Our complaints policy

Breakthrough Breast Cancer aims to maintain high standards in all of its work but we recognise that we can sometimes get things wrong, despite our best intentions.

Without your feedback on these occasions we would not be able to improve the service we offer to you in the future, and therefore we value and take seriously any feedback you provide.

The information below outlines our complaints procedure.

First Stage

If you have a complaint you can contact us by phone, email, letter or complete our feedback form. To help us investigate and address all complaints, we ask you to provide us with as much information as possible.

• The reason for your complaint
• Where and when what you’re complaining about happened
• The name(s) of anyone involved (if known)
• What outcome you are hoping for
• Your contact details (name, address, daytime telephone number and/or email)

You can telephone our Supporter Care Team on 08080 100 200 or email info@breakthrough.org.uk.

If you would prefer to write, please send your complaint to:

Supporter Care Team
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Weston House
246 High Holborn
LONDON
WC1V 7EX

We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible but if we cannot do this, for example if we need to investigate further, we will acknowledge your complaint within the following timescale:

• Either immediately or on the same day if you telephone us
• Within 24 hours if you contact us by email
• Within five working days if you send us a letter

You will be given the name of the staff member dealing with your complaint and when they will next contact you either with a proposed resolution or update.

Second stage

If, for any reason, you are not happy with the resolution of your complaint, you can bring this to the attention of our Supporter Care Manager.

Please set out clearly in writing (or in an email to complaints@breakthrough.org.uk) the details of the complaint, explaining why you were not satisfied with our response and what you would like us to do to put things right.

Our Supporter Care Manager will send an acknowledgment within three working days and personally investigate your complaint and respond within 10 working days.

Please address this letter to:

Supporter Care Manager
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Weston House
246 High Holborn
LONDON
WC1V 7EX

Third stage

If you are still not satisfied with our response and wish to take your complaint further, please inform our Supporter Care Manager within 28 days of receiving our reply.

Your case will then be passed to the relevant member of our senior management team (that is, the Director responsible for the activity) who will further investigate your complaint and will contact you with their conclusions and any actions to be taken.

You can expect this to take a further 10 working days from the date on which we receive your letter or email.

Taking your complaint outside Breakthrough

If your complaint is about our fundraising work or activities and you are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to take it to the Fundraising Standards Board. This is the self-regulatory scheme that works to ensure that organisations raising money from the public do so honestly and properly. As a member of the Fundraising Standards Board, Breakthrough is committed to abiding by any decision they reach on complaints that are escalated to them.

Their contact details are:

The Fundraising Standards Board
61 London Fruit Exchange
Brushfield Street
London
E1 6EP
Tel: 0845 402 5442
Email: info@givewithconfidence.org.uk
Website:  www.givewithconfidence.org.uk

If your complaint is about any other aspect of our charitable work, you may wish to contact the Charity Commission:

Charity Commission Direct
PO Box 1227
Liverpool
L69 3UG

Tel: 0845 300 0218
Website: www.charity-commission.gov.uk

If your complaint is about our activity in Scotland, you may wish to contact the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR):

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
2nd Floor
Quadrant House
9 Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY

Tel: 01382 220 446
Website:  www.oscr.org.uk

Follow up

In order for us to improve the service we provide, we may wish to contact you within a month of your complaint being dealt with in order to check that you were satisfied with our resolution. Any information you give will only be used to ensure that we provide the best possible service we can.