Complaints Procedure

If we have got something wrong, we want to know. This explains how to complain, how long we take, and what to do if you are not satisfied with our answer.

Document: Complaints Procedure
Version: 1.1
Effective from: 26 August 2026
Last updated: 26 August 2026
Company: The Sporting Network Limited (Company Number 16989082)
Complaints contact: main@thesportingnetwork.com
Published at: thesportingnetwork.com/complaints

Download PDF (v1.1)

1. What this covers

This procedure is for complaints about us — how we have handled something, how we have behaved, or how the service has worked.

It is not the route for reporting another user's content or behaviour. That is faster and simpler: use the report button, or see our Content Reporting & Removal Policy. If you are complaining because you reported something and are unhappy with what we did about it, you are in the right place.

1.1 Things you can complain about

How we handled a report you made about content or another user.
A decision to remove your content, or to restrict or ban your account, where you have already appealed and remain dissatisfied.
A post of yours being hidden automatically after being reported by several users, where you have already asked us to look at it and remain dissatisfied.
How we have handled your personal information, or a request you made about it.
How long we took to do something.
How a member of our team communicated with you.
The way the service operates, where you think it has caused you harm or disadvantage.
Anything else where you think we have fallen short of our own policies.

1.2 Things handled elsewhere

Reporting harmful content. Use the in-app report button. See our Content Reporting & Removal Policy.
Appealing a moderation decision. Email main@thesportingnetwork.com with "Appeal" in the subject line, within 30 days of our decision. See section 5.9 of our Content Reporting & Removal Policy. Come here only if the appeal is finished and you are still unhappy.
A post of yours hidden automatically. Where a post has been hidden because several users reported it, you do not need to wait for the review to finish — email us and we will look at it. See section 5.4 of our Content Reporting & Removal Policy.
A child at risk of harm. Do not use this procedure. Email main@thesportingnetwork.com marked urgent, or if someone is in immediate danger call 999.
Requesting your data. Email us — see our Privacy Policy. If we do not respond properly, that becomes a complaint.

2. How to complain

Email. main@thesportingnetwork.com, with "Complaint" in the subject line.
Post. The Sporting Network Limited, 14 Hollywell Row, London, EC2A 4JB.
On behalf of someone else. A parent, carer or other representative may complain for a user. We may need the user's confirmation before we share details of the outcome with you.
If you are under 18. You can complain yourself. You do not need a parent to do it for you, though you can ask one to help.

2.1 What to include

Tell us what happened, when, and what you would like us to do about it. Include any reference numbers from earlier messages, and anything that helps us find the right records — usernames, dates, screenshots.

Do not worry about getting the format right or using the correct terms. A clear description of what went wrong is enough. If we need more, we will ask.

3. What we do and how long we take

Stage	What happens	Timescale
Acknowledgement	We confirm we have your complaint and give you a reference.	As soon as we can
Investigation	We look at the records, the decision that was made, and the policy that applied. Where a person's conduct is involved, we speak to them.	—
Response	We tell you what we found, whether we think we got it wrong, and what we are doing about it.	As soon as we can
Keeping you informed	We do not let a complaint go quiet. If we have not been able to give you an answer within a month, we will tell you where it has got to, what is still outstanding, and when you can expect to hear from us.	—
Complaints involving a child's safety	Treated as urgent and handled by our Designated Safeguarding Lead. Acted on the same day where there is any risk to a child.	Same day

Why we do not give you a fixed number of days

We are a two-person team and both of us are students, so there are periods — examinations in particular — when we cannot promise a set turnaround and would rather not publish one we might miss. What we commit to instead is answering as soon as we genuinely can, telling you where things stand if it is taking a while, and never letting a complaint go quiet. The one exception is anything involving a child's safety. That is dealt with the same day, every time, and it is not affected by anything in this paragraph.

3.1 Who handles your complaint

Complaints are handled by a director of the company. Where the complaint is about a decision made by one of us, the other reviews it. We are a small team and we will not pretend to a level of separation we do not have — but a complaint is never reviewed by the same person whose decision you are complaining about.

3.2 What an outcome can look like

We agree with you and reverse the decision.
We agree the process was wrong even though the outcome was right, and we change the process.
We explain why we reached the decision and why it stands.
We apologise where an apology is owed.
We change a policy or a feature because your complaint showed us something.

4. If you are not satisfied

4.1 Ask us to review it

Reply to our response and tell us why you think it is wrong, and include anything new you want us to take into account.

Where a director has not previously been involved in your case, that director carries out the review.

Where both of us have already been involved, we will say so. The company has two directors. If one of us made the original decision and the other handled your complaint, there is no third person inside the company to bring to a second review, and we would rather tell you that than imply an independence we do not have. In that situation we will still look again — properly, with fresh eyes and anything new you have given us — and we will also point you to the regulator, who is independent of us in a way that we cannot be.

We respond as soon as we can. This is the end of our internal process.

4.2 Go to a regulator

You do not have to finish our process before going to a regulator, and nothing here removes your right to do so at any time.

Information Commissioner's Office. For complaints about how we have handled your personal information. ico.org.uk, or 0303 123 1113. The ICO will usually ask you to raise it with us first.
Ofcom. For complaints about how we are meeting our online safety duties, including the protection of children and the handling of illegal content. ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom regulates our compliance as a service; it does not usually resolve individual disputes.
Police. For anything criminal. 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Legal advice. You may take independent legal advice at any point. Nothing in this procedure affects your legal rights.

5. How we treat you

No penalty for complaining. Complaining does not affect your account, your profile, or how you are treated on SportNet.
Confidentiality. We share your complaint only with those who need to see it to resolve it. If your complaint is about another user, we do not pass them your details unless we have to and you know about it.
Accessibility. If email is difficult for you, tell us and we will find another way. If you need more time to respond to us, ask.
Unreasonable behaviour. We will always look at what you are complaining about. We may limit contact where it becomes abusive or repetitive, but we will tell you if we do, and we will still deal with the substance.

6. What we do with complaints data

We keep a record of every complaint: what it was, what we did, and what the outcome was. We keep these for three years, or longer where the complaint concerns a child's safety. We review them periodically to see whether the same thing keeps going wrong.

Your personal information is handled in line with our Privacy Policy and our Retention Schedule.

7. Related documents

Terms and Conditions — the agreement between you and us.
Content Reporting & Removal Policy — reporting content, how reports are handled, and appealing removals.
Community Guidelines — the rules for the platform.
Safeguarding Policy — how we protect users under 18.
Adult-to-Minor Contact Policy — how contact between adults and young athletes is controlled.
Child Safety Standards Policy — our standards against child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Privacy Policy — what we do with your personal information.

8. Changes

We review this procedure at least once a year. The current version and its date are shown on the cover.

8.1 Version history

Version	Date	Change
1.0	August 2026	First version. Not published.
1.1	26 August 2026	First published version. Fixed acknowledgement and response timescales replaced with a commitment to answer as soon as we can, together with an explanation of why, a commitment not to let a complaint go quiet, and an unchanged same-day commitment for anything involving a child's safety. Section 1.2 corrected to give the actual appeal route by email rather than referring to a notice. New routes added for a post hidden automatically after multiple reports. Section 4.1 rewritten to state plainly what a second-stage review can and cannot offer in a two-director company. Section 7 expanded.

The Sporting Network Ltd · Company number 16989082 · Registered office: 14 Hollywell Row, London, EC2A 4JB · main@thesportingnetwork.com
Complaints Procedure v1.1 · Effective 26 August 2026 · Published at thesportingnetwork.com/complaints