How to make a complaint

YHA (England & Wales) is committed to delivering a high standard of service to anyone who engages with YHA whether that's booking through our website, staying at one of our hostels or engaging with our fundraising work. 

We welcome all comments and feedback about the way we work. If you have a complaint or problem, we will aim to resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible in a personal, fair and confidential way.

If you would like to provide feedback on any aspect of our work, you can provide this to our Customer Resolutions team in the following ways:

  • By calling 01629 592598 (see opening times)
  • By email to [email protected]
  • By writing to YHA Complaints Coordinator, Trevelyan House, Dimple Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3YH

We understand that sometimes things may go wrong and if you would like to make a complaint, please contact our Customer Resolutions team using the contact details above. 

Complaints and comments will be logged and acknowledged within 48 hours of receipt.

We will reply formally within a maximum of 15 working days, although our aim is to respond sooner. If we are unable to meet this deadline due to exceptional circumstances, we will advise you of this.

All complaints will be thoroughly investigated to ensure we provide a satisfactory and informative response. 

All complaints will be investigated fairly and considered individually by our customer resolutions advisors. We will keep in touch with you and keep you informed on our investigation and progress.

If your complaint is about our fundraising activity 

If you are unhappy with the response you receive regarding a fundraising matter, you can escalate your concerns to Head of Fundraising and Supporter Engagement at the above address who will consider the matter in more detail.

We aim to resolve complaints about our fundraising activities in a timely manner. We will keep in touch with you and keep you informed on our investigation and progress.

If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction in four weeks, you can ask the Fundraising Regulator to consider it by following their Complaints Procedure.

If you would like any further information regarding YHA and our services, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

If your complaint concerns data protection and use of your data

If you have any data protection concerns or complaints you can send them to the Data Protection team for their review ([email protected] or write to Data Protection team, YHA, Trevelyan House, Dimple Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3YH).

Examples of data protection concerns and complaints include dissatisfaction about how we have responded to a data rights request, or how we have, or have not, applied data protection law. It might concern your own personal data, or that of someone who has asked to you raise the matter on their behalf, or it might be a general concern about our data processing. It does not include complaints about your YHA booking or stay, which should be directed to the Customer Service team.

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, as soon as possible and within 30 days. We may ask for clarification where the nature of the issue is not clear, or where additional information is required for any investigation. You may also be asked to verify your identity and/or authority to make a complaint on behalf of another person.

We will review the matter and provide you with a response without undue delay. We apply the 15 working day response time used for general complaints to YHA, but complex issues may take longer to review and respond to.

We will keep you informed of the review and notify you of the outcome as soon as practical. Our response will include: 

  • An explanation of our review of your complaint and our conclusion,
  • A summary of any actions we have taken or propose to take, as a consequence of the complaint,
  • An explanation of our compliance with data protection law as it relates to your complaint, and
  • Information about your right to raise the matter with the ICO and how to do so.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask for a review of it, which will be managed by a YHA Director. Data protection related complaints included within a general complaint will be managed according to this same timeline. You may receive a response directly, from the Data Protection team, or it may be addressed in the general complaint response, having been reviewed by the Data Protection team.

Data rights requests are not managed as complaints. They are responded to within one month of receipt as per data protection legislation requirements. This deadline may be delayed where we ask you for proof of identity, or extended where the request is complex, however we will inform you of the expected timeline.

You can read more about these rights in our privacy notice: https://www.yha.org.uk/our-policies/privacy-notice