Making a complaint for someone else
Who you can represent
You can act on someone else’s behalf when going through our complaints process.
You may be:
- an advocate
- a family or friend
- a carer
- credit repair agency
- financial counsellor
- legal representative
- or for a small business, you could be an employee.
How the process works
The usual complaints process still applies when making a complaint on someone else’s behalf. You can read more about our complaint process here.
If you're making a complaint for someone else, the usual steps still apply. You can learn more about our complaint process here.
The only differences are:
1. To contact us, you must have verbal consent
When you first contact us, we need the verbal consent of the person you are representing.
2. If your complaint moves to the next stage, you need their written consent
Providing written consent involves asking the person you are representing to complete an authorisation form that gives you permission to make the complaint on their behalf.
Read more about the stages of a complaint process in What to expect
3. You will need to be actively engaged in the complaints process.
This means:
- being available to speak to the service provider and the TIO
- providing information and documentation for the complaint
- making decisions on behalf of the person you are representing about how the complaint is resolved.
Authorisation forms
We will let you know when the person you are representing will need to complete an authorisation (consent) form. If you’re unsure, you or the person you are representing can call us to ask.
If you’re representing an individual
For individuals and sole traders with an account registered under their personal name.
Download form: Authorisation of representatives – Individual
If you’re representing a small business
You’ll need information about the business, including:
- employee numbers
- annual turnover
- business activities and structure
- telecommunications services used.
Download form: Authorisation of representatives – Business
How to return the authorisation form
Return your completed and signed form by:
Fax
1800 630 614
Post
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
PO Box 276
COLLINS ST WEST VIC 8007
Online
Update your existing complaint online and upload your form as an attachment.
Make a complaint now
Start your complaint online now.
Or call us on 1800 062 058
If you still aren’t sure if we can deal with your complaint, contact us. If we can’t help, we’ll refer to another organisation who can.