Under New Management with no results...
Coop Homes has recently been under new management, but services standards have gotten progressively worse. Examples include:
* Repairs (including cyclical work) is not completed on time. Senior Management Team lead - Alex Forsyth.
I was surprised that some contractors are even happy to share details of the high cost of a call out. Fixflow works on occasions, tickets however are sometimes closed even if a job is part completed or not to a good standards. The outcome - log another ticket, call out the contractor again and at cost....again.
This is not a sensible approach to workload management by the repairs team - particularly as tickets can be easily ignored as highlighted on via Google Reviews of other customer experiences.
* Out-dated rent system means payments are taken however sometimes goes missing or not showing up on rent account. The result, you end up showing as 'in arrears' depending when the finance team gets round to assigning your rent to correct the issue. Senior Management Team lead - Wayne Lee.
Customers are often asked to provide bank statements to 'prove' payment when they go missing. A timely response from finance team to correct any issues is a very rare to resolve the issue and left hanging for months at times which is concerning.
This has been going on for years and on occasions, if not raised by the customer - how is this money properly accounted for in yearly audits/accounts? The rent system does need reviewing, it is archaic by any modern standard.
* Outdated policies including the Complaints Policy and others published on website. Senior Management Team lead - Abigail Robson.
Where customers have exhausted all options and feels they are left no choice but to complain, take a look at what is not included in the Complaints Policy - everything that can put the Coop below Service Standards. This can be interpreted/ observed as another way of remaining below the radar.
The complaints function via the website has not worked for coming up to a year now as reviews are indicating, yet no action.
* Housing Officers: I have not seen our Housing Officer on site in years. Often unhelpful with brash tone when communicating with customers. Our Housing Officer is also well-versed with housing speak translating to 'not prepared to do anything' and I not accountable to anyone. This comes after years of working with the Coop and at odds with the Charter for Housing Associations.
Senior Management Team lead - Barney Smith. I've tried phoning through Teddington Offices to speak Housing Officer and often told 'she works mainly remotely'.....is this a reason for the unproactive approach or is this reflective of a wider people's culture issue within the Housing Association? How confident are you that issues raised via Housing Officers are truly being dealt and not swept under the carpet - there are several issues still not responded to by my Housing Officer...because it *is* happening in this way.
To highlight, staff are remunerated very well at Coop Homes and this includes a generous levels of flexibility and autonomy. In practice this should be matched with competent levels of good service to customers irrespective of location they work at to undertake duties or how long they have worked for Coop Homes. This is not what it *is* at the moment.
* Customer care - The annual newsletters includes great, big pictures printed with various 'pay your rent reminders', when the office is closed etc. It's printed and sent to customers at Christmas.
I wonder about all the promising statistics on levels of customer services and satisfaction and whether this paints a true picture of Coop Homes 'as is'. I use to be in the 'targeted customer sample size' who were selected to be contacted by external agencies to 'verify levels of satisfaction'. In reality however, these are skewed and in terms of service standards - there is a massive gap between current management and staff with your customers and tenants.
Coop's not fit for purpose/outdates processes, systems and policies leading too many inefficiencies..and of course with no consequences.
With the cost of living rising, customer and many tenants are wanting a value for money service. At present rents are put up significantly by Coop each year (more than the rate of inflation) yet standards are going down and constantly slipping.
John Balwin and other members of your Senior Management Team leads above - you as Director really need take proper steer, leadership and management of the poor service reviews are indicating. It has been some time since you were appointed and can we see results now please?
Until then, I would agree with the review left by another customer about a call for an audit and or investigation so that standards are improved.
2 maggio 2023
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