Unacceptable customer behaviour policy

Policy statement

At Simply Business, our teams work hard to support small businesses and landlords through new business sales, renewal sales, and any service queries via email, phone, and live chat. We understand that sometimes things don’t always go to plan and, in some cases, can leave customers unhappy.

However, our employees have the right to work in an environment free from abuse, harassment, and intimidation. We therefore operate a zero-tolerance policy towards unacceptable behavior towards our staff.

This policy applies to all prospective, current, and former policyholders including:

• sole traders, partnership directors, and micro-enterprise owners
• residential and commercial landlords
• authorised third parties acting on policy holders’ behalf

Defining unacceptable behaviour at Simply Business

Aggressive, abusive, or intimidating conduct

• verbal hostility: shouting, swearing, or using derogatory language toward Simply Business employees
• coercion and threats: threatening physical harm, vindictive online reviews, or non-FOS litigation to force an exception
• discrimination: making offensive remarks regarding protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010) to any Simply Business employee – even where the remarks are not directed at the employee
• sexual harassment and gender-based conduct: any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, or conduct based on sex, from a customer or third party that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for a Simply Business employee. This includes unwanted sexual advances, lewd comments, inappropriate personal questions, or derogatory remarks based on sex or gender. In accordance with the Worker Protection Act 2023, employees are fully authorised to terminate any interaction where sexual harassment occurs and must escalate the incident to their manager immediately.

Unreasonable demands and process disruption

• immediate remediation pressure: demanding instantaneous rectification of matters where a reasonable resolution timeframe has been outlined
• escalation abuse: insisting on bypassing standard escalation channels and insisting on speaking exclusively to directors or the CEO, while refusing to engage with our formal FCA-regulated complaints process (DISP)
• scope manipulations: coercing staff into adjusting policy information, rates, and processes to artificially gain an advantage or lower costs

Unreasonable persistence and vexatious contact

• contact flooding: flooding the office with multiple phone calls, live chats, social media posts, or duplicate emails regarding a single ongoing dispute, claim, or quote within a short window, disrupting operational workflows, or visiting premises where customer facing support is not available
• refusal to accept policy realities: continually disputing binding policy wordings, average clauses, or explicit exclusions

Steps Simply Business takes to prevent unacceptable behaviour

Step 1: real-time warning and de-escalation

Staff will calmly advise the prospective or current customer, or their representative, that their language or behavior is unacceptable and must change for the interaction to continue.

Step 2: immediate termination of interaction

If the behavior persists, staff are authorised to end the call or terminate the web or email chat. The incident will be documented immediately on their Simply Business file.

Step 3: formal communication restrictions

If the behavior is severe or repeated, Simply Business may formally restrict contact. Notice will be made to the policyholder outlining the restriction, which may include:

• limiting contact strictly to written email or postal correspondence
• routing all queries through a designated Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
• refusing to accept verbal instructions regarding policy mid-term adjustments (MTAs) or renewals. However, we’ll take all necessary steps to ensure if we do so, it will not put you at material risk. 

Step 4: policy cancellation and declinature

If the relationship breaks down irretrievably, Simply Business will reserve the right to:

• decline to invite or accept renewals on any policies held with Simply Business
• notify the capacity-providing underwriter if the customer’s behavior becomes too extreme, involves suspected misrepresentation, non-disclosure, or claims fraud
• hereafter, discuss potential for invoking cancellation of the policy under terms set out by the insurer and / or capacity-providing underwriter

Even if we place you under a communication restriction (step 3) or cancel your policy (step 4), you still retain your legal right to file a formal complaint regarding our products, services, or the restriction itself. As an FCA-regulated broker, Simply Business will continue to adhere to the Dispute Resolution (DISP) rules even when managing unacceptable behaviour.