FEEDBACK AND COMPLAINTS

Our Commitment

Breathe welcomes feedback to help us improve what we do. We want our clients, suppliers and participants in our research to have a good experience. Where this is not the case, we want people to feel they can make a complaint, that it will be taken seriously, and that we will try and put things right.

If you wish to offer feedback or to complain we promise the following:

  • A standard process that deals with feedback in a consistent manner.
  • That all feedback is dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner.
  • Impartial consideration of concerns and complaints.
  • A resolution that is to the satisfaction of both complainant and the company wherever possible.
  • That we learn from feedback and make recommendations for future process and policy improvements.

This policy is intended as a guide to resolving issues and sharing best practice. If your complaint relates to how we handle your personal data, you also have rights under data protection law. We aim to respond to such requests within one calendar month. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

How to share feedback or make a complaint

Any party may provide feedback to any employee of Breathe at any time about any aspect of the company’s activities. Feedback and complaints can be submitted by:

  • E-mail: privacy@breathe.uk.com attaching a completed complaints form (which can be downloaded here) or by listing the complaint in the email body
  • Telephone: 0208 6689377 (During office hours)
  • Our online form at the bottom of this page

All feedback, particularly that relating to a complaint, is dealt with sensitively and confidentially. To aid us with any feedback or complaint, it helps us if you can include the following information:

  • Complainant’s name and contact details
  • Details of the research project, survey, or event in question
  • The nature of the complaint (e.g., data privacy, interviewer conduct, survey design)
  • What you would like us to do to resolve the issue

What you can expect from us

  • We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days.
  • Your complaint will be recorded and assigned to a member of the team to investigate.
  • We will send a formal written outcome or resolution plan within one calendar month of our acknowledgement letter as required by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
  • If the investigation requires more time, we will write to you with an interim update and a revised timeframe.
  • If we cannot fulfil a request, we will explain the reason and inform you of your right to complain to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office).
  • If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can request a review of your complaint within 10 working days. A senior member of staff who was not involved in the original investigation will conduct this review and provide a final response.

If you are not satisfied

We will do our best to ensure that any person making a complaint is satisfied with the way we handle it.

You have the right to raise a data protection complaint directly with us before contacting the ICO. We encourage you to contact us first so we can resolve your concern can be resolved independently.

However, if you are still dissatisfied with our response, you may raise your concerns with MRS or the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Market Research Society Website: Complaint handling | Market Research Society (mrs.org.uk)

ICO Website: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

ICO Telephone: 0303 123 1113

ICO Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Confidentiality & Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence and in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018/UK GDPR. Your data will only be used for the purpose of investigating and resolving your feedback/complaint.

Breathe will retain complaint records for 3 years after closure. Where a complaint involves legal, regulatory, or high-risk issues, records may be retained for up to 6 years in line with legal limitation periods. Records are securely deleted and/or anonymised once the retention period expires, in line with our Data Retention Policy.

Breathe processes personal data relating to complaints under our legitimate interests in resolving issues and complying with legal obligations.

Feedback & Complaint Form

Thank you for contacting us. Please complete this form so that we can investigate your privacy concern.

Your Details

Name(Required)
Please briefly describe your concern, including any relevant dates, communications, surveys, interviews or research projects involved.
Please tell us what you would like us to do to resolve your complaint.
Please list or attach any relevant documents, emails or screenshots.
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 256 MB.

    Declaration

    I confirm that the information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
    Name

    What Happens Next?

    We will acknowledge your complaint, usually within 5 working days. We may contact you if we need further information. We aim to provide a full response within one calendar month. Sometimes further investigation is required to enable us to respond: if we think that this is the case we will contact you to let you know this and explain how long we think it will take before we can reply in full. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may have the right to raise your concerns with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Website: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) Telephone: 0303 123 1113 Address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF