Haphazard channels of complaints registering to non-transparency in the redressal process, the dissatisfaction with the redressal of complaints in a housing society can be significantly taxing to the harmonious co-living arrangement of the housing societies. Without proper response and resolution, a complaint can give way to loathing and discontent, which in turn will beget discord and chaos. We will talk about some major problems that the housing society members, both residents and management committee members, face in the process of raising a complaint and attempting redressal.
Talking about the society living, if ‘co-operation’ is one side of the coin, then ‘complaint’ is the other. And why not, co-living is definitely not an easy thing. But the Indian urban population, due to the lack of space and high cost of living, has almost mastered the art. But that doesn’t mean that issues can’t crop up. Complaints or issues are part and parcel of every administration, be it macro-level say like Government or micro-level, i.e. housing societies. If there are ten people co-existing consuming certain facilities, complaints are as natural as trees growing out of seeds.
5 PROBLEMS IN MANAGING COMPLAINTS IN A HOUSING SOCIETY
- Unable to understand the proper procedure of lodging a complaint- This is a very common issue in itself, i.e. what is the proper way to file a complaint with the housing society management committee. Sometimes people take the help of social communication channels like messages or phone calls to convey the inconvenience to one or more members of the housing committee, but most of the time resolution to such complaints get ignored due to its unofficial nature or forgotten in between other important tasks. Unless a problem is big enough to affect many houses within the society, they generally don’t make it to the urgent to-do lists of the society managers. However, may how small the problem is, it will definitely affect the person at the personal level which if not responded will only inculcate discontent and subsequent disharmony.
- Confusion regarding the status of redressal- Even if a complaint gets filed, the lack of transparency in its redressal process is often faced with impatience. The issue raiser many a time, doesn’t get to know if the issue is at all taken into consideration or not. If yes, what’s the status of the redressal. The only way to get any knowledge of the same is to verbally ask the committee. But then repeated asking and answering can be a bothersome experience to both the parties.
- Practically no way to express discontent over resolution- This is a very depressing stage actually. It is not novel that a certain resolution offered by the committee is totally satisfactory for the issue-raiser. But then what’s the way to amicably resolve this without offending or annoying any of the party. When a complaint comes back after resolution offered on the first chance, it is can bring in some annoyance to the committee members. Also, the issue-raiser can easily get tagged as ‘nagging’.
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Even bigger than these problems are the problems faced by the housing society committee members who are responsible for responding to the complaints and offer a resolution, that too well in time. It’s almost like a bomb ticking with a time-decreasing clock on it. Let’s see what are the major difficulties faced by them when it comes to the management of issues/complaints from the society members.
- Haphazard process of complaint filing and assigning– The major part of the problems that the society management committee faces in managing complaints goes to the process of complaint lodging/filing and organizing. As previously mentioned, many a time, a complaint is conveyed via individual message or phone, which demands to be documented for the proper process of redressal but may not be possible or even pushed back due to instant inconvenience of the situation and later forgotten. Even if a complaint gets filed in an official hardcopy format, manual handling can often give in the chance of being accidentally misplaced or pushed down unconsciously resulting in failure of meeting timely resolution.
- Lack of segregation– Believe it or not, even the grown-ups comprising the management committee of a housing society can go childish over such matters. A particular complaint falling under which category and subsequently who is supposed to take action and if not resolved who stands answerable can practically be a never-ending dispute. And this happens basically due to the lack of segregation process at the very beginning. Also, segregation is necessary to understand the level of urgency of a complaint and respond accordingly.
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Responding to complaints and in a timely manner is one of the important strengths of an effective administration, even if it is as small an administration as a housing society comprising of only a hundred residential units. Attending to issues and their proper resolution forms the very base of harmonious co-living.
How do you respond to issues in your housing society? Are you happy with the complaint management system in your society? Do share with us in the comments section!