Complaints & Appeals Policy
1. Purpose
This policy explains how Mecourse Lifelong Learning ("Mecourse", "we", "our", or "us") handles complaints and appeals about the Mecourse Lifelong Learning website ("Website").
We aim to handle concerns fairly, calmly, and proportionately, and to use them to improve courses, certificates, support, accessibility, and the Website experience.
2. What counts as a complaint or appeal
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the Website, a course, content accuracy, accessibility, account support, communication, technical functionality, or another part of the service.
An appeal is a request for us to review a decision or record that affects you, such as an assessment outcome, certificate record, certificate validity, account status, or a formal response to a complaint.
Quick error reports, typo reports, broken-link reports, and general feedback are welcome and may be handled informally unless you ask us to treat the matter as a complaint.
3. Who can complain or appeal
Registered users, anonymous users, certificate holders, employers or third parties checking certificate evidence, and other affected people may contact us about a concern.
Anonymous complaints can be useful, but we may be unable to investigate fully or respond personally if we do not have enough information.
4. Principles
- accessibility: complaints and appeals can be sent by email or through the Website contact routes;
- fairness: we will consider relevant evidence and context before deciding what action to take;
- proportionality: simple issues may be fixed or answered informally, while more serious issues may need a fuller review;
- confidentiality: complaint and appeal information is shared only where needed to investigate, respond, improve the service, or meet legal obligations;
- no detriment: raising a complaint or appeal in good faith will not disadvantage your ordinary use of the Website.
5. How to raise a complaint or appeal
Please contact [email protected] or use the enquiries page on the Website.
Where possible, include:
- your name and email address, if you want a direct reply;
- the relevant course, page, certificate code, account, or transaction reference, if applicable;
- a clear description of what happened and why you are dissatisfied;
- screenshots, links, dates, or other evidence that may help us understand the issue;
- what outcome you are asking for, where you have a particular outcome in mind.
6. How we handle complaints
We will aim to acknowledge a complaint within five working days where practicable. Some simple issues may be answered or fixed at the acknowledgement stage.
We will review the information provided, check relevant account, course, certificate, feedback, support, or technical records where appropriate, and may ask you for more information.
We will aim to provide a substantive response within 20 working days where practicable. If a matter is complex or needs more time, we will try to explain the delay and give an updated timescale.
Possible outcomes include an explanation, correction, apology, course or content update, technical fix, certificate record correction, account action, or another proportionate response.
7. Assessment and certificate appeals
You may ask us to review an assessment or certificate issue if you believe there has been a technical problem, a factual error, a procedural problem, an account or identity issue, or an error in the course or assessment material.
We may review relevant attempt records, certificate records, course content, MCQ wording, answer keys, technical logs, and support messages.
Where we find an error, we may correct the record, correct course or assessment content, allow a further attempt, reissue a certificate, withdraw or replace an incorrect certificate, or take another proportionate step.
An appeal does not guarantee a pass result, a certificate, or acceptance of a certificate by an employer, regulator, professional body, or other third party.
8. Public beta and content corrections
During public beta, we expect some issues to be found as users test courses, certificates, progress tracking, and other features. Reports about errors or confusing behaviour are welcome.
If course content is corrected or improved, that does not automatically mean earlier course completions or certificates were invalid. We will consider the seriousness of any issue and what outcome is fair and proportionate.
9. Review if you are unhappy with our response
If you are unhappy with our response to a complaint or appeal, you can ask for a further review. Please explain what you believe was missed or wrongly decided.
Where practicable, a further review will be considered by someone who was not directly responsible for the original response. In a small operation this may not always be possible, but we will still try to review the matter fairly.
We will aim to respond to a review request within 20 working days where practicable. The review response will normally be the final stage of the internal Mecourse process.
10. Records and privacy
We may keep records of complaints, appeals, evidence, decisions, and actions taken so that we can respond, improve the Website, protect users, handle disputes, and meet legal obligations.
Complaint and appeal records are handled in line with our Privacy Policy and Data Retention & Deletion Policy.
11. Misuse of the complaints process
We may limit or decline to respond to complaints or appeals that are abusive, threatening, discriminatory, knowingly false, repetitive without new information, or otherwise unreasonable.
We will not treat a complaint as unreasonable simply because it is critical or because we disagree with it.
12. Contact
To raise a complaint, appeal, or question about this policy, please contact [email protected].
