General Complaints & Dispute Resolution Policy

North Wales Local is committed to operating a fair, transparent, and proportionate directory platform.

This policy explains how we handle complaints relating to:

• Listing visibility or search ranking
• Subscription and billing disputes
• Verification decisions
• Listing removal or suspension
• Moderation decisions
• Platform functionality

This policy is separate from our Defamation & Content Complaints Policy, which governs unlawful content complaints.

If your complaint relates to how we collect, use, store, share or delete personal data — including requests to access, correct, delete, or restrict your data, or any concern about how your information is being handled — this is a data protection complaint and is dealt with under a separate statutory process.

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA), which introduces a mandatory data protection complaints regime from 19 June 2026, every organisation that processes personal data must have a clear complaints process. North Wales Local (Steam Vibe Ltd) complies with these requirements.

How to send a data protection complaint:

• Use the complaint form below and select "Data Protection (UK GDPR / DUAA)" as the complaint type, or
• Email us at [email protected] with the subject line "Data Protection Complaint".

What you can expect from us:

• Acknowledgement of your complaint without undue delay (and in any event within 30 days).
• A substantive response within 30 days of receipt, in line with the DUAA statutory deadline.
• Where a complaint is complex or we have received a high volume of complaints, we may extend this period by up to a further two months. If we do, we will tell you within the initial 30 days, explain why, and confirm the new deadline.
• A clear explanation of the outcome and the reasons for it.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or we fail to respond, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

The ICO normally expects you to raise the complaint with us first and give us 30 days to respond before escalating.

You may submit a complaint using the structured form below, or by email to:

[email protected]

To allow proper assessment, please include:

• Your full name
• Your account email (if applicable)
• The business name or URL involved
• A clear description of the issue
• Relevant dates
• Any supporting evidence

Incomplete complaints may require clarification before assessment.

Search results on North Wales Local are determined by algorithmic weighting including:

• Keyword relevance
• Recommendation count
• Average rating
• Recency of reviews
• Subscription tier weighting

Paid tiers receive a weighting adjustment but are not guaranteed a top position.

We do not:

• Manually manipulate rankings for individual businesses
• Guarantee specific search positions
• Guarantee a minimum number of views or enquiries

If you believe your listing is not appearing correctly:

• We will verify technical functionality
• We will confirm your tier settings
• We will confirm there is no suspension or hidden status

We will not disclose algorithm weighting formulas or proprietary ranking logic.

All payments are processed via Stripe.

If you dispute a charge:

• We will review billing logs
• Confirm subscription status
• Confirm cancellation date (if applicable)

Refunds are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We do not guarantee refunds for:

• Dissatisfaction with ranking position
• Lack of enquiries
• Business performance outcomes

Chargebacks initiated without prior contact may result in temporary account suspension pending investigation.

Verification confirms a reasonable connection to a business. It does not constitute endorsement.

We reserve the right to:

• Approve or reject verification evidence
• Request additional documentation
• Remove or suspend listings
• Revert listings to unclaimed status

Where verification is rejected, we will provide a general reason. We are not required to disclose internal fraud detection criteria.

Inclusion in the directory does not create a perpetual right to remain listed.

We may remove, hide, or suspend listings where:

• The listing remains unclaimed after outreach
• The business requests removal
• The listing violates platform rules
• Fraud or misrepresentation is suspected
• The business ceases trading
• Contact information is persistently invalid

Removal decisions are discretionary and made in the interests of directory quality and integrity.

If you disagree with a moderation decision:

• You may request reconsideration
• You must explain why the decision was incorrect
• Provide relevant clarification

We review moderation decisions for consistency and proportionality.

We do not enter into prolonged back-and-forth disputes once a final decision is made.

North Wales Local operates as a neutral platform.

We do not favour businesses based on:

• Personal relationships
• Informal agreements
• External influence

Paid tiers affect ranking weighting only as disclosed in our Terms and Search Transparency section.

For general (non-data-protection) complaints we aim to:

• Acknowledge complaints within 3 working days
• Provide a substantive response within 14 working days

Complex matters may require additional time.

Data protection complaints are handled under the statutory deadline set by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: a substantive response within 30 days, extendable by up to two further months for complex cases (see Section 2).

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving a final response, you may:

• Provide further supporting evidence
• Seek independent legal advice

Nothing in this policy limits your statutory rights.

We reserve the right to restrict or decline complaints that are:

• Vexatious
• Repetitive
• Abusive
• Intended to suppress lawful criticism

We maintain internal records of:

• Complaints received
• Actions taken
• Decisions and reasoning
• Dates of communication

This ensures consistency and accountability.