Bailiff complaints at Dukes remain “extremely low”

Bailiff complaints have been the norm for some years now as poor practices are exposed by more savvy customers. But Staffordshire based enforcement company Dukes Bailiffs is bucking the trend. Final figures for 2014 compiled by auditors for the debt recovery firm shows Dukes' levels of complaints remain exceptionally low. During 2014 Dukes received just 10 customer complaints despite handling almost 29,000 cases.

“The figures are reassuring,” said Dukes MD Colin Naylor, “But there is no room for complacency. Our goal is to keep learning from any grievances we receive in order to further reduce complaint levels. We fully understand our responsibilities and appreciate that both our reputation and that of the creditor is at stake.”

Independent investigation

Any complaints received go through a robust investigative process by an independent consultant. Dukes’ MD is informed of all bailiff complaints and progress towards a resolution is reviewed at weekly management meetings. The outcome of the investigation, and any appropriate remedy, is notified to the complainant at the earliest opportunity. No generic timescales are set as the nature of complaints can vary, but Dukes agree timescales with individual complainants and clients are then informed at every stage of the process.

Learning lessons from bailiff complaints

“Our Complaints Procedure has been developed over 23 years to ensure all genuine grievances are resolved promptly,” said Colin. “Although we have a hugely experienced team, we can still learn lessons. Handling bailiff complaints can be time consuming, but implementing corrective actions to improve any weaknesses ensures investigations are worthwhile.”

Where complainants are not satisfied with the outcome or the proposed resolution, Dukes actively encourage them to raise their concerns with the Civil Enforcement Association (CIVEA). Dukes always abide by the findings of CIVEA.

Dukes overall complaint level has fallen to 0.0003% of the total number of cases actioned. As the table below from the CIVEA demonstrates, the number of complaints received by Dukes is lower than those received by all but one of its competitors. Dukes’ data is in red, competitor data in blue.