Merlin’s Magic Wand (MMW) is committed to providing a high standard of service and working in an open and accountable way that builds trust and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our guests and stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our offering, we want to hear about it so we can put things right and improve. Our complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and where possible resolved to the complainant's satisfaction.

This policy applies to all donors, beneficiaries, partners, stakeholders, supporters, or anyone who uses the services of MMW or are affected by our work. Any complaints must not contain language that is threatening, abusive or offensive, in which case we reserve the right to decline to investigate the matter.

Please note that if your complaint is in relation to an incident that you have experienced at or in connection with a Merlin attraction, such as a till-point transaction, please contact the site’s Guest Services department in the first instance.

Complaints should be given in writing and the complaints procedure explained in section 4 should be followed. Please email us with your complaint at mmw.charity@merlinsmagicwand.org, or write to us at Merlin’s Magic Wand, Arbor Building, 16th Floor, 255 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 9AX.

• Stage 1 (informal): We will acknowledge your concern within 3 working days and aim to resolve it within 10 working days.
• Stage 2 (formal): If you are not satisfied, you can submit a formal written complaint. We will acknowledge it within 5 working days and respond in writing within 10 working days.
• Stage 3 (review): If you are still not satisfied, you may request a review by the Charity Manager, who will acknowledge it within 5 working days and endeavour to respond in writing within 15 working days. In the event that the matter is complex, we reserve the right to extend the response time but we will keep you updated if this is the case.

If you are not satisfied on the outcome or response after completing our complaints procedure, you may appeal the decision in writing following the steps in Stage 3 of the complaints procedure, provided that you either have new or relevant information to present which has not already been submitted, or we have failed to adequately consider some or all of the information you provided in connection with the complaint. We will ask a different member of our charity management team to review the investigation and reply.

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome after an appeal has been addressed, you can contact the Charity Commission at gov.uk/complain-about-charity.

Complaints are handled confidentially. Only those involved in investigating and resolving the complaint will have access to the details. The circumstances giving rise to the complaint, however, may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own facts). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.

We record all formal complaints, including the outcome and any actions taken. Complaints records are reviewed annually by the board and our auditors to identify areas for improvement and assess handling quality.

Our commitment to a high standard of service applies globally and the same complaints handling procedure will be followed, should a complaint arise from an individual based outside of England and Wales, where the charity is registered.

We recognise that some of the people we engage with through our fundraising activities will not always have the capacity to fully understand the nature of the donation they are being asked to make or the consequences of making that donation, and there will be times when we may not be able to accept donations from these individuals.

In such cases, we will follow the IoF Code of Fundraising Practice guidelines for treating donors fairly, in order to best support the individual in that interaction.

Access to our complaints policy is available via the MMW website, which has been designed with accessibility in mind following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This ensures everyone have access to this information and are able to understand both how the policy will be implemented and the process they should follow should an issue arise.

Any feedback or queries about the policy should be directed to mmw.charity@merlinsmagicwand.org.