Unacceptable Contact
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How we determine and restrict unacceptable communications with our staff.
ASCI is committed to providing a fair, consistent and accessible service for all of our customers. However, we have to balance this by providing a safe working environment for our staff to operate within and to ensure that our work is undertaken in an efficient and effective manner. This policy sets out our approach to managing those customers whose actions or behaviour are considered unacceptable because they are either having a negative impact on our staff or their ability to deal with that complaint, or with other people’s complaints.
We will aim to make reasonable adjustments to our approach to case handling and communications to take account of any special circumstances that people who use our service may make us aware of. However, where thus results in unreasonable demands on us, or unacceptable behaviour towards our staff, we reserve the right to manage customer contact to protect our staff and to maintain the effectiveness of our service to other customers. The ASCI also reserves the right to temporarily limit customer access to our complaint handling services where we consider that the volume of complaints from an individual is disproportionate or are otherwise vexatious.
In no circumstances will we tolerate behaviour which involves abuse of or threat to our staff.
Examples of unacceptable behaviour
- Use of abusive, obscene or threatening language, or comments of a personal nature.
- Comments (directed at our staff) of a discriminatory nature, Repeated unnecessary phone calls or refusal to end telephone conversations.
- Persistent or lengthy letter writing (or contact by email) which is adding nothing new to the matter.
- In exceptional circumstances, large numbers of complaints in a short timescale from the same individual.
Types of restriction
The types of restrictions that can be placed on communication include
- No further calls will be accepted and all future contact must be in writing
- Correspondence will only be replied to if it is raising new issues or concerns
- Correspondence will not be replied to if it contains abusive, obscene or threatening language, or discriminatory comments (No further complaints will be accepted for a notified period.
The level and length of restriction will be proportionate to the nature of unacceptable behaviour, and will always be targeted at addressing a specific identified issue that we conclude is resulting in unacceptable contact with us. As above, we will aim to make reasonable adjustments and will take relevant requests into account as appropriate where applying communication restrictions.
Social media policy
The ASCI social media is managed by the ASCI communications team on behalf of colleagues across the organisation and/or by third party agency. ASCI is currently present on the following social media platforms.
- YouTube
- Koo
If you follow us you can expect around 2-4 posts a week covering the following topics
- Our important announcements, events, blogs, articles, research and reports.
- Tips for advertisers, updates on changes to Code, processes and guidelines.
- Our broader communications work including responses to consultations, policy.
- changes, media appearances, help and training for industry.
Following us
If you follow us on social media we will not automatically follow you back. This is to save our resources in handling spam. However, being followed back by the ASCI does not imply endorsement of any kind.
Availability
The ASCI will update its Social media accounts during office hours from Mon-Fri and occasionally on weekends. Platforms may occasionally be unavailable and ASCI accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to downtime of any social media platforms.
@replies and Direct Messages
We welcome feedback from our followers and do read all the comments that we receive. Where possible we will reply to comments and join in the conversation where we can. We cannot, however, respond individually to all the messages we receive.
To enter into official correspondence with us please visit the contact us(link) section of our website for further details.
Complaints via Social Media platforms
We encourage consumers to reach us through the designated channels (link) to register complaints. Currently we do not accept complaints via social media, however, in situations where we find that a particular advertisement has been brought to our attention and could potentially cause grave and widespread harm to the public, we will take up such cases suo motu, if a complaint is not registered with ASCI.
