Making a formal complaint

Procedure for dealing with complaints

In order to make a formal complaint, contact the forum moderator in the first instance.

If the moderator of the discussion area or the systems administrator finds that your complaint is justified, the procedure for dealing with the complaint is as follows:

• The moderator or systems administrator will mail the individual(s) concerned asking them to stop the offending behaviour. Offensive material may be removed from the system it is hosted on. The moderator should inform the system provider of any such messages so that the systems administrators are aware of any problem and an independent record of the action is maintained.
• If the behaviour does not stop, or is repeated at a later date, the moderator can ask the systems administrators to restrict the access of the individual concerned. The systems administrators can take this action independently.
• Details of any action taken by the systems administrators will be sent to the regional directorate of the individual concerned, who acts as an executive authority in such matters and can either: request the temporary restriction be lifted; increase the duration of the temporary restriction; make the temporary restriction permanent; or arrange for the matter to be considered further under the code of practice for student discipline.

Any grievance about such disciplinary action should be directed through the OU’s normal disciplinary procedures (see your student or staff handbook for details).

Taking your complaint further (stage 2)

If, when you receive our reply to your complaint, you are not satisfied we have done everything possible to answer it, you can ask the senior officer in the area concerned to review your case. In order to do so, follow the procedure outlined in the OU’s complaints procedure:

https://help.open.ac.uk/ topic/ policies-and-complaints/ category/ complaints-and-appeals

The systems administrators, in consultation with the director of the learning system owners and the OU administration, can take further action, as deemed necessary, against any user in breach of the code of conduct, the ultimate sanction being their removal from any or all of the OU’s online systems.

Remember that at any point during a dispute, the systems administrators have the authority to remove messages from the OU’s systems.

If at any point you require clarification on where to direct your complaint, or any other enquiry relating to complaints, contact the OU’s complaints and appeals office.