Complaints procedure

Most problems are quicker to fix than to complain about. If something is wrong with a course — a broken video, an answer you believe is marked incorrectly, access you have paid for and cannot use — email admin@sterlingcollegelondon.com and say what has happened. We would rather put it right than process it.

If that does not resolve it, or if your concern is serious enough that you want it formally recorded, this procedure applies. Using it will never affect how you are treated, your access to a course, or any refund you are entitled to.

Email admin@sterlingcollegelondon.com with “Formal complaint” in the subject line, or write to the Principal at Sterling College London, 43-47 New Broadway, Ealing, London W5 5AH.

Please tell us:

• your name and the email address on your Sterling Learn account;
• which course or service the complaint concerns;
• what happened, and when;
• anything you have already been told by us about it;
• what you would like us to do to put it right.

You can complain in any format you find easiest, including by post or in person at the College. If you need this procedure in another format, or need help putting your complaint in writing, say so and we will assist — we will not treat a complaint less seriously because of how it reached us.

1. 1

   We acknowledge it — within 5 working days

   You will receive written confirmation that we have your complaint, the name of the person handling it, and the date by which you can expect a full reply.

2. 2

   We investigate — a full reply within 20 working days

   The complaint is investigated by someone not directly involved in what you are complaining about. We will look at the records, speak to the staff concerned, and may come back to you for more detail. You will receive a written outcome saying what we found, what we have decided, and what we will do.

   If the matter is complex and we need longer, we will tell you before the twenty days are up, explain why, and give you a new date. We will not let a complaint go quiet.

3. 3

   You can ask for a review — request within 20 working days of our reply

   If you are unhappy with the outcome, reply saying why and ask for a review. The review is carried out by the Principal, or by a senior member of staff who has had no part in the original decision. You will receive a written outcome within 20 working days. This is our final response.

Our final response is the end of our internal procedure, but it is not the end of your options.

• ASIC. Sterling College London is accredited by ASIC (AS98047/0309). If you believe the College has not followed this procedure, you may put your complaint to ASIC, with the correspondence and evidence, once you have been through the stages above. ASIC asks students to use the institution's own procedure first. Details are at asic.org.uk.
• ACCA. If your complaint concerns ACCA tuition, you may also raise it with ACCA. ACCA does not adjudicate contracts between a student and a provider, but it does want to hear about the quality of tuition offered to its students. Contact details are on our contact page.
• Your consumer rights. Nothing in this procedure affects your legal rights, including your right to cancel and your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Those are set out in our Terms & Conditions.

Sterling College London is not registered with the Office for Students, so the Office of the Independent Adjudicator does not cover its provision. We say so plainly rather than leave you to find out at the point you need it.

Every complaint and its outcome is recorded. Complaints are reviewed periodically to identify anything that should change about a course, the platform or how we communicate, and any resulting change is recorded against that review. A complaint that leads to an improvement is worth more to us than one that is simply closed.

We handle the personal information in a complaint as described in our Privacy Policy.