How to work with your telco
Try to resolve your complaint with your telco first before coming to us. Your telco should acknowledge your complaint and work with you to resolve it. Many complaints are resolved quickly once you have contacted your telco.
If you can’t resolve your complaint with your telco, make a complaint with us.
If you need help or advice, we will help you understand your rights and responsibilities when trying to resolve your complaint with your telco.
We want to make sure we handle your complaint the right way when you ask us for help. Our service is accessible, fair and efficient for everyone.
How to make a complaint with your telco
You can complain to your telco by phone, letter, email, online or in-store. You can find your telco’s contact information on our website.
Your telco must put its contact details in its complaint handling process on its website.
When you contact your telco to make a complaint, these tips will help:
- explain what you would like to happen
- ask when you will get a resolution
- ask for a reference number for your complaint
- be respectful and willing to work with your telco to resolve the complaint.
You don’t need to:
- use specific words for your telco to consider your contact as a complaint
- use a specific method to make a complaint, e.g. only accepting complaints in writing.
Giving your telco an opportunity to resolve your complaint
Your telco should work directly with you (or your representative) to resolve your complaint.
Your telco must:
- try their best to resolve complaint on the first contact
- acknowledge a written complaint within 2 working days
- understand the details of your complaint and any special needs you have
- work quickly to resolve urgent issues
- communicate in a clear and fair way, treating you with respect
- try to offer a resolution within 15 days
- let you know you can raise your complaint with the TIO if you are not satisfied with how your complaint is being handled, or if you can’t reach a resolution.
I have attempted to contact my telco but have been unsuccessful
You can tell us if it has been hard to contact your telco. We will work with you to understand how you tried to contact them and find the best way to help you.
We will ask you about your attempts to contact your telco to find the fairest way to assist you.
We will consider (in addition to the facts and circumstances of your complaint):
- how you tried to contact your telco
- when you tried to contact them
- any additional information about your attempts
Working with us to help you resolve your complaint
If you haven’t been able to resolve your complaint with your telco, you can contact us for help.
We will consider your efforts to resolve the complaint and your personal circumstances to find the best way to help you. This could include connecting you with a specific complaint handling area within your telco or starting a formal investigation.
More information available
You can read more about your rights, responsibilities and what you need to do when working with your telco to resolve your complaint in the links below: