March 31st 2020

Contacting the OCCS

The OCCS, funded by the General Optical Council, is a telephone service that assists both members of the public and profession to resolve disputes through mediation to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. As such, the OCCS is free to use at the point of service and does not accept nor charge payment for our services.

The OCCS is a mediation service so we do not judge, take sides or penalise either party. We remain impartial to find a resolution. We do not investigate the complaint, simply, we look into both sides and build a bridge to resolution through clear, supportive communication. As a mediation process, the OCCS seeks to resolve your complaint fairly and quickly.

The solution may be an apology, a refund, a product or an offer of further treatment, a discretionary payment, gesture of goodwill, an explanation of what has happened and why or that no further action on the part of the practice is required. The OCCS engages with both parties once the client has contacted the practice and where the complaints procedure has been exhausted.

We will:

  • Listen to you to establish a clear picture of the complaint
  • Identify the key issues of your concerns and what you are hoping to achieve by pursuing the complaint
  • Obtain all the relevant information from the practice
  • Talk to you and the practice to discuss possible solutions to resolve the complaint
  • Help implement and conclude the complaint so both parties can move on
  • At all stages of the process, we will keep you informed of what is going on
  • Importantly, we will also ask you how we have done and listen to your feedback to continuously improve our service.

When contacting our teams, always communicate via our official social media channels (enquiries are passed directly to our teams), call 0344 800 5071 or email enquiries@opticalcomplaints.co.uk

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