Occasionally a customer pursues their case in a way which impedes the investigation of their complaint or creates significant resource issues for the Council in dealing with issues that they raise.
The Unreasonably Persistent Customers Policy has therefore been devised to ensure Council services are not restricted or diminished for such customers and that they are dealt with consistently and fairly by Council.
Description of an Unreasonably Persistent Customer
Customers may be classified as ‘Unreasonably Persistent’ due to the frequency and/or nature of their contacts or complaint. Behaviour may be aggressive, intimidating or uncooperative which may upset staff and other Customers.
Managing Unreasonably Persistent Customers
The Unreasonably Persistent Customer policy is a two stage process that has been approved by the Council’s Standards Committee.
Once identified, a customer will be issued a warning letter requesting that they adjust their behaviour in their dealings with the Council. If an improvement is not forthcoming a decision may be made by Senior Officers to restrict, or ultimately terminate contact arrangements altogether. The decision will be appropriate to the Customer’s behaviour, taking into account their specific circumstances.
Appeal Process
A Customer may appeal against a decision made at stage 1 and they will need to explain the reasons why they disagree with the decision, in writing, to the Council’s Principal Democratic Services Officer.
Review
A review will be undertaken no later than 12 months following the date of the decision to restrict / terminate contact.
Monitoring Adherence to the Policy
The Council’s Standards Committee will monitor adherence to the Unreasonably Persistent Customer Policy by Service and Group Directors.