If
you have a complaint about a WWOOF Host, we ask you to contact us with your
concerns so we can follow it up. It may be that your WWOOFing experience
turns out to be different to your expectations, which could be for a number of
reasons. Sometimes your own culture is very different from what you find when
you are living with a WWOOF Host family. WWOOF Hosts expect you to treat
their home and family with respect and to fit into their lifestyle without
judging them, as this can be a cultural exchange. It is important to understand
that just because Hosts live differently to your own culture, this does not make
it wrong, just different!
If you find
the food, accommodation or workload are not what you expected or you have a
difference of opinion with the host, please e-mail us as we would like to hear your comments. We will contact the Host,
maintain your anonymity, discuss your concerns and offer advice to the Host to
ensure that future WWOOFing experiences with them are more positive.
Occasionally
something of a more serious nature occurs: For example, a male host paying
excessive attention to a female WWOOFer or a female host paying excessive
attention to a male WWOOFer, making their stay uncomfortable or unhappy.
There may be incidents where Hosts are asking WWOOFers to use chemicals or
asking them to do work that is unsafe without the proper safety equipment or
protective clothing. If this happens, we would like you to e-mail us with your concerns and make a serious complaint. It is vital
that your complaint includes the following information: Your name and WWOOF
membership number, the Hosts name and membership number, your contact details,
the dates you stayed with the host and tell us in detail what the problem
is/was. This will set in motion our Complaints Procedure (see below for
details), which involves confronting the host with the complaint in an attempt
to ensure there is not a repeat of the problem, or at our discretion, cancel the
Hosts registration immediately.
Before making a
complaint we ask you to give the matter some thought and decide if you just wish
to give us some feedback about the negative aspects of your stay, or make a formal serious
complaint. If you feel that the events leading to your complaint are
serious, then the way to resolve this and ensure future WWOOFers are not put
through the same ordeal is to e-mail us with the details and allow us to follow it up. Please don't feel
intimidated or shy, we take complaints seriously and we do follow them up
sensitively and confidentially.
NOTE: WWOOF cannot condone the breaking of State
and/or Federal laws. WWOOF reserves the right to cancel a Hosts registration
immediately if we believe the Hosts’ actions may bring the name of the WWOOF
program into disrepute.
Complaints about WWOOF Hosts
We rely heavily on feedback
from all members to maintain a working program. All complaints must be in
writing, with names, membership numbers, and dates. We verify the identity of
the WWOOFer making the complaint, but treat this information as confidential.
If we receive a complaint,
we will contact the Host about whom the complaint was made to follow up the
issues raised. We will also require the Host to provide us with contact and
Membership details of other WWOOFers who have visited the Host. Failure to
provide these details will result in the Hosts registration being cancelled. We
are aware that many problems arise due to personality conflicts, and we always
take this into account when dealing with complaints. We also take into
consideration the length of time a Host has been in the program and the number
of WWOOFers they host.
General Complaints
For complaints about unsuitable
accommodation, food, inaccurate Host entries, unreasonably long working hours
etc. we will ask for details of other WWOOFers who have visited the Host. We ask
these WWOOFers about their experiences with the Host. First complaint, we
inform the Host of the complaint, discuss the issues raised and request a reply
in writing and contact WWOOFers who have visited the Host for their feedback. If
the complaint is verified, we will discuss changes that will need to be adopted
by the Host and, if appropriate, alter the Hosts entry in the book to better
reflect conditions on the property. Second complaint, we inform the Host
again, discuss why this issue is still a problem, what can be done to resolve
the problem and warn the Host that a third complaint will result in the Hosts
registration being cancelled. Third complaint, we will cancel the Hosts
registration.
Complaints regarding health and safety or
sexual harassment
If we receive a complaint about
health and safety or inappropriate behaviour, including sexual harassment, we
will contact the Host to inform them of the complaint, and that their Host
registration has been suspended pending resolution of the complaint. The Host
will be listed on the Deleted
Hosts list on our Website and Amendment Sheet.
This may seem harsh; however, when there is a concern raised about health and
safety or sexual harassment, we must err on the side of caution, as we have a
duty of care towards our members.
If the Host disputes the
complaint, the Host will be required to provide us with a written statement
refuting the complaint, and provide us with details of other WWOOFers who have
visited the Host. We will then contact other WWOOFers who have visited the Host.
If similar concerns are raised we will cancel the Host’s registration
immediately. If the complaint is resolved to our satisfaction, the Host will be
reinstated, and be removed from the Deleted
Hosts list on our Website and
Amendment Sheet. If we receive a second similar complaint at any time in the
future, the Host registration will be cancelled immediately.
Complaints about WWOOFers
We follow a similar procedure for complaints about WWOOFers. All complaints must be in writing, with names, membership numbers, and dates. We verify the identity of
the WWOOF Host or WWOOFer making the complaint, but treat this information as
confidential.
If we receive a complaint,
we will contact the WWOOFer about whom the complaint was made to follow up the
issues raised. We will also require the WWOOFer to provide us with details of other WWOOF
Hosts they have visited. We
are aware that many problems arise due to personality conflicts, and we always
take this into account when dealing with complaints.
For complaints about inappropriate
behaviour, unwillingness to work
etc. we will contact other Hosts the WWOOFer has visited and ask
these Hosts about their experiences with the WWOOFer. First complaint, we
inform the WWOOFer of the complaint, discuss the issues raised and request a reply
in writing and contact Hosts who have hosted the WWOOFer for their feedback. If
the complaint is verified, we will discuss changes that will need to be adopted
by the WWOOFer if they are to remain in the program, if it is a very serious
complaint we will offer them a refund and request the return of their WWOOF
book. Second complaint, we inform the WWOOFer
again, discuss why this issue is still a problem, what can be done to resolve
the problem and warn the WWOOFer that a third complaint will result in the
WWOOFers
registration being cancelled. Third complaint, we will cancel the
WWOOFers
registration and request the return of their WWOOF Book.
NOTE: WWOOF cannot condone the breaking of State
and/or Federal laws. WWOOF reserves the right to cancel a WWOOFers membership
immediately if we believe the WWOOFers’ actions may bring the name of the WWOOF
program into disrepute.
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WWOOF Pty Ltd (A.C.N. 085-920-690) 2166 Gelantipy Road, W Tree, via Buchan, Vic 3885 Australia
E-mail wwoof
@ wwoof.com.au (no spaces)
Phone (03) 5155-0218
From outside Australia,
Telephone +61-3-5155-0218
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