Making Parents' Voices Heard
23.
First, some parents who had previously made a complaint said that their experience of getting slow or unsatisfactory responses had put them off complaining again when they saw something inappropriate for their children.We understand that complainants are going to be disappointed if their complaint is rejected. But a timely and personalised response will make such disappointment easier to accept, and provide reassurance that someone has listened to one's views.
"I felt that I was a small fish in a big ocean swimming against the tide. I would have no effect."
"I have never felt it would make a difference if I did complain."
"I have often complained but nothing comes of complaints except polite letters acknowledging them."
"Even if the company agrees, they always cite policies, guidelines or rules from above preventing them from doing anything about it."
Parents, Call for Evidence response
24.
As noted above, the complex complaints landscape means that regulators and businesses take very different approaches to the way and the timescales in which they respond to complainants. The ASA, for example, provides a personal reply to every complaint explaining its decision and reasoning and consistently exceeds its turnaround performance targets for all case types (Advertising Standards Authority, 2011 (3)). In the case of Ofcom, most complainants will receive a standard response that refers them to the Ofcom website where all decisions are published. Only cases that Ofcom has taken forward for full investigation are published in the form of a detailed finding. Businesses could clearly reassure parents that they do indeed take these issues seriously, by continuing to find ways to improve the quality and timeliness of their response to complaints.
25.
The second barrier that parents contributing to the Review specifically mentioned was that they either felt, or feared being made to feel, embarrassed if they complained about issues of taste and decency. Interestingly, although the regulators who responded to the Call for Evidence commented on issues concerning the complaints process (for example, ease of complaint, transparency in complaints processes
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