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Compliments, comments and concerns

COMPLIMENTS, COMMENTS AND CONCERNS

Visitor feedback is always welcomed at Cumbria Tourism to help us recognise and praise good service and experiences or improve the product or service that Cumbria offers.

Accolades are an important way to identify what is being done well and are as important as less satisfactory comments.
Occasionally, however, your experience may not meet your expectations and, if this happens, we would like to hear from you.

CUMBRIA TOURISM'S QUALITY POLICY

Cumbria Tourism is the Official Tourist Board and VisitEngland recognised Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for the Lake District, Cumbria and we hold the businesses we promote to high quality standards, as outlined in our Code of Conduct as a requirement for advertising on Visitlakedistrict.com.

QUALITY ASSESSED ACCOMMODATION

When accommodation has been inspected, the likelihood of a complaint is reduced because the business has met a specified standard associated with good quality accommodation.

The following are recognised accommodation Quality Assurance Schemes within Cumbria:

• VisitEngland Assessment Services
• AA Assessment Schemes

IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT

What you need to do

In the first instance we encourage you to make any comments about the product or service you receive to the business at the time of your visit. This will enable them to rectify the problem immediately and ensure you enjoy your visit.

If the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved, find out whether the property belongs to a Quality Assurance Scheme, for example VisitEngland, the AA or Quality Cumbria. Then write to us, by letter, email or using our complaint form, quoting the name of the property and the nature of the complaint.

It is important that you give your express, written permission to forward details of the complaint to the named establishment or an appropriate body who will be able to investigate the complaint further.

Cumbria Tourism complaint form View PDF

WHAT CUMBRIA TOURISM WILL DO

VisitEngland or AA Quality Assessed Accommodation

If you have a complaint relating to either a VisitEngland or AA assessed property it is the responsibility of the relevant awarding body to investigate any complaint. In the event that you contact Cumbria Tourism about an accommodation business, we will forward your complaint to the awarding body. You may prefer to send your complaint directly to them to ensure your concerns are addressed more speedily. We are happy to receive a copy of your letter or form so that we can monitor such complaints.

Contact details for VisitEngland and AA can be found by following the links:

USEFUL CONTACTS

Compensation Claims

We cannot become involved in any dispute over compensation and an individual may therefore decide whether or not to pursue the matter further themselves. Advice may be sought from Citizen's Advice Bureau, Consumer Direct (delivered in partnership with the Office of Fair Trading & Local Authority Trading Standards Services) or alternatively a Solicitor. Unfortunately we cannot do this on behalf of individuals; neither can we give legal advice on an individual basis.

Contractual Complaint

We cannot become involved in any dispute of a contractual nature such as refunds, or cancellation charges. In such cases we can only record the complaint and wait to see whether other similar complaints are received. In the first instance, individuals should contact the business directly to see if an amicable agreement can be reached. If this is not possible, the complainant may need to get advice from a solicitor or seek resolution through a small claims procedure in the County Court.

Advertising

We have no control over the content of any third party internet web site or brochure and individuals will need to decide if they wish to take this matter further. It may be appropriate to pursue the complaint with Consumer Direct.
Entries on the Visit Lake District website and in the Lake District, Cumbria Holiday Guide have been paid for by the establishments concerned and have been compiled by Cumbria Tourism from information supplied by the advertisers. Whilst every effort was made to ensure that the information was correct at the time of publication, Cumbria Tourism can accept no responsibility for any changes, errors or omissions, or for any inconvenience arising there from.

Incorrect Signage

Misrepresentation is taken very seriously when an accommodation business is displaying any kind of Quality Assurance Scheme signage inappropriately. The quality assessment bodies will take steps to ensure the matter is investigated and appropriate action is taken. Consumer Direct may also be able to offer advice about incorrect signage.

Useful Contact Information

Citizens Advice Bureau - www.adviceguide.org.uk or 03454 04 05 06

Rudeness / Attitude

Amongst the most difficult complaints to resolve are those alleging rudeness or poor attitude on the part of the proprietor or staff. If this is denied, we have no means of determining the truth. In such cases, the assessing body can only assess as seen and it is sometimes very difficult to address these issues if not experienced at first hand.

Legal Disputes

We do not have statutory powers and cannot become involved in legal disputes where Police, Consumer Direct, Environmental Health or solicitors are involved. We cannot give legal advice on individual cases.

What if the complaint is not related to accommodation?

A small number of complaints may relate to an attraction, restaurant or public service for example toilets or car parking.

VISITOR ATTRACTIONS

Some attraction providers are members of the VisitEngland Quality Assurance Scheme VAQAS (Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme) or operate under the VisitBritain Visitor Attractions Code of Practice. In the unlikely event you have a complaint regarding an attraction that is assessed to either VAQAS or the Visitor Attractions Code of Conduct, it is recommended that the complaint is put in writing to both Visit Britain (contact details below) and the attraction.

VAQAS
VisitEngland
Web: https://www.visitenglandassessmentservices.com/our-schemes/visitor-attractions/

PUBLIC OR LOCAL SERVICES

For matters relating to a public/local service, the complaint should be referred to the appropriate local authority again by putting the complaint in writing. The process and outcome of such a complaint will depend on the organisations own complaints policy. Contact details are as follows:

Westmorland & Furness Council

The three offices of Westmorland & Furness Council are located at:

Barrow: Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 2LD

Kendal (registered office): South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4DQ

Penrith: Town Hall, Corney Place, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7QF

Tel: 0300 373 3300

Online contact form

Cumberland Council

Carlisle: 111 Botchergate, Carlisle CA1 1RZ

Workington: Allerdale House, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 3YJ

Whitehaven: The Market Hall, Market Place, Whitehaven, CA28 7JG

Millom: Millom Community Hub, Salthouse Road, Millom, LA18 5AB

Tel: 0300 373 3730

Online contact form

The Lake District National Park Authority

Murley Moss
Oxenholme Road
Kendal
Cumbria
LA9 7RL
Tel: 01539 724555
Email: hq@lake-district.gov.uk

You may leave the Lake District, but once you’ve been, it’ll never leave you.

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