The legislation of the Russian Federation provides citizens with broad rights to express their own opinions in the public space. Some of the reviews concern the work of enterprises and individual entrepreneurs. Typically, these are included in the guest book, drawn up within the framework of current legislation.
The entrepreneur is obliged to respond to the client’s opinion. Moreover, the essence of the response message must be consistent with the topic of the appeal itself. An important factor in composing a message is the form factor. Let's figure out what and when to write so as not to be punished. What are the terms and forms of responses to positive and negative feedback from visitors.
Who should review applications?
All entries in the book of reviews and suggestions must be reviewed directly by the head of the company. But, in the case of a large network business, this is not possible. Therefore, in chain establishments, records can be reviewed by local managers - territorial managers, or managers or managers of a separate point.
Persons who do not hold management positions do not have the right to review and respond to entries in the book of reviews and suggestions.
Only an employee occupying a position higher than the one against whom the complaint was received can consider complaints in the book of reviews and suggestions. It is prohibited to consider complaints against yourself.
Legislative basis
The right to file a claim is guaranteed by Article 33 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The review mechanism is established by Federal Law dated May 2, 2006 N 59-FZ. The Criminal Code regulates in Article 128.1 the liability of the applicant who filed a complaint.
The applicant can apply no later than three months from the time of receipt of information about the violation of rights or within a month in the event of failure by the official to comply with the citizen’s demands.
In addition, the claim must not contain slander, offensive attacks or derogatory sentences against the person about whom the applicant is complaining.
Do I need to respond to any entry?
Entries in the book of reviews and suggestions are considered official written requests that require a response.
In the book itself, an answer must be given to every entry in it . Also, if there are consumer contacts for feedback (telephone, email, postal address), you need to answer not only in the book, but also provide a written answer according to the specified data.
If the entry contained gratitude, then personal notification of the consumer about its consideration is not necessary and remains at the discretion of management. In general, just the answer in the book is enough. You can find out how to write gratitude in the book of complaints and suggestions in a separate material.
If the claim is unfounded
Not in all cases the complaints received are justified and some action should be taken on them. Some citizens use complaints to make some kind of profit (for example, company employees constantly encounter consumer extremism).
To such complaints, it is imperative to draw up and send refusal responses to satisfy the complainant’s demands, justifying the reasons for the refusal, as well as with references to regulations.
Leaving an unlawful claim unaddressed can enable a dishonest person to stir up a scandal or even a lawsuit.
In what form should feedback be given?
As mentioned above, a response is required for any entry made. The form in which the answer will be given depends on the content of the entry:
- If the consumer has left a justified complaint , expressed dissatisfaction with something, then the answer to it should be equally justified, and not a simple “unsubscribe”.
First of all, you need to write the answer in the book immediately after reading it. If the situation is not resolved immediately, but requires certain investigations, then you need to make a note in the book that an internal investigation is being conducted. After the trial is completed, you need to put the appropriate mark in the book and give a detailed answer there. If, when writing a complaint, the visitor left his contact information for a written response, it must be sent by e-mail/paper mail or, if a telephone number was left, call. - If the consumer's complaint was unfounded , then a response is still required. In such a situation, you should not point out to the visitor that he is wrong. It is necessary to explain as briefly and clearly as possible why consideration of the complaint is impossible. If contact details have been provided, a response must also be sent.
- When responding to gratitude written in the book of reviews and suggestions, a response in the book itself is necessary. The decision whether to provide a response based on the contact information provided remains with management.
- If the consumer has left his suggestions and recommendations , then you can only answer in the book; it is not necessary to send an answer in writing, or call.
As a rule, when filing a complaint, people leave an email address rather than a regular one. After the complaint has been considered and the perpetrators have been punished, you must send a response in writing to your email address/residence address. The response must be sent from the company's email address, and the paper letter must be signed by the person handling the complaint.
If the complaint or claim is written in illegible handwriting, but contact details are left, you need to contact the person who left the complaint and ask to explain what happened.
Preparing a response
The interested person must be informed in writing about the results of consideration of the appeal. You can respond by mail or by sending a notification via the Internet. The document itself must be written correctly, complying with all legal requirements. For this, standard forms of the body that conducts the inspection are most often used. Although you can use regular office paper. In these cases, it is necessary to affix a corner stamp and seal to the document.
Decor
Each authorized authority that deals with complaints has a sample letter that is sent to the applicant in such cases, that is, a sample response.
Computer resources or other technical means are used during registration. Writing a response by hand, although not prohibited by current legislation, is almost never practiced.
The document must have mandatory details, which include:
- Full name of the organization that conducted the inspection.
- Information about the initiator - last name, first name, patronymic, residential address.
- Date and number of registration of the document.
The completed response must be signed by the head of the organization or an authorized official.
Content
In the text of the notification, the applicant must reflect in detail all information related to the complaint.
First of all, it is indicated when the appeal was received and registered, as well as its brief content. Then all actions that were performed to resolve the issue must be reflected - testimony of witnesses, received documentary evidence. After this, it is indicated which requirements of regulatory legal acts were violated, as well as the measures that will be taken against those responsible. It may also be reflected that the fact of violation of rights has not been confirmed.
Finally, it is necessary to explain to the person his right to appeal to a higher authority or court to annul the decision.
How to answer correctly?
A well-written response to a consumer’s statement is a good way to make it clear that he is being listened to, and his opinion is not uninteresting for the company.
To the complaint
A complaint is the most serious entry a visitor can leave . If a complaint is received from a consumer, it must be considered and a response must be given.
The answer must contain:
- Thanks to the visitor for leaving a note.
- Measures that have been taken to resolve the situation.
- An apology for what happened.
Examples of how to respond better in the book:
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! Thank you for leaving a note. Based on your complaint, an appropriate investigation was carried out, during which the fact of a violation was confirmed. Explanatory conversations were held with the guilty employees, and fines were issued. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you!
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! The situation you described was unexpected and unusual for us. Guilty employees were punished with reprimands and deprivation of bonuses. Thank you for your feedback and we apologize for this situation. We hope that this will not happen again in the future!
After the answer in the book, it is necessary, if contact contacts are available, to send the consumer a notification that his complaint has been received and considered. The letter should also indicate how the problem was resolved, what measures were taken, apologize and thank you.
If the proceedings require additional time, it is worth checking in the fields for responding to the complaint that the complaint has been received and the proceedings are underway. Then send the consumer a notification of receipt of the complaint and inform that the proceedings have already begun. When the proceedings are completed, leave a response in the book and send a written notice to the applicant.
For positive feedback
Reaction to positive and recommended posts is no less important than to negative ones . This lets the consumer know that they are being heard and listened to.
To respond to a positive comment, simply thank the applicant for their feedback.
If the applicant has offered recommendations, then these should also be considered and honest feedback given. Even if the recommendation lacks any constructiveness, the answer must gently explain that the proposed things are impossible.
Examples of feedback on suggestions and recommendations:
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! Thank you for your attention to our establishment and for your recommendations! We found your proposal interesting. We will definitely discuss it soon and decide how best to implement this.
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! We are grateful to you for your entry and suggestion. Unfortunately, the changes you suggest are not possible at this time. Perhaps in the future something will change and we will be able to use your recommendation.
For an unfounded claim
It often happens that claims from a visitor may be unfounded. Either the record does not sufficiently explain the nature of the claim, or the claim is for something that is essentially not a problem.
For example, there are often complaints about high prices or lack of discounts. In this case, it is worth gently explaining why consideration of the complaint is impossible.
Examples of feedback on unfounded complaints:
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! Thank you for leaving a note! Unfortunately, the information you provided is not enough to consider the complaint in detail and identify the perpetrators. We ask you to provide more detailed information about what happened.
- Dear (full name of the applicant)! We appreciate your feedback! Your complaint has been sent to the appropriate department of the company. We will be glad to see you again!
Also, when giving feedback on an unfounded claim, if you have contacts for feedback, you should inform about the consideration of the claim by phone/mail.
Deadlines for responding to reviews in the book of complaints and suggestions
For entries in the book of reviews and suggestions, as for all written requests, there are established deadlines within which they must be considered and responded.
The deadlines provided for feedback are regulated by the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” dated 02/07/1992 No. 2300-1 and the “Instructions on the Book of Reviews and Suggestions”, approved by order of the USSR Ministry of Trade dated 07/23/1973 No. 139, but valid to this day.
5 days are allocated for reviewing the entry. During this period, competent feedback in the book should be compiled. At this time, the applicant must be notified that the record will be reviewed.
The countdown of the period begins from the moment the comment or complaint is entered into the book. If the applicant did not indicate the date when drawing up the claim, the company’s management may not initiate proceedings in the described situation.
The law does not regulate different deadlines for feedback on entries in the complaint book, depending on whether they are positive or negative. For each entry made, the review period is the same . But, as a rule, the period for reviewing a positive entry is much shorter, since it does not require any proceedings.
The review period may be increased from 15 to 30 days depending on the situation. If the review period is delayed for an internal investigation, then the company can use up to 15 days from the date of receipt of the complaint for the investigation. At the same time, within the first 5 days the applicant must be notified that the review period is being delayed, which should also be noted in the book.
If in his appeal the consumer demands a return or exchange of goods, a refund of funds, then in this case the terms are regulated by the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” and the consideration period can be up to 30 days. But, as in all other cases, the applicant must be notified within 5 days.
For those who are interested in registering a book of complaints and suggestions, we have posted articles on our website from which you will learn whether registration of this document is necessary, how to register it correctly and what the registration requirements are. We will also tell you in detail how to leave a complaint or review in the book.
Complaints procedure
The initiator must send the completed application to the authorized official body, which will subsequently conduct the proceedings. The received appeal must be recorded in a special accounting form, book or journal. It is assigned a registration number. Fixation must occur within three days from the date of admission. This period includes both weekdays and weekends.
The specialist who receives the complaint is obliged to carefully study its content; the text must not contain abbreviations, errors or inaccuracies. It is necessary to check the correctness of the applicant's information. The appeal must be drawn up in Russian, without the use of foreign symbols and designations. Also, the text should not contain profanity or expressions that degrade the honor and dignity of people.
After registration, the appeal is transferred for execution to an official whose competence includes consideration of complaints.
Responsibility for violation of deadlines
The law does not provide for liability as such for violation of deadlines for filing a response , or in general for its absence. But if the consumer is fundamentally committed to the investigation, but does not receive a response to his complaint, he has every right to file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor, where his appeal will be accepted. And the investigation into the situation will be carried out to the fullest extent of the law. Therefore, it is better not to allow this to happen.
During scheduled inspections of Rospotrebnadzor, the book of reviews and suggestions is mandatory checked (its accessibility, availability and maintenance). In case of violations of the rules of conduct, a fine of up to 10,000 rubles may be imposed on the organization.
The book of reviews and suggestions is a strict reporting document, the maintenance of which should not be neglected. Compliance with all the rules and requirements of the law will ensure that the audit will not detect any violations and will help you avoid fines. And timely and high-quality consideration of complaints can restore consumer loyalty.
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