Prompt acknowledgement
We aim to acknowledge a written complaint within two business days.
TfL Licensed Private Hire Operator
Complaints and Service Recovery Policy.
Black Fleet London Ltd accepts responsibility for listening carefully, investigating fairly and responding proportionately whenever a client or passenger believes that our service has fallen below the standard promised.
Black Fleet London Ltd is licensed by Transport for London as a private hire operator. As the operator accepting the booking, we remain responsible for the provision and management of the booked journey, including where licensed operating capacity is supplied through an approved partner.
Purpose
A fair and accountable route for resolving service concerns.
The purpose of this policy is to establish how Black Fleet London receives, records, investigates, responds to and learns from complaints.
Complaints are treated as both individual client concerns and important quality evidence. A proper response must address the immediate impact while also considering whether operational controls, supplier standards or communication procedures require improvement.
Scope of this policy
- Booking, quotation and payment concerns
- Late arrival, missed collection or allocation failure
- Driver or chauffeur conduct
- Vehicle quality, cleanliness, safety or suitability
- Passenger communication and meet-and-greet arrangements
- Accessibility, equality and passenger-assistance concerns
- Lost property, confidentiality and information handling
- Supplier, partner or operational-service performance
Operator Accountability
The passenger should not be passed between companies to obtain an answer.
Where Black Fleet London accepts the booking, Black Fleet London owns the client relationship and the complaint response. The use of an approved licensed operator, supplier or authorised chauffeur does not remove our responsibility to review the service delivered.
Receive
Accept the concern without shifting responsibility.
Investigate
Obtain records from every relevant operating party.
Respond
Provide one coordinated response to the complainant.
Improve
Address weaknesses across our own and supplier-controlled processes.
Complaint-Handling Principles
Respect, evidence and proportionate resolution.
01
Accessible
Clients and passengers should be able to submit a concern without unreasonable procedural barriers.
02
Respectful
Every complainant should be treated professionally, even where facts or views are disputed.
03
Impartial
The review should not assume that either the complainant or service provider is automatically correct.
04
Evidence-led
Booking, communication, allocation and journey records should inform the outcome.
05
Confidential
Information should be limited to those who reasonably need it for the review.
06
Proportionate
The response should reflect passenger impact, evidence, contractual terms and seriousness.
07
Traceable
Material decisions, actions and outcomes should be recorded.
08
Improvement-led
Recurring failures should lead to stronger controls and supplier action.
Making a Complaint
Tell us what happened and what outcome you are seeking.
Complaints may be submitted through Black Fleet London’s contact route. A complainant does not need to use legal language or know which supplier delivered the journey.
We encourage concerns to be raised promptly so that operational records, communications and relevant evidence remain available.
Helpful information
- Booking reference, passenger or booker name
- Journey date, time, pickup and destination
- Description of what happened
- Relevant vehicle or chauffeur details
- Messages, photographs, receipts or other evidence
- Passenger impact or safety concern
- The resolution being requested
Response Standards
Clear communication throughout the review.
Our target times below are internal service objectives rather than a promise that every complex investigation will conclude within the same period.
Immediate safety triage
Safety, safeguarding and suspected criminal matters should be assessed without waiting for routine complaint handling.
Progress information
Where more time is required, we aim to explain the reason and provide a further update.
Reasoned outcome
We aim to issue a clear outcome as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant evidence has been reviewed.
Complex complaints
Investigations involving insurers, law enforcement, licensing authorities, multiple suppliers, personal injury, technical evidence or legal proceedings may require additional time and may restrict what can be disclosed.
Complaint Lifecycle
A controlled process from receipt to improvement.
01
Receive
Capture the concern and confirm the appropriate communication route.
02
Triage
Identify safety, safeguarding, criminal, regulatory or urgent risks.
03
Preserve
Protect booking, communication, allocation and supplier evidence.
04
Investigate
Review the facts and obtain a fair response from relevant parties.
05
Resolve
Communicate findings and apply an appropriate outcome.
06
Improve
Record learning and verify corrective action where required.
Safety and Criminal Allegations
Safety complaints are not treated as ordinary customer-service disputes.
Alleged assault, sexual misconduct, threatening behaviour, dangerous driving, safeguarding risk, theft or other suspected crime requires immediate and appropriate escalation.
Black Fleet London may restrict an individual, vehicle or supplier from new assignments while a serious concern is assessed. Such restriction is a protective measure and does not predetermine the outcome.
Immediate priorities
- Protect the passenger and any person at immediate risk
- Contact emergency services where necessary
- Refer suspected criminal conduct to the police
- Preserve booking and communication records
- Avoid confronting or influencing witnesses
- Consider temporary allocation restrictions
- Notify TfL or another authority where required or appropriate
Investigation Standards
Fair review of the passenger’s account and operational evidence.
The purpose of an investigation is to establish relevant facts and determine an appropriate response—not to defend the company or supplier at all costs.
The investigation should remain proportionate to the complaint’s seriousness, passenger impact, contractual consequences and potential regulatory importance.
Evidence may include
- Booking and quotation records
- Allocation and replacement history
- Journey-status timestamps
- Approved communications and call records
- Flight, traffic or disruption information
- Vehicle, operator and chauffeur details
- Photographs, receipts and supporting documents
- Statements from the complainant and relevant service participants
Complaint Outcomes
Findings explained without overstating certainty.
Upheld
Available evidence supports the complaint in whole or in its material parts.
Partially upheld
Some material aspects are supported while others are not established.
Not upheld
Available evidence does not support a finding that the relevant standard was breached.
Inconclusive
The available information is insufficient or materially conflicting.
Service Recovery
Remedies determined by impact, evidence and contractual responsibility.
Service recovery is not limited to financial compensation. The appropriate response depends on the nature of the failure, passenger impact, service received, contractual terms and available evidence.
01
Explanation
A clear account of what occurred and how the conclusion was reached.
02
Apology
A sincere acknowledgement where the service or communication fell below expectation.
03
Corrective action
Process, supplier, communication or operational improvement.
04
Replacement service
A further service may be considered where appropriate and agreed.
05
Refund or adjustment
Full or partial financial adjustment where justified by the service outcome and applicable terms.
06
Supplier action
Monitoring, restriction, suspension or termination where performance or conduct is unacceptable.
No automatic remedy
The submission of a complaint does not automatically establish liability or create entitlement to a refund. Each requested remedy is considered against the evidence, booking terms, service delivered and applicable law.
Supplier and Chauffeur Accountability
Full cooperation required when a journey is questioned.
Licensed operators, suppliers and authorised service personnel must cooperate promptly and honestly with complaint investigations.
They must not contact the passenger to challenge, intimidate or influence the complaint unless communication is expressly authorised as part of the resolution.
Supplier requirements
- Preserve relevant operational evidence
- Provide a factual account within the requested period
- Identify any incident or instruction not previously reported
- Do not alter journey-status or communication records
- Do not retaliate against the complainant
- Complete required corrective action
- Accept proportionate restriction where risk requires it
Lost Property
Lost-property reports recorded and handled separately where appropriate.
A lost-property enquiry may become a complaint where there is concern about the search, reporting, safeguarding or return of an item.
Black Fleet London and relevant suppliers should preserve the chain of communication and avoid accessing the contents of devices, wallets, documents or luggage.
Lost-property controls
- Record the journey and item description
- Contact the relevant vehicle or operator promptly
- Protect any item located
- Do not access confidential contents
- Agree a safe and traceable return arrangement
- Record the outcome
- Escalate suspected theft or dishonesty
Complaint Records
A traceable regulatory and quality record
Black Fleet London maintains complaint records that identify the nature of the concern, relevant booking, service participants, action taken and outcome.
Records are retained according to applicable TfL requirements, legal obligations and legitimate business needs.
Confidentiality and Privacy
Personal information restricted to the investigation need
Complaint information may include sensitive allegations and should be accessed only by authorised persons.
The complainant’s information should not be circulated unnecessarily or disclosed publicly in response to a review or social-media comment.
Escalation and TfL
Passengers retain the right to contact Transport for London.
We encourage complainants to allow Black Fleet London a reasonable opportunity to investigate first. However, this does not prevent a passenger from reporting a taxi or private hire concern directly to TfL.
Where TfL reviews our handling of a complaint, Black Fleet London will cooperate with proportionate and lawful requests for relevant records.
External escalation may be appropriate where
- The complainant remains dissatisfied with our response
- Licensing or public-safety concerns are raised
- Alleged criminal conduct requires police involvement
- An insurer must assess loss, injury or damage
- A data-protection concern requires regulatory consideration
- Another competent authority has jurisdiction
Transport for London complaints route
Passengers may use TfL’s taxi and private hire contact service if they wish to complain about an operator, vehicle or driver, or if they remain dissatisfied after contacting the operator.
Public Reviews and Social Media
Public criticism handled with the same professionalism as a private complaint.
A review posted on Google, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor or another platform may identify a service concern requiring internal investigation.
Black Fleet London will not publish confidential journey information, passenger contact details or sensitive allegations merely to defend itself publicly.
Review-response principles
- Respond politely and without confrontation
- Thank the reviewer for raising the concern
- Invite private contact where details are required
- Avoid publishing passenger or booking information
- Do not pressure a reviewer to remove genuine criticism
- Correct factual inaccuracies carefully where necessary
- Investigate the underlying issue internally
Genuine but Unsubstantiated Complaints
A complaint may be genuine even where it cannot be proven
A complainant will not be criticised merely because records are incomplete, accounts conflict or the complaint is not ultimately upheld.
The experience reported may still identify communication or expectation issues requiring improvement.
Fraudulent or Abusive Conduct
Deliberate fraud, threats or abuse are not accepted
Black Fleet London may restrict communication or take appropriate action where a complaint contains deliberate fabrication, extortion, threats, discriminatory abuse or manipulation of evidence.
A complaint must not be labelled fraudulent merely because it is strongly expressed or disputed by the service provider.
Monitoring and Improvement
Complaint trends converted into operational improvements.
Complaint information should be reviewed collectively as well as individually to identify recurring risks across routes, vehicle classes, suppliers, communication processes and client accounts.
Complaint volume
Number and type of complaints relative to relevant journey activity.
Recurring themes
Patterns involving punctuality, vehicles, communication or conduct.
Supplier concentration
Concerns associated with specific operating partners or service resources.
Response quality
Timeliness, clarity and fairness of complaint handling.
Recovery decisions
Refunds, replacements and other remedies applied.
Safety escalation
Safety, safeguarding, criminal and licensing concerns identified.
Corrective actions
Actions assigned, completed and verified for effectiveness.
Repeat complaints
Whether previously addressed failures recur.
Roles and Accountability
Complaint ownership clearly assigned.
01
Director
Owns the policy, oversees significant complaints and approves material regulatory, supplier or financial outcomes.
02
Operations team
Preserves booking records, manages immediate service recovery and obtains relevant operational evidence.
03
Licensed operators and suppliers
Cooperate with investigations, preserve evidence and complete required corrective action.
04
All authorised personnel
Report complaints promptly, maintain confidentiality and avoid retaliation or unauthorised resolution promises.
Training and Awareness
Complaints recognised and escalated correctly
Relevant employees, contractors and operating partners should understand how to recognise a complaint, protect evidence, manage immediate passenger needs and avoid defensive or retaliatory conduct.
Personnel must distinguish routine feedback from safety, safeguarding, criminal, data-protection and whistleblowing concerns.
Policy Review
The framework reviewed against regulation and experience
This policy should be reviewed at least annually and following a significant complaint, TfL requirement, material regulatory development or identified weakness in complaint handling.
Review outcomes may include changes to response standards, supplier controls, reporting routes, training or operational systems.
Our operating principle
A complaint is an opportunity to demonstrate accountability. Black Fleet London will protect its position where allegations are unsupported, but we will not allow defensiveness to replace a fair review or genuine service recovery.
Related Governance
Complaint handling connected to wider operator controls.
Quality Management Policy
Service standards, performance monitoring and corrective improvement.
Supplier Code of Conduct
Mandatory service, cooperation and complaint-investigation standards.
Health and Safety Policy
Passenger welfare, incident response and safe service delivery.
Data Protection Policy
Lawful and secure handling of passenger and complaint information.
Whistleblowing Policy
Protected reporting of serious wrongdoing and public-interest concerns.
Business Continuity Policy
Replacement capability, disruption management and controlled recovery.
Passenger and Client Support
Need to raise a concern about a Black Fleet London journey?
Contact our team with the booking reference and a clear description of the issue. Your concern will be recorded and directed for appropriate review.