Complaints and Grievance Procedure

Effective Date: September 2026
Version: 1.0

1. Introduction

AOIT Networks Ltd (“AOIT”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) wants to hear from anyone who feels they have been treated unfairly or negatively affected by the way we run our business. This procedure explains how to raise a complaint or grievance, what happens next, how long each step should take, and how we protect people who speak up.

This procedure applies to AOIT Networks and our hosting brand aoitcloud. Anyone can use it, including partners, their staff, suppliers, freelancers, members of the local community and members of the public.

2. How to Raise a Grievance

You can raise a grievance in whichever way is easiest for you:

  • Online: use our contact form and start your message with “Grievance” or “Complaint”
  • Email: contact@aoitnetworks.com
  • Phone: +44 (0) 191 825 0808
  • Post: AOIT Networks Ltd, Jarrow Business Centre, Viking Industrial Estate, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 3DT

To help us look into it, please tell us what happened, when it happened, who or what was involved, how it has affected you, and what outcome you would like. If you need help putting your grievance in writing, or need information in a different format, let us know and we will support you.

You can raise a grievance anonymously. We will still look into it as far as we can, but we may not be able to update you on the outcome unless you give us a way to contact you.

3. What We Accept as a Grievance

We will accept a grievance about anything connected to AOIT’s services, conduct or business activities, including:

  • The quality of our service, or how we have communicated with you
  • Billing, pricing or contract concerns
  • Unfair, discriminatory or disrespectful treatment
  • How we have handled personal data
  • Payment practices or treatment of suppliers and freelancers
  • Our impact on the local community or the environment
  • Any behaviour that goes against our published purpose, values or policies

We may not accept an issue as a grievance where it is a routine support request (which we will pass to our support team instead), where it has nothing to do with AOIT, where the same issue has already been fully investigated and closed with no new information, or where it is already the subject of legal proceedings. If we do not accept an issue as a grievance, we will always tell you why and, where possible, point you to someone who can help.

4. Process Steps and Timescales

  1. Acknowledgement – within 2 Business Days. We confirm we have received your grievance and give you a reference number.
  2. Assessment – within 5 Business Days. We confirm whether we have accepted it as a grievance. If we have not, we explain why.
  3. Investigation. We review the facts, look at any records and speak to the people involved, including you if helpful.
  4. Updates – at least every 10 Business Days. We keep you informed of progress at each step until the grievance is closed.
  5. Outcome – target of 20 Business Days. We aim to resolve grievances within 20 Business Days of acknowledgement. If a grievance is complex and will take longer, we will tell you why and give you a new target date.
  6. Closure. We send you our findings and the action we are taking in writing, and confirm with you when the grievance has been resolved.

5. How We Reach a Resolution

We aim to resolve grievances fairly and in discussion with you. Depending on the issue, a resolution may include an explanation or apology, putting right a service problem, a refund or service credit in line with our terms, or changing how we do things so the problem does not happen again.

Grievances are handled by our Managing Director. If your grievance is about the Managing Director personally, or you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask for the matter to be reviewed by an independent mediator, and we will work with you to arrange this.

You also have the right to contact an external body at any time, for example the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk) for concerns about personal data, or Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) for consumer matters.

6. Protection from Retaliation

No one will be treated unfavourably for raising a grievance in good faith, even if it is not upheld. In particular, we will not:

  • Reduce, suspend or withdraw services, or change pricing or terms, because someone raised a grievance
  • End or refuse work with a supplier, freelancer or partner because they raised a grievance
  • Share the identity of the person who raised a grievance beyond those who need to know to resolve it, without their permission

To support this, grievance records are kept separately from general support records with restricted access, and anonymous grievances are accepted. If you believe you have been treated unfairly because you raised a grievance, please tell us straight away. We will treat this as a new, priority grievance, and you can also ask for it to be reviewed independently.

7. Keeping You Informed

For every grievance we accept, we will keep you updated at each step of the process, tell you the outcome and what we are doing about it, and confirm with you when the grievance has been resolved. For any issue we do not accept as a grievance, we will explain our reasons in writing.

8. Records and Review

We keep a confidential log of all grievances, the actions taken and their outcomes. We review this log and this procedure at least once a year to spot patterns and improve how we work. Personal data in grievance records is handled in line with our Privacy Policy.