open the investigation within 24 hours.
Once received, our team will review our policy outlined below and decide on the appropriate action. The quality of your complaint submission is crucial if you want a fast, effective outcome with sound judgement.
Acceptable vs unacceptable complaints
*Please note: the following example scenarios are fabricated and have not been taken from actual complaints raised.
Example complaints |
Subject |
Why this would be dismissed or upheld |
Unacceptable Example 1 |
DO NOT USE! Although the job was booked a day in advance – the driver was an hour late to collection and refused to load goods. Cowboys that should be banned from the Exchange. Other feedbacks noting the same. Disgraceful |
· Deterring others from using a member’s services · Abusive/slanderous name-calling · Taking matters into your own hands and speaking for the Exchange · No evidence attached
|
Acceptable Example 1 |
The driver was an hour late, although the job was booked in advance, and I have received an email from my customer with frustration of the delay. (Find attached). |
· Clear dissatisfaction with service · Clear evidence of the accusation · Unbiased view |
Unacceptable Example 1 |
The driver was 3 hours late to the job and he swore at me once challenged. He then refused to do the job as multi drop and now I have no cover for the job. This guy was a complete waste of space. AVOID AVOID AVOID. |
· Deterring others from using this member (defamation of character) · No evidence included · Abusive and slanderous wording
|
Acceptable Example 2 |
The driver was two hours late to the job. Instructions were provided to him (as you can see in the diary). He drove off and then sent abusive texts and emails. Please review. |
· Clear dissatisfaction with service · Clear evidence of the accusation · Unbiased view |
Unacceptable Example 1 |
After advising and posting as a small van with no logos this cx member has arrived at my customers collection site in a Mercedes car. Have a very angry customer and have lost over £200 because of this cx member. I would encourage all not to use at all !!!!! |
· Could prevent the member from obtaining future work · No evidence included from the customer · No evidence of money lost |
Acceptable Example 2 |
After advising and posting as a small van with no logos this cx member has arrived at my customers collection site in a Mercedes car. Have a very angry customer and have lost over £200 because of this cx member. (Evidence uploaded.) |
· Evidence attached · Experience included without displaying emotive personal thoughts |
What is our general policy on complaints?
- Evidence will always be required for complaints
For a complaint to be investigated, the evidence must be submitted. If no evidence is submitted, then the complaint will be immediately dismissed. For example, we will dismiss any complaint instantly if it:
- Is submitted blank with no information and or evidence.
- Refers to accusations or verbal communications that are not backed up with proof.
- Refers to multiple bookings rather than the specified one in question.
We will reconsider re-opening a complaint if:
- You have provided evidence within 24 hours after a complaint has been dismissed. Both payment and delivery complaints are treated equally and fairly on the premise of evidence and cannot be moved forward by the Exchange without.
*The onus is on the member making the complaint to ensure the necessary evidence to support the complaint is provided immediately. (Remember, the Exchange is not privy to conversations outside of the platform.)
Furthermore, all evidence submitted must be presented by describing factual instances and must not include personal or emotive thoughts on what occurred and determining what action would be fair retribution.
- Members must allow seven additional days after the agreed payment date before submitting a complaint
All payment disputes must be provided earlier than seven days after the agreed due date with clear evidence of attempted engagement. In the period between completing a job and sending over the required documents (I.e., invoices, PODs, and statement of invoices etc.) please store all your email correspondence and proof of postage as requested within the booking footer of the job.
NB: If you have multiple unpaid invoices against the same member, please only submit one complaint.
- We will always remain impartial
The Exchange will remain impartial and fair to both parties throughout the investigation of a complaint. Each complaint will be looked at individually and other factors such as length of the membership will not play a part in distinguishing the facts and coming to a decision.
- Members must attempt to engage with each other prior to making a complaint
We obviously hope that members can manage any differences of opinion without the need for the Exchange to get involved. Most often this is the case. Therefore, we ask that all complaints be raised when there is a clear effort to engage the other member where sensible to do so. If there was no opportunity to resolve the matter because of threatening behaviour from the other member, when raising the complaint, this must be made very clear. Any evidence of the threatening behaviour will also help us.
Policy in greater detail
Further to our general policy around complaints, the table below provides a detailed overview of the Exchange’s complaints policy across each type of submission.
- Payment complaints
There are different types of payment-related complaints that our team has procedures in place for. Unfortunately, we can't assist with payment complaints made 90 days past the due date of the invoice and these will be dismissed.
Type of complaint |
Definition |
Evidence required |
The policy response/outcome |
Penalty if the complaint is upheld |
No payment
|
The member is claiming that they haven't received payment even after the required documents have been sent and received. |
Evidence that the right documentation required for payment was provided and sent via post (Postage reference)/emailed dependent on request and copies of this evidence supplied to our team. |
If evidence has been provided and the member hasn't made payment within 24 hours, we have the right to suspend the account. If the member hasn't made payment by the end of the month, we have the right to mark them for revocation.
|
First offence - the complaint is upheld, and a warning (valid for three months) will be sent against further complaints detailing their options: 1) Restricted loads or 2) Change in payment terms. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our complaints team. We can impose restrictions on a member's load-posting activities, as well as completely removing the ability for them to post loads. We will provide clear guidance as to how restrictions can be lifted while monitoring the account for further complaints. If this activity continues, it could lead to a suspension or revocation of the membership entirely.
|
Cancellation of a booking |
When a load poster or carrier cancels a confirmed load booking and payment/damages are requested from the other member, but the money hasn't been received. |
N/A |
Transport Exchange Group cannot intervene in disputes regarding additional charges following the cancellation of a load booking. It must be resolved between the members themselves or the small claims court. |
N/A |
Other additional charges |
When a driver requests additional payment for unforeseen circumstances like waiting times and additional work. |
There must be evidence in the booking footer of the load that the load poster agrees to pay international bank charges. |
Transport Exchange Group cannot intervene in disputes regarding additional charges following the cancellation of a load booking. It must be resolved between the members themselves or the small claims court. |
N/A |
- Delivery complaints
There are ten different types of delivery-related complaints that our team has procedures in place for. Due to feedback we've received from our members about retaliatory feedback, we no longer assist with delivery complaints made 30 days after the delivery date and will dismiss them without further action.
Type of complaint |
Definition |
Evidence required |
The policy response/outcome |
Penalty if the complaint is upheld |
Co-loading |
When a driver accepts an additional load booking without documented permission from both parties. |
Evidence of multiple load bookings being completed as reflected on the system |
If no evidence is provided that this was permitted by both parties prior to the booking being completed, the complaint will be upheld against the offending member. |
First offence - a warning will be given (valid for one year) and additional diary management and rules training required. Second offence (within the same year) - a one-month suspension will apply (the account will be restricted) and a final warning will be issued to the member which is valid for life. Further offence(s) after a final warning issued - the account will be revoked with 2-year minimum enforcement.
|
Branded PODs |
Evidence of a POD having been submitted with personal branding/company information on it. |
Using branded PODs falls under the realm of poaching customers. The complaint will be upheld if evidence shows that there was personal branding/company information on the POD. |
Using branded PODs falls under the realm of poaching customers. The complaint will be upheld if evidence shows that there was personal branding/company information on the POD. |
First offence - a warning will be given, and further training required (warning valid for the life of membership) Second offence - depending on the circumstances and severity of the offence, enforcement could range from a further warning being given to suspension and even revocation of the membership |
Poaching customers |
When an attempt is made to steal a customer from another member on the Exchange after a load booking is confirmed (appears in the diary) in the CX/HX system. Please see our policy on poaching customers for more guidance on how we approach these claims. |
If a poaching complaint is raised, our team will need documented evidence confirming the actions of the other member advertising their own business. Customer statement CCTV footage Digital evidence (CCTV footage, photos, phone conversation recordings)
|
The complaint will not be upheld unless the other member can provide our team with documented evidence outlined above. We strongly urge members to engage with one another to review all the circumstances and agree on a resolution. If this is not possible, we will review the evidence submitted and assess the case in line with the following questions: Was the action proven to be deliberate? How serious was the action taken? Is there evidence to prove the offence? If not, the complaint will be dismissed. Is this a first or repeated offence? Was the previous load completed within two years? In most cases acceptable evidence will consist of: Customer Account Photo evidence (branding & PODs) Diary evidence Once the complaint has been submitted, reviewed, and decided, that decision is final and not subject to appeal. It is important to recognise the severity of the consequences of a deliberate attempt to poach another member’s customer.
|
If there is clear, undisputed evidence of an attempt to poach a customer, we have the right to enforce a lifetime membership revocation. |
Load booking cancellation because of a conflicting booking |
The member E-quoting on a load has already accepted another booking. |
There is evidence of cancellation in the system via the diary. |
If the member quoted on several loads and is allocated multiple bookings within a specific time frame (for example, within 5 minutes), it is the responsibility of the quoting member to immediately dismiss/decline and inform the load poster that they are no longer available either by a phone call or email. There must be evidence that they made a clear effort to ensure that the load poster is aware of their change in availability. If this evidence is present, the complaint will be dismissed, and the quoting member will be warned about excessive quoting. |
First offence - a warning will be given to the offending member, and they'll be given mandatory training on quoting best practices. Multiple offences (within a short timeline) - the member's account will be reviewed and a final decision enforced
|
Load booking cancellation without reasonable notice |
A carrier cancelling a load booking without reasonable notice. It is the responsibility of the member transporting the load to either accept or dismiss the load booking upon receipt in the system. |
There must be evidence of a load booking cancellation in the system via the diary. If the load booking is found to still exist in the system, we won't accept any other form of evidence. |
Once the load booking is accepted by the carrier, they are responsible for that load. If the booking is cancelled without giving the load poster reasonable notice, the carrier is at fault. Only in exceptional circumstances, like an accident or breakdown, will the evidence be considered. |
First offence (evidence that the booking was accepted) - the member will receive a final warning and additional training recommended (valid for one year). First offence (evidence that the booking was not accepted) - our complaints team will review the circumstances and enforce a proportionate penalty, which can range from finding no fault, to a warning. Second offence - membership revocation (2-year minimum enforcement)
|
Cancelled job by the poster due to lower price. |
When a load poster cancels a load booking with a carrier because they've found another member who can do the delivery at a lower price. |
There must be evidence of cancellation and re-allocation to another member who quoted a lower price for the same load. |
Once a load is allocated and accepted, the load poster and carrier have entered into a contract. If our team finds clear evidence of load re-allocation for a lower price, the complaint will be upheld. |
First offence - the member is issued with a warning. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our complaints team based on the number of loads posted within the period of initial and secondary offence. Depending on the circumstance, we can impose restrictions with clear guidance as to how these are lifted, or we will impose additional recorded warnings. |
Load booking cancellation without reasonable timing or while a booking is in progress |
When a load poster cancels a booking without reasonable timing or while the carrier is already moving the load. |
We require evidence of the cancellation on our system via the diary. If the system shows that the booking wasn't cancelled, we won't accept any other form of evidence. Our team will do their best to review every effort the load poster claims they made to cancel the load within a reasonable time. |
The complaint will be upheld if it was cancelled on short notice or while the booking was already in progress without satisfactory explanation (the load was cancelled by the customer with proof). |
First offence - the member is issued with a warning. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our complaints team based on the number of loads posted within the period of initial and secondary offence. Depending on the circumstance we can impose restrictions with clear guidance as to how these are lifted, or we will impose additional recorded warnings.
|
Delivery times not being met |
When load collection or drop off times aren't met. |
There must be evidence on our system that shows the pickup and drop-off times of the load. |
The complaint will be upheld if the times weren't met (collected or delivered the load late) without any evidence of exceptional circumstances. |
First offence - the member will be issued with a warning and their account will be suspended (valid for one year) and additional diary management with rules training required. Second offence - the member will be given a one-month suspension (their account will be restricted) and a final warning will be issued (valid for the lifetime of membership). Further offence(s) - Their account will be revoked (two-year minimum enforcement).
|
Damaged goods upon arrival |
When goods arrive damaged at the drop off destination after completion of the load booking. |
The complaint will only be upheld if the insurer comes to that decision. Transport Exchange group won't get involved in the case and the member whose goods were damaged upon delivery will be advised to leave negative feedback on the other member. |
The complaint will only be upheld if the insurer comes to that decision. Transport Exchange group won't get involved in the case and the member whose goods were damaged upon delivery will be advised to leave negative feedback on the other member. |
Our team keeps a record of these instances to spot patterns. If a member has two or more incidents within six months, the member will be retrained and warned that we could potentially take action should the behaviour persist. This could result in a refusal for membership renewal or suspending their account. If the insurance provider is of the opinion that the complaint should be upheld: First offence - the member will be issued with a warning and be retrained. Second offence (within a year) - the member's account will be suspended for two weeks.
|
How we handle abusive/threatening language or behaviour complaints |
When a member has abused or used threatening behaviour towards another member of the Exchange or a member of Exchange staff. |
We require written evidence that this behaviour took place in the form of text messages or emails. No audio will be accepted. |
We do not tolerate or accept threatening behaviour on the Exchange. If a member sends threatening messages to another member on the Exchange or to one of our staff, the complaint will be upheld immediately. |
If the case is debatable, we will issue the offending member with a warning. If we are provided with substantial evidence, we can revoke the offender's membership immediately without a warning. If we don't have any evidence, our team will be alerted to this member, and we'll be tracking them to spot patterns.
|
To learn more about payment and delivery-related complaints, visit this article.
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