I have never written a letter of complaint before - i tend to let most things wash over me - but for the past week or so i have been considering sending a 'damning' letter of complaint. I have actually drafted one, but am unsure about sending it incase it smacks of 'soor grapes'. It isn't by the way - or, at least, i don't think it is...But then, i would say that.
Anyway, the background is that a couple of weeks ago i was telephoned by the director of a company and invited for an interview. I had initially sent my application form off to them. No where in my application did i mention the fact i was on maternity leave, but when the director asked what hours i was working at the moment (to arrange the interview around me) i told him about the mat leave. The interview was for the position of home manager at a residential home for adults with learning disabilities. I was to be interviewed by him and another home manager.
The initial interview was postponed as the director was off sick (fair enough) and when i arrived at the rearranged date it was to discover that he was still off sick and i was to be interviewed by the home manager and an admin assistant. I was a bit 'hmmm' as generally you're interviewed by people with a background in social care etc because of the responsibility of the job, but anyway...
The interview was like none i'd ever had before. And i've been interviewed many times before, and also been the interviewer. It was almost like an 'informal chat'. I was asked nothing about my skills, experiences, knowledge. There were no competency questions. I was asked for my strengths and weaknesses but that was it. However, the first question i was asked was about being on maternity leave (so the director must have made a note on my file after our telephone conversation). I was asked how old my child was, and whether i had childcare sorted for her. I was 
and i know they're not allowed to ask that, so i decided there and then i didn't want the job anyway and i wish now that i had walked out or said something, but instead i sat there a bit 
but allowed them to continue.
My second issue of complaint is that the home manager said they had been in 2 minds about my application because they'd thought i was too young! She asked me to confirm my age - 31! - and then told me how i would be managing people a lot older than me and how they might not like it. I informed her that i had been home manager for a number of years and had managed people of various ages with no problems. Or, at least, no problems caused by me 'being too young'.
There were a few other things, mainly around just how unprofessional the whole interview was, but the 2 issues above are my main gripes. Needless to say, i didn't get the job, and didn't even have the courtesy of a phone call or letter to say i had been unsuccesful.
The letter i have drafted is around how how i feel i was blatantly discriminated against - it wasn't even subtle ffs! - and the fact that the interview content was shit, and how can you employ someone for such a responsible job based on a crappy interview like that? I've mentioned in the letter that i have concerns that if that is how they interview for managers then what is their interview process like for support workers? It seemed to be very much a popularity interview and if my face had fitted then i would have gotten the job. I also mentioned that given the lack of structure and questions how could they be sure that they were meeting CQC requirements for managers, and that i would be informing CQC of this. I feel the CQC part may be a damning too far!
So, WIBU to complain? WIBU unreasonable to copy CQC into the letter? For the record, i actually now have a new job, and if i had been offered that job there's no way in hell i would have taken it.