Vulnerable Customer Policy

We at Premier Hot Tubs want to see a positive outcome for everyone who deals with us. We strive to treat all of our customers fairly, and to account for the needs of our more vulnerable customers.

As recommended in the FCA’s Guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, we have formalised our approach to dealing with vulnerable customers in the form of this Vulnerable Customer Policy.

1. Purpose of this policy

This policy’s purpose is to set out our procedures for identifying and dealing with customers of Premier Hot Tubs who display characteristics of vulnerability.

2. How we define vulnerability

We follow the FCA’s definition of ‘vulnerable customers’, as seen on page 9 of their Guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers: “customers who, due to their personal circumstances, are especially susceptible to harm, particularly when a firm is not acting with appropriate levels of care.” Vulnerability may result from:

Health issues, e.g. an illness or condition that impairs the customer’s ability to carry out certain tasks.
Life events, e.g. a recent loss or change of circumstances that has caused the customer a great deal of grief or stress.
A lack of resilience or preparedness, e.g. low emotional resilience due to problems in other areas of the customer’s life, or an inability to withstand unexpected financial shocks due to unreliable income, minimal savings and/or over-indebtedness.
A lack of capability, e.g. limited financial knowledge, limited IT skills, low reading comprehension.

We recognise that our customers may be affected by any combination of the above factors, and that we as a firm must take these ‘drivers of vulnerability’ into account when interacting with our customers.

3. Identifying vulnerable customers

When dealing with customers directly—whether in person, over the phone or via email—we look carefully for typical characteristics of vulnerability, such as:

Visible disabilities
Apparent difficulty with verbal and/or written communication
Poor understanding of numeracy and finances

However, we are well aware that vulnerabilities are not always on display. For instance, our customer service operatives typically have no way of knowing if they’re dealing with someone who has recently suffered a bereavement, lost their job, or been diagnosed with a serious illness. Even major physical disabilities may not be evident to us if we have only interacted with the customer via phone calls and emails.

For this reason, we encourage our customers to inform us if they feel they fit the definition of a ‘vulnerable customer’. When interacting with customers, our staff members avoid asking direct, invasive questions that might violate the customer’s privacy—but we do instruct them to watch out for potential indicators of vulnerability, and to give each customer multiple opportunities to declare any vulnerabilities.

If you are a Premier Hot Tubs customer and you wish to inform us of any vulnerabilities that might affect your dealings with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We strive to handle all such cases in a sensitive and nonjudgemental way, and any private information you share with us will be kept confidential.

4. Our responsibilities

In situations where we have identified that we are dealing with a potentially vulnerable customer, we consider it our responsibility to:

Conduct all business with care, consideration and diligence
Treat the customer fairly at all times
Avoid placing additional stress on the vulnerable customer unnecessarily
Take the customer’s vulnerabilities into consideration when we ask something of them (for example, when we request payment or expect them to take receipt of a delivery)
Do everything we reasonably can to maximise the vulnerable customer’s chances of receiving the same positive outcome that we aim to deliver four our other customers
Communicate with the vulnerable customer frequently (and in clear, unambiguous language) to make sure they have all the information they need
Safeguard the customer’s personal information, adhering to our Privacy Policy at all times

5. Evidence of vulnerabilities

In certain cases, we may require vulnerable customers to provide evidence of their vulnerabilities. Please be assured that we assess all cases carefully, and will only request evidence where we feel it is absolutely necessary to protect the interests of the business.

When asking a customer to provide evidence of their vulnerabilities, we will endeavour to…

Make the request in a sensitive and professional way, without causing undue stress or anxiety
Give the customer a reasonable amount of time to comply
Be as flexible as possible in terms of what we will accept as valid evidence
Refrain from placing too great a burden on the customer
Maintain clear and timely communication so that the customer is always informed of how their case is progressing

6. Dealing with third parties

If necessary, vulnerable customers are free to ask a third party (such as a carer or trusted family member) to deal with us on their behalf.

To minimise the risk of fraud, we request that the third party be identified to us in writing at the earliest possible opportunity. During any dealings with vulnerable customers and individuals acting on their behalf, we will do our best to ensure that all parties are kept informed of any developments.

7. Preparing for delivery

If you are having a hot tub delivered, certain preparations are required beforehand. We ask each Premier Hot Tubs customer to read through our Hot Tub Delivery Guide and follow the advice therein to ensure everything is ready for the hot tub’s arrival.

However, we appreciate that some vulnerable customers may be unable to carry out the recommended preparations. In such cases, we encourage the customer to contact Premier Hot Tubs as early as possible in the ordering process so that we can advise them on the best course of action and, if necessary, come up with a modified delivery plan.

Please note: we reserve the right to inform our delivery team of any issues that they will need to take into account in order to complete delivery.

8. Hot tub services

We offer a selection of hot tub services, including annual and bi-annual services as well as winter shutdowns.

If you choose to take advantage of this service, one of our hot tub specialists will visit your property in order to complete the necessary work. We appreciate that these in-person visits have the potential to raise issues for vulnerable customers, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you wish to make us aware of any potential problems.

Please note: we reserve the right to share with our service staff any information that they may need to carry out their duties.

If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to contact the Premier Hot Tubs team..