Complaints Procedure

If a member of the Chartered Institute contravenes one of the six points of the Code of Professional Standards, he or she can make themselves liable for a complaint to be made against them. The Chartered Institute takes action against members who break its Code.

Once a complaint has been made, the Chartered Institute will contact the member in question to see if the complaint can be resolved without any further intervention from the Chartered Institute. Normally this is as far as most complaints get, as many are due to bad communication between the parties. However, in some circumstances further action has to be taken and the Chartered Institute's Professional Standards Committee becomes involved. The Committee is made up of voluntary members throughout the plumbing industry, CIPHE Head Office Staff, a QC and a senior Trading Standards Officer.

A complaint form needs to be obtained from Head Office and completed by the consumer. Once this is returned to Head Office, a copy is then sent to the plumber concerned. If needed, a Professional Standards Inspector will be sent along to make a report on the work completed by the plumber. This report helps the Professional Standards Committee to reach a decision. If it is found that the complaint is valid, the Professional Standards Committee has the power to remove that person from membership of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering. However, if it is found that the member has not broken the Code of Professional Standards, the complaint will be dropped.

If you would like to know more about the Chartered Institute's complaints procedure, or have a complaint to make about a member of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (we can only accept complaints about members of the CIPHE as the Professional Standards Committee has no jurisdiction over non-members), please contact Maxine Rouse the  Professional Standards Administrator on 01708 463111 or email maxiner@ciphe.org.uk