Complaints & Appeals Policy

This Complaints & Appeals Policy explains how consumers,

takeaway businesses and other users can raise complaints about Takeaway Scout™,

request corrections, challenge certain decisions and appeal eligible

moderation, review, listing or Scout Score decisions.

**Takeaway Scout™ is a trading name of Brecon Take Aways

Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17052659**,

whose registered office is:

21 Bryn de Winton, Brecon, Powys, LD3 9HL

This Policy should be read alongside our:

• Website Terms & Conditions;
• Review & Rating Policy;
• Scout Score & Ranking Policy;
• Business Listing & Profile Claiming Policy;
• Acceptable Use & Content Moderation Policy;
• Business Subscription & Advertising Terms;
• Advertising & Sponsored Content Policy;
• Privacy Policy; and
• Website Disclaimer.

1. Purpose of This Policy

Takeaway Scout™ aims to operate a useful, fair and

trustworthy takeaway discovery, review and ranking platform.

We recognise that disagreements may arise concerning:

• customer reviews;
• business listings;
• Scout Scores;
• rankings;
• business information;
• profile ownership;
• content moderation;
• advertising;
• subscriptions;
• account restrictions; and
• other Takeaway Scout™ services.

This Policy provides a process for raising and reviewing

those concerns.

2. Who Can Make a Complaint?

Complaints may be submitted by:

• consumers;
• registered users;
• reviewers;
• takeaway owners;
• authorised business representatives;
• advertisers;
• subscribers;
• rights holders; or
• another person directly affected by a Takeaway Scout™ decision or service.

Where someone makes a complaint on behalf of a business or

another person, we may require evidence of their authority.

3. What You Can Complain About

You may contact Takeaway Scout™ concerning matters

including:

• incorrect business information;
• incorrectly attributed reviews;
• alleged fake reviews;
• prohibited review content;
• duplicate listings;
• incorrect business status;
• profile claiming disputes;
• incorrect Food Hygiene Rating information;
• Scout Score calculation concerns;
• Provisional or Full ranking status;
• content moderation decisions;
• account restrictions;
• advertising;
• subscriptions or billing;
• intellectual-property concerns;
• privacy concerns; or
• another Takeaway Scout™ service.

Different procedures may apply depending upon the issue.

4. Complaints About a Takeaway

Takeaway Scout™ is a directory, discovery, review and

ranking platform.

It does not itself prepare or sell food merely because a

takeaway appears on the platform.

Complaints concerning a takeaway's:

• food;
• order;
• delivery;
• allergens;
• customer service;
• prices;
• refunds;
• missing items; or
• other services supplied directly by that business

should normally be made to the relevant takeaway or service

provider.

Takeaway Scout™ cannot normally resolve a private consumer

dispute between a customer and an independent takeaway.

5. Complaints About Reviews

Businesses and users may report reviews they believe breach

the Review & Rating Policy.

Examples may include suspected:

• fake reviews;
• competitor reviews;
• owner or employee reviews;
• undisclosed prohibited incentives;
• harassment;
• threats;
• irrelevant content;
• impersonation;
• conflicts of interest; or
• other prohibited review activity.

A review will not be removed merely because it is negative.

6. Negative Reviews

Takeaway Scout™ protects genuine consumer opinion, including

genuine negative opinion.

A business cannot require removal of a review simply

because:

• it gives the business a low rating;
• it criticises the business;
• the business disputes the customer's opinion;
• it damages the business's average rating;
• it affects the Scout Score;
• it affects the business's ranking;
• the business has claimed its profile; or
• the business pays Takeaway Scout™.

The relevant question is whether the review complies with

the applicable Review & Rating Policy.

7. Reporting a Review

A review report should identify:

• the review concerned;
• the reason for the challenge;
• the specific policy provision believed to have been breached; and
• supporting information where available.

General statements such as “this review is unfair” or

“we don't agree with it” may not be sufficient to establish a policy

breach.

8. Review Investigation

When investigating a review, Takeaway Scout™ may consider:

• the content of the review;
• account information;
• submission patterns;
• technical indicators;
• supporting evidence;
• information supplied by the business;
• information supplied by the reviewer;
• previous relevant activity; and
• other information reasonably relevant to determining authenticity or compliance.

We are not required to disclose confidential fraud-detection

or security information.

9. Temporary Review Restriction

A disputed review may remain published while it is

investigated.

In appropriate circumstances, Takeaway Scout™ may

temporarily restrict or remove visibility of a review pending investigation.

Temporary restriction does not mean that the review has been

found to be false or prohibited.

10. Review Outcomes

Following investigation, Takeaway Scout™ may:

• leave the review unchanged;
• remove prohibited material;
• remove the review;
• request clarification;
• request evidence;
• restrict the relevant account;
• reinstate previously restricted content; or
• take another proportionate action.

Where a review contributing to the Scout Score is removed,

affected scoring components may subsequently be recalculated.

11. Business Listing Corrections

Businesses may report factual errors in their Takeaway

Scout™ listings.

This may include:

• incorrect business name;
• incorrect address;
• incorrect telephone number;
• incorrect website;
• incorrect cuisine;
• incorrect opening information;
• duplicate listings;
• incorrect closure status; or
• another factual error.

A business does not need to purchase a paid Scout service

merely to report a factual error.

12. Evidence for Listing Corrections

Takeaway Scout™ may request reasonable evidence before

making a material change.

Evidence may include:

• the business's official website;
• official records;
• business documentation;
• correspondence;
• public business information; or
• another reliable source.

This helps prevent malicious or unauthorised alterations to

business listings.

13. Food Hygiene Rating Corrections

Where a business believes Takeaway Scout™ has displayed or

matched the wrong official Food Hygiene Rating, it may request a correction.

Takeaway Scout™ may check the applicable official source.

If Takeaway Scout™ has incorrectly matched or displayed

official information, we may correct the listing and recalculate the affected

Scout Score where necessary.

If the dispute concerns the official rating itself rather

than Takeaway Scout's use of it, the business should raise that matter with the

relevant authority.

14. Scout Score Challenges

A takeaway may request review of its Scout Score where it

believes that a genuine factual or calculation error has occurred.

The current Scout Score framework has six components:

The challenge should identify which component is believed to

be incorrect.

15. Valid Grounds for a Scout Score Challenge

Examples of matters that may justify investigation include:

• incorrect review data;
• a review attributed to the wrong business;
• an invalid review incorrectly included;
• official Food Hygiene information incorrectly matched;
• verified information not being recognised correctly;
• a calculation error;
• incorrect review count;
• incorrect Provisional status;
• incorrect Full ranking status; or
• the published methodology being incorrectly applied.

16. What Is Not Normally a Valid Score Challenge

The following do not, by themselves, establish that a Scout

Score is incorrect:

• a business dislikes its score;
• a competitor has a higher score;
• the score has decreased;
• a negative review has been received;
• the business believes it deserves a better position;
• the business is a paying customer;
• the business has purchased advertising; or
• the score adversely affects the business commercially.

The purpose of the challenge process is to correct genuine

errors, not negotiate scores.

17. Provisional Status Appeals

Businesses with fewer than **5 approved reviews remain

Provisional** under the current Scout Score framework.

A business may challenge its Provisional status where it

believes Takeaway Scout™ has incorrectly counted the number of qualifying

approved reviews.

A business cannot obtain Full status merely by:

• paying Takeaway Scout™;
• purchasing advertising;
• purchasing an enhanced profile; or
• requesting an exception.

The same qualifying threshold applies irrespective of

commercial status.

18. Scout Score Investigation

Where a credible score challenge is received, Takeaway

Scout™ may:

1. 1. identify the disputed scoring component;
2. 2. review the relevant underlying information;
3. 3. verify applicable source data;
4. 4. review qualifying reviews where necessary;
5. 5. check official information;
6. 6. review applicable verification information;
7. 7. confirm whether the scoring methodology was correctly applied; and
8. 8. correct and recalculate the Scout Score where an error is identified.

19. Proprietary Scoring Information

Takeaway Scout™ publishes the principal components and

weightings of the Scout Score.

However, a complaint or appeal does not automatically

entitle a business or user to disclosure of:

• proprietary mathematical formulas;
• source code;
• confidential algorithms;
• fraud-detection thresholds;
• anti-manipulation systems;
• security controls; or
• confidential information concerning other users.

We may provide sufficient information to explain a decision

without compromising platform integrity.

20. Ranking Complaints

Where results are expressly represented as being ranked by

Scout Score, eligible organic results should follow the applicable Scout Score

ranking methodology.

A business may report a suspected technical problem where it

believes results are not being ordered correctly.

Geographic eligibility, search filters, Provisional status

and other disclosed search criteria may affect which businesses are included.

21. Paid Placement Complaints

Sponsored or other paid promotional positions are separate

from organic Scout Score rankings.

Where payment influences prominence, Takeaway Scout™ may

identify the placement using wording such as:

Sponsored, Featured, Promoted or

another clear equivalent.

Users or businesses may report promotional content they

believe has not been appropriately distinguished from organic results.

22. Payment Does Not Affect Appeals

Takeaway Scout™ applies the complaints and appeals process

independently of a business's commercial status.

A paying business does not receive:

• preferential review decisions;
• preferential Scout Score treatment;
• automatic review removal;
• preferential appeals;
• immunity from moderation; or
• a guaranteed appeal outcome.

Likewise, a business will not receive less favourable

treatment merely because it does not pay Takeaway Scout™.

23. Content Moderation Appeals

Where eligible, a user may request review of a Takeaway

Scout™ moderation decision.

This may concern:

• removed content;
• restricted content;
• account warnings;
• account restrictions;
• business responses;
• photographs;
• reviews;
• profile content; or
• other user-generated material.

The appeal should explain why the user believes the original

decision was incorrect.

24. Account Suspension Appeals

Where an account is suspended or restricted, the account

holder may be permitted to appeal.

The appeal should include:

• the relevant account;
• the decision being challenged;
• why the restriction is believed to be incorrect; and
• relevant supporting information.

Serious security or fraud investigations may limit the

information we are able to disclose.

25. Profile Claiming Disputes

Where multiple people claim authority over the same takeaway

listing, Takeaway Scout™ may request evidence from the parties.

Relevant evidence may include:

• company records;
• ownership information;
• business email access;
• website control;
• business documentation; or
• written authority.

Profile access may be temporarily restricted while the

dispute is investigated.

26. Ownership Change Disputes

A new owner may request that Takeaway Scout™ recognise a

genuine change in ownership.

We may request evidence before changing:

• profile control;
• business information;
• historical treatment;
• Scout Score status; or
• other relevant information.

A simple trading-name change does not necessarily establish

that a genuinely new business exists.

27. Advertising Complaints

Businesses may complain about paid advertising services

where they believe:

• the purchased service was not supplied;
• billing is incorrect;
• the wrong campaign was displayed;
• agreed placement was materially incorrect; or
• another contractual problem occurred.

These matters are also governed by the **Business

Subscription & Advertising Terms**.

28. Advertising Performance

Poor advertising performance does not, by itself, establish

that Takeaway Scout™ failed to provide the purchased service.

Unless expressly guaranteed in the applicable order,

Takeaway Scout™ does not guarantee:

• sales;
• orders;
• enquiries;
• clicks;
• customers;
• revenue;
• profit; or
• other commercial outcomes.

29. Privacy Complaints

Complaints concerning personal data should identify the

relevant privacy concern.

This may include:

• access;
• correction;
• deletion;
• processing;
• disclosure;
• consent; or
• another data-protection issue.

These matters will be handled in accordance with the **Takeaway

Scout™ Privacy Policy** and applicable UK data-protection law.

Brecon Take Aways Limited is registered with the Information

Commissioner's Office under registration number ZC099121.

30. Intellectual Property Complaints

A rights holder may contact Takeaway Scout™ where they

believe content infringes their:

• copyright;
• trademark;
• design right;
• database right; or
• another protected intellectual-property right.

The complaint should identify:

• the protected work or right;
• the allegedly infringing content;
• the complainant's connection to the right;
• the location of the content; and
• sufficient supporting information.

Takeaway Scout™ may request further evidence before taking

action.

31. How to Make a Complaint

Complaints should be sent to:

admin@takeawayscout.co.uk

Please include, where applicable:

• your name;
• business name;
• relevant listing;
• account information;
• review concerned;
• Scout Score concerned;
• description of the issue;
• outcome requested; and
• supporting evidence.

Do not send unnecessary payment-card information, passwords

or other highly sensitive information by email.

32. Acknowledgement

We aim to acknowledge a formal complaint within **3 working

days**.

Acknowledgement confirms receipt.

It does not mean that Takeaway Scout™ accepts that the

complaint is valid.

33. Target Response Time

We aim to provide a substantive response to ordinary

complaints within 14 days.

More complicated matters may take longer, particularly

where:

• another user must be contacted;
• evidence must be verified;
• fraud is suspected;
• technical investigation is required;
• a legal issue is involved; or
• substantial information must be reviewed.

Where appropriate, we may inform the complainant that

further investigation is required.

34. Possible Outcomes

Following investigation, Takeaway Scout™ may:

• uphold the original decision;
• reverse the decision;
• correct information;
• remove content;
• restore content;
• recalculate a Scout Score;
• correct ranking status;
• correct a listing;
• change profile access;
• remove or amend advertising;
• issue a refund where contractually appropriate;
• restrict an account;
• take no action; or
• take another proportionate step.

35. Appeals

Where an appeal is available, it should identify why the

original decision is believed to be incorrect.

Where possible, an appeal should include **new information

or identify a specific error in the original decision**.

Takeaway Scout™ may arrange for the matter to be

reconsidered separately where reasonably practicable.

36. Final Review

Following an appeal, Takeaway Scout™ may issue a final

internal decision.

A final decision may confirm, amend or reverse the original

outcome.

Internal appeal procedures do not remove any independent

legal rights available to the complainant.

37. Repeated Complaints

Takeaway Scout™ may close repeated correspondence where:

• substantially the same issue has already been investigated;
• an appeal has already been considered;
• a final response has been provided; and
• no materially new evidence has been supplied.

This does not prevent a person from exercising legal rights

available outside Takeaway Scout™.

38. Abusive Use of the Complaints Process

Takeaway Scout™ accepts robust criticism and genuine

complaints.

However, the complaints process must not be used to:

• threaten reviewers;
• intimidate Takeaway Scout™ personnel;
• harass users;
• suppress genuine criticism;
• submit knowingly false evidence;
• attack competitors;
• make fraudulent claims; or
• repeatedly disrupt the platform.

Appropriate restrictions may be applied in serious cases

while legitimate underlying complaints are still handled appropriately.

39. Confidentiality

Takeaway Scout™ may be unable to disclose all information

considered during an investigation.

For example, we may need to protect:

• another user's personal information;
• fraud-prevention methods;
• security information;
• proprietary algorithms;
• commercially confidential information; or
• information protected by law.

This does not prevent us from providing an appropriate

explanation of an outcome where possible.

40. Record Keeping

Takeaway Scout™ may retain records of complaints and appeals

where reasonably necessary for:

• dispute resolution;
• platform improvement;
• identifying repeated abuse;
• fraud prevention;
• legal compliance;
• establishing or defending legal claims; and
• maintaining consistency in moderation.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with the

Privacy Policy.

41. No Retaliation for Genuine Complaints

A user or business should not receive an artificially

reduced Scout Score simply because they make a genuine complaint about Takeaway

Scout™.

Similarly, a business will not receive an increased Scout

Score for withdrawing a complaint.

Complaints, commercial relationships and Scout Score

calculations remain separate.

42. Changes to This Policy

Takeaway Scout™ may update this Complaints & Appeals

Policy as the platform develops.

The latest version will be published through Takeaway

Scout™.

43. Contact Us

For complaints and appeals:

Takeaway Scout™

A trading name of Brecon Take Aways Limited

Email: admin@takeawayscout.co.uk

Registered office:

21 Bryn de Winton

Brecon

Powys

LD3 9HL

Company number: 17052659

ICO registration number: ZC099121

Domain Sale and Lease Enquiries

Questions or complaints concerning a proposed or completed domain sale, lease or licence may be sent to admin@takeawayscout.co.uk. We may ask for the relevant domain name, transaction reference, agreement date and supporting correspondence.

Where a signed Domain Name Sale & Assignment Agreement, Domain Name Lease & Licence Agreement or other specific domain contract applies, that agreement governs contractual rights, remedies, notices, termination, transfer and dispute provisions. This Complaints & Appeals Policy does not replace or vary those contractual terms.