HABD VERIFIED COMPLAINTS & CONCERNS

Raising a concern about a HABD Verified professional or business

HABD Verified is designed to help make professional standards more visible.

For that trust to mean something, there also needs to be a clear way to raise a concern when you believe a Verified professional or business may no longer meet those standards.

We take genuine concerns seriously.

This procedure explains what you can report to HABD, what happens after a concern is received and the action we may take where our verification standards are no longer being met.

 

RAISE A CONCERN

WHEN SHOULD I CONTACT HABD?

You can raise a concern if you believe information relevant to a professional or business's HABD Verified status may be inaccurate, misleading, out of date or no longer meet our verification standards.

 

This could include concerns about:

Qualifications or professional claims

Insurance

Misrepresentation of experience or credentials

Use of the HABD Verified mark

Information displayed on a HABD profile or verification record

Serious or repeated professional conduct concerns

A significant change to the business or professional circumstances since verification

Evidence that information supplied during verification may have been false or misleading

 

You don't need to decide whether somebody has breached our standards before contacting us.

Tell us what has happened and provide any relevant information you have. We will decide whether the matter falls within the scope of HABD Verified.

 

WHAT HABD CANNOT RESOLVE

HABD is a verification platform, not a regulator or consumer dispute service.

We cannot investigate or determine every disagreement between a client and a professional.

For example, HABD would not normally become involved solely because:

• you didn't like the result of a treatment or service
• you disagree about a refund
• an appointment was cancelled or rearranged
• you experienced poor customer service
• you have a contractual or payment dispute

These matters should normally be raised directly with the business first.

However, if the information provided suggests a wider issue that could affect HABD Verified status, we may review it even where we cannot resolve the individual dispute itself.

 

SERIOUS OR IMMEDIATE CONCERNS

Some matters should not be reported only to HABD.

If you believe somebody is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service.

Suspected criminal behaviour should be reported to the police or appropriate authority.

Depending on the nature of the concern, you may also need to contact a relevant regulator, local authority, insurer, awarding organisation or other appropriate body.

 

Reporting something to HABD does not replace reporting it to an organisation with statutory or regulatory responsibility.

Where appropriate and lawful, HABD may also advise you that another organisation is better placed to deal with the matter.

 

HOW TO RAISE A CONCERN

Please use our email at thehairandbeauty.directory and provide as much relevant information as you reasonably can.

 

We may ask for:

Your name and contact details

The professional or business concerned

Their HABD profile or verification number, if known

A clear explanation of your concern

Relevant dates

Supporting evidence where available

 

This could include correspondence, screenshots, photographs, documents or links relevant to the concern.

Please only provide information that is relevant to the matter being reported.

 

RAISE A CONCERN

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

1. Initial Review

We will review the information provided and decide whether the concern falls within the scope of HABD Verified.

Not every complaint will require a verification investigation.

Where the matter is outside our remit, we may close the case and, where appropriate, explain why.

2. Further Information

If the concern could affect Verified status, we may request additional information or evidence.

We may also review information already held as part of the original verification.

3. Professional or Business Response

Where appropriate, the professional or business concerned will be given an opportunity to understand the relevant concern and provide information or evidence in response.

We will not automatically remove Verified status because a complaint has been made.

4. Assessment

We will consider the relevant information against the HABD verification requirements, Code of Ethics and the scope of the verification concerned.

5. Decision

Depending on the circumstances, we may:

Take no further action

Provide guidance or request clarification

Request updated or additional evidence

Require information on the HABD profile or verification record to be corrected

Place the verification under review

Temporarily suspend Verified status

Remove Verified status

 

The action taken will depend on the nature, seriousness and evidence relating to the concern.

A COMPLAINT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN SOMEONE HAS DONE SOMETHING WRONG

We believe this is an important part of a fair verification system.

Anybody can be the subject of a complaint.

The existence of a complaint alone is not evidence that a professional or business has failed to meet HABD standards.

We consider the information available before deciding whether action is necessary.

This protects consumers while also protecting professionals from unfair or malicious complaints.

 

MALICIOUS, VEXATIOUS OR FALSE REPORTS

HABD will not tolerate the complaints process being deliberately used to harass, threaten or damage another professional or business.

We may decline to investigate or close reports that appear to be malicious, abusive, repetitive without new evidence or deliberately misleading.

Where somebody knowingly provides false information, we may take appropriate action.

This does not prevent anyone from raising a genuine concern in good faith.

 

CONFIDENTIALITY & INFORMATION SHARING

Information submitted through the complaints process will be handled appropriately and only used where relevant to reviewing the concern, administering HABD Verified or meeting our legal obligations.

We cannot guarantee that every complaint can remain anonymous.

A professional or business may need enough information about an allegation to respond fairly to it.

However, we will not unnecessarily disclose personal information.

Where there are safeguarding, legal or serious public-safety concerns, information may need to be shared with an appropriate authority where lawful and necessary.

Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about how personal information is handled.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO VERIFIED STATUS DURING A REVIEW?

A complaint will not normally cause Verified status to disappear automatically.

In most cases, the verification will remain in place while the relevant information is reviewed.

However, where the information received raises a sufficiently serious or immediate concern about the reliability of the verification, HABD may temporarily place the verification under review or suspend the Verified status while further checks are carried out.

This is a precautionary measure and does not, by itself, mean that the complaint has been upheld.

 

WHAT IF THE PROFESSIONAL DISAGREES WITH OUR DECISION?

Professionals and businesses should have a fair opportunity to respond to concerns and provide relevant evidence.

Where HABD suspends, removes or refuses Verified status following a review, the professional or business will be told the reason for the decision and whether further evidence can be provided.

Where an appeal is available, instructions and any applicable time limit will be provided with the decision.

An appeal should normally identify why the decision is believed to be incorrect and provide any relevant evidence that was not previously considered.

 

COMPLAINTS ABOUT HABD

Accountability works both ways.

You may also raise a complaint about the way HABD has handled a verification application, verification review or concern.

We want our standards to be applied consistently, fairly and transparently.

If you believe our process has not been followed correctly, explain what happened and why you believe the decision or handling of the matter should be reviewed.

A complaint about HABD does not guarantee that a verification decision will change, but we will consider whether our published process and standards have been applied appropriately.

 

CONTACT HABD ABOUT OUR VERIFICATION PROCESS

OUR APPROACH

Protecting trust means being fair to everyone involved.

Our complaints procedure exists to protect the credibility of HABD Verified.

That means taking genuine concerns seriously.

It also means not treating every allegation as fact.

We aim to consider relevant evidence, give professionals a reasonable opportunity to respond and take proportionate action where our verification requirements are no longer met.

 

Verification should be capable of being challenged.

And the organisation providing it should be accountable for how those challenges are handled.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can anyone make a complaint about a HABD Verified business?

Yes. Clients, professionals and other parties can raise a genuine concern where they believe something relevant to HABD Verified status should be reviewed.

Do I need evidence?

You can contact us without having every piece of evidence available, but providing relevant supporting information can help us understand and assess the concern.

We may ask for further information before deciding whether an investigation is appropriate.

Will you tell the business who complained?

Not automatically.

However, we cannot promise complete anonymity because the professional or business may need sufficient information about an allegation to respond fairly.

We will avoid sharing personal information unnecessarily.

Will you remove the Verified badge as soon as somebody complains?

No.

A complaint is not proof of wrongdoing.

Verified status would normally remain in place while we assess a concern unless the information received is sufficiently serious to justify temporarily placing the verification under review or suspending it.

Can HABD get me a refund?

No.

HABD is not a consumer dispute-resolution or compensation service.

Refund and contractual disputes should normally be raised directly with the business and, where necessary, through the appropriate consumer or legal channels.

Can you investigate a bad treatment?

We cannot determine clinical negligence, professional liability or whether compensation is owed.

However, if a treatment complaint reveals information that could affect the professional or business's HABD Verified status — for example, concerns about qualifications, insurance or serious professional standards — we may review the verification.

 

What if I believe someone is using the HABD Verified badge without permission?

Please report it to us.

Unauthorised, misleading or fraudulent use of the HABD Verified mark is something we would want to investigate.

Can a business lose HABD Verified status?

Yes.

Verified status can be suspended or removed where a professional or business no longer meets the applicable requirements or where information affecting the validity of the verification comes to light.

What if someone makes a malicious complaint about my business?

The fact that a complaint has been submitted does not mean HABD accepts it as true.

We consider the available information and may close complaints that appear malicious, abusive, deliberately misleading or unsupported.

You will normally have an opportunity to provide relevant information where a concern about your verification is being investigated.

Can I complain about HABD's decision?

Yes.

If your concern relates to the way HABD handled a verification decision or complaints process, you can raise this directly with us.

Where an appeal against a particular verification decision is available, we will explain the process when communicating that decision.

HELP US PROTECT PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

HABD Verified is designed to make genuine professional standards easier to see.

If you have information that could affect the validity of a HABD verification, we want to know.