This policy only relates to specific issues with RHS Qualifications – any other queries will not be responded to
Customer Service Statement
RHS Qualifications is committed to providing excellent standards of customer service, and makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that the standards of service set out in this policy are consistently achieved.
RHS Qualifications seeks to continually improve the customer experience and welcomes all feedback and comments. Comments can be made by letter, email or telephone. Contact details are included in this policy.
Published Information
RHS Qualifications aims to make information, which should be publically available, relating to its qualifications easily accessible on its website. Any published document will be supplied in hardcopy form upon request.
RHS Qualifications aims to make information relating to its qualifications, which should be available to specific roles and responsibilities, accessible on the RHS web portal.
Service Levels
RHS Qualifications aims to acknowledge all enquiries or complaints within three working days. Where investigation or further work is required, RHS Qualifications aim to provide a full response within 10 working days. If this is not possible, RHS Qualifications will keep you fully informed of progress.
RHS Qualifications will review all fees on an annual basis and will publish fee information at least six months prior to it taking effect.
Examination dates will be set and published one year ahead of the dates.
Examination results will be published to the RHS Qualifications web portal within 50 working days of the date of the examination.
RHS Qualifications will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the results for practical skills qualifications are processed in accordance with the following timescales:
- Where an Approved Centre submits results with all required supporting documentation, RHS will respond to the centre with a request for candidate work samples within 10 working days of receipt of the results
- Once all candidate work samples have been received, results will be published within 25 working days. Where the RHS verification process results in queries concerning the candidate work submitted or documentation provided, the processing of results will be delayed pending the satisfactory resolution of all outstanding queries
Qualification certificates will be printed and despatched within 30 working days of the publication of results.
Complaints
While RHS Qualifications strive to ensure that it delivers excellent standards of service at all times, RHS Qualifications accepts that there may be occasions when candidates, approved centres or members of the public are not fully satisfied with the service provided. In these circumstances, complaints should be sent by letter or email to the Head of Qualifications/ Responsible Officer, at the contact address given in this policy.
All complaints will be acknowledged within three working days. Where investigation or further work is required, RHS Qualifications aims to provide a full response within 10 working days. If this is not possible, RHS Qualifications will keep you fully informed of progress and provide a timescale for providing a full response.
If there is a complaint about Approved Centres or Distance Learning Providers that relate to the quality of teaching or training provided, or the quality of any teaching materials supplied, the Approved Centre/ Distance Learning Provider must be contacted in the first instance. Should there be an unsatisfactory (documented) outcome to their formal complaints procedure, RHS Qualifications may only then be contacted at the contact address given in this policy.
Enquiries about results
Candidates who have a query regarding their examination result may apply for a re-mark and feedback. This provides re-marking of the examination paper by an independent examiner. Feedback will be provided identifying areas of strength and weakness with constructive suggestions for improvement.
Candidates requesting a re-mark need to be aware that grades may go down as a result of the re-marking.
Applications for the ‘Enquiry about Results Service’ must be made through the Approved Centre where the candidate registered for the examination. This service will be available for 10 working days from the date of release of the results to Approved Centres on the RHS web portal.
Fees for the re-mark and feedback are published in the RHS Qualifications Fees Notice. Where a re-mark results in the upgrade of a result from ‘fail’ to ‘pass’ or from ‘pass’ to ‘pass with commendation’, the re-mark and administration fees will be refunded.
Appeals
RHS Qualifications has an appeals process which provides for the appeal of:
- The results of assessments,
- Decisions regarding reasonable adjustments and special consideration, and
- Decisions relating to any action to be taken against a learner, a provider of programmes which lead to RHS Qualifications or a centre following an investigation into malpractice or maladministration
Details of the procedure to follow in order to make an appeal are contained in the RHS Qualifications Appeals Procedure which is also published on the RHS web portal and available on request.
Contact
All enquiries or complaints should be sent to RHS Qualifications, using the contact details found on the link below.
RHS Qualifications
