PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy Policy

What information do we collect?

You can browse our website anonymously, without giving us any data.

Your IP address is recorded in our logs on each visit to our website. As clarified below, we use this data to track the performance of the website and make improvements for the future.

What do we use your information for?

Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:

• To improve our website
  We continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you.
• To improve customer service
  Your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs
• To send periodic emails – if you signed up to our newsletter 
  Our newsletter subscription services are provided by MailChimp. To see how they process your information, please see Mailchimp’s privacy policy. There is an unsubscribe link in each of the emails we send out so that you can discontinue at any time. This will remove your details from our lists.
• To manage our membership database – if you joined as a member
  Your member details allow us to keep you in touch with member events and opportunities, ensure your subscription is up to date, send out our member’s newsletters, and enable us to find members with the skills and interests to take on roles in the organisation or a production. You can update your own information at any time. We use membermojo – see their page Security and Member Privacy at membermojo.
• To deliver your tickets and manage your bookings
  Your booking details enable us to deliver your e-tickets by email, or printed tickets by post. Your personal details are retained to simplify your repeat bookings. Our ticketing and booking services are provided by TicketSource. They will offer you the choice of joining our mailing list and/or their own – so they can email you details of events they ticket for other organisations. See the TicketSource Privacy Policy.

Do we use cookies?

Yes.

Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer through your web browser (if you allow) that enables the sites or service providers systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. We use cookies to compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We employ the widely-used tool, Google Analytics. 

You can disable cookies in your web browser. For more information see aboutcookies.org.uk.

Do we pass your information to outside parties?

No.

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. We are a registered charity, not a business.

We use third parties – specifically MailChimp, membermojo and TicketSource – to collect and manage data on our behalf. We only use third parties whose privacy policies are compatible with our own as well as with UK and EU law.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page, and update the Privacy Policy modification date below.

This policy was last modified on 13^th July 2018,

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below:

By post:

The Wharf Theatre

The Wharf

Couch Lane

Devizes

Wiltshire

SN10 1EB

By email: 

Complaints Policy

The Wharf will listen to and take seriously any complaint made

The Wharf places a responsibility on all Trustees, Management Committee and Volunteers to be accountable for the standard of their practice.

People who make a complaint will not be blamed or criticised.

The Wharf will manage complaints honestly, constructively, sensitively and fairly.

The Wharf aims to resolve complaints at the earliest possible opportunity in the most efficient and effective way

The Wharf will keep people who make a complaint informed about progress whilst we investigate their complaint.

Where things have gone wrong, The Wharf will give an explanation to people who made a complaint and, where appropriate, give an apology and explain what action we are taking to put it right.

The Wharf will ensure that there are regular opportunities to gain feedback as part of improving the theatre

The Wharf has a 3-stage Complaints Procedure:

• Stage 1: Informal (Chair of the Management Committee)
• Stage 2: Formal (Management Committee as a panel)
• Stage 3: Appeal (Trustees)

Stage 1

If your complaint is ‘informal’ or relates to something that can be put right quickly and easily, it will be passed on to the Chair of the Management Committee:

• The Chair will contact you within X working days to acknowledge your complaint and tell you what is being done about it.
• We aim to agree a resolution with you within X days.
• If there are practical reasons why we cannot resolve the complaint within this time, we will contact you

Stage 2

If you are not satisfied with the way the complaint has been handled locally, or the complaint is more ‘formal’ or raises serious issues, it will be passed on to the Management Committee as a whole, who will investigate the complaint. One member of the committee will be created as a point of contact

• The Management Committee will write to you within X working days of the complaint being escalated to acknowledge your complaint and to tell you what is being done about it. We will also provide you with the name of the Management Committee who will be the point of contact
• We will keep you informed about the progress of the investigation, and aim to agree a resolution with you within X working days.
• If there are practical reasons why we cannot resolve the complaint within this time, we will contact you.

Stage 3

If you are not happy with the results of the investigation, you can appeal.

• The trustees will be appointed to look carefully at what has happened. You will be invited to put your views to the trustees.
• The trustees will check that the investigation was conducted in a reasonable and fair way, and that the response to the investigation was adequate. It is not a new complaint or re-investigation.
• We will aim to respond within X of your appeal. If there are practical reasons why we cannot resolve the complaint within this time, we will write to you to agree a new time for us to get back to you.
• We will then write to you to explain how the trustee’s findings will be put into action.

Stage 3 is the final part of The Wharf’s complaints procedure.

Deciding on the stage

It is helpful to make a provisional assessment of the seriousness of the complaint

(using a scale Low – Moderate – High). A useful model for doing this is:

• Look at the impact of the complaint upon the people involved:
  • Low: complaint appears to be a ‘one-off’, raises minor concerns and the complainant is not unduly distressed
  • Moderate: complaint raises moderate or repeat concerns or complainant is clearly distressed
  • High: complaint raises serious concerns or complainant very distressed
• Look at the potential risks to The Wharf
  • Low: unlikely to result in reputational damage, very unlikely to result in contractual, compliance or legal action
  • Moderate: possible minor reputational damage, unlikely to result in contractual, compliance or legal action
  • High: likelihood of some reputational damage and/or possible contractual, compliance or legal action

If either the impact or the potential risks are Moderate or High move to Stage 2 of the complaints procedure (involving all of the Management Committee). If Low, then start at Stage 1.

Managing Complaints Good Practice (Stage 1 and 2):

Ensure there is a written record of the complaint, any responses, and any resolutions

You may need to meet with the person to discuss exactly what they are unhappy about, what would be an acceptable outcome for them, and to clarify the way forward. Make sure that you have a written record all contact that is agreed by both parties.

A copy of the complaint will be sent to the trustees as soon as possible once resolved if the complaint is resolved at Stage 1. Should the complaint proceed to Stage 2, the trustees will be informed of the complaint but will not be a part of the management of the complaint until Step 3.

Where we have been at fault, we should freely admit our shortcomings and then implement changes to prevent a recurrence or off a ‘remedy’ to the person.

Where the complaint is not resolvable within 14 days explain the proposed timescale for doing this and seek agreement to extending the timescale for, up to, a further 14 days.

Keep in regular contact with the complainant – silence can be extremely aggravating for people.

Check with the complainant that they are satisfied with what you have done/are doing to resolve their complaint and record this

If it appears that you will be unable to achieve a resolution with the complainant, or if at any stage the person says that they want to make the complaint ‘formal’, then explain to the complainant that the complaint will be moved on to the next stage and explain what this will be.

Ensure that the outcomes are achieved within the agreed timescale for complaints

The complaint may be delegated by the Chair to other agreeable members of the Management Committee, but this must be done so at the onset of the complaint.

After every complaint, the complaint will be added the agenda for the next Management Committee meeting to discuss results and inform any actions for improvement.

Managing Complaints Good Practice (Stage 3)

If a complaint progresses to Stage 3 then the Trustees will take over the management of the complaint.

This will not be investigated as a new complaint. Instead the trustees will check that the investigation was conducted in a reasonable and fair way, and that the response to the investigation was adequate

The results of the investigation will be communicated to the complainant.

If the complainant is still unhappy with the resolution, then the complaint needs to be taken to an external source. In this case, the Charity Commission.

Complaints regarding Specific Individuals

Complaints regarding specific individuals will follow a similar process as above, however, if this person be a part of the management committee or trustees they will not be a part of the management of the complaint.

Persistent and Unreasonable Complaints

Despite best efforts to resolve a complaint, people who make complaints can sometimes become aggressive or unreasonable. Unreasonable and unreasonably persistent complainants may have justified complaints or grievances but be pursuing them in inappropriate ways, or they may be intent on pursuing complaints which appear to have no substance or which have already been investigated. Their contacts with The Wharf may be amicable but the frequency and extent of contact still place very heavy demands on time, or they may be very emotionally charged and this can be distressing for all involved.

There are a number of ways to help manage such situations and the following may be considered:

• Ensuring contact is overseen by the correct person within the organisation
• Providing a single point of contact with an appropriate person, making it clear to the complainant that others will be unable to help them at this time
• Requesting the complainant make contact in only one way, appropriate to their needs (e.g. by email)
• Placing a limit on contact with the complainant
• Restricting the number of calls or meetings The Wharf will have with the complainant during a set period
• Refusing to register repeated complaints about the same issue

Need to be in agreement on the best way to manage this to allow for a three stage process where possible. Some may see a complaint about trustees having the final stage being overseen by fellow trustees as unfair. It may be better that it reverses e.g. complaint about a trustee initially investigate among themselves with final appeal with MC and vice versa