Complaint Handling Policy

Quick summary

If you haven't received the service you expected from Goodtel, you have the right to make a complaint, free of charge. You can contact us by phone, email, mail, or through our website. We'll acknowledge your complaint straight away if you call, or within 2 working days for other contact methods, and give you a reference number. We aim to confirm a proposed resolution within 10 working days (2 working days for Urgent Complaints), and we'll always tell you if there's a delay. If your service is affected by a network outage, we handle that as a separate "network outage complaint," working to restore your service as the default resolution. If you're ever unhappy with how we've handled a complaint, you can ask us to escalate it, or take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (1800 062 058, tio.com.au) for independent, free review.

1. About this policy

This policy outlines our Complaint Handling Policy for Goodtel Communications Pty Ltd ("Goodtel"). Our complaint handling process complies with the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018. This policy is approved by Goodtel's Managing Director, who is responsible for its implementation and operation.

While we always aim to provide you with great customer service, if you haven't received the service you expected, you have the right to make a complaint. During the complaint process, we will treat you with fairness and courtesy and provide a fair and reasonable outcome to all parties involved. Our team aims to resolve any problems you raise on your first call with us, although sometimes a complaint requires investigating so this isn't always possible.

2. What counts as a complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to us about our products, or about our complaints handling process itself, where you expect a response or resolution. It also includes a network outage complaint (see section 11 below).

Contacting us to request technical support or to report a service issue isn't necessarily a complaint. Where it's not clear to us whether you want to make a complaint, we'll ask you to confirm.

3. How to contact us and make a complaint

You can make a complaint using any of the following methods, free of charge:

• Phone: 1800 114 663, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 7pm AET
• Email: hello@goodtel.com.au
• Online: www.goodtel.com.au/contact
• Post: 65 Dover St, Cremorne, VIC, 3121

You can check on the progress of your complaint at any time by contacting us using the details above and quoting your reference number.

4. We're here to help

Please let us know if you need assistance understanding this process, or help making or progressing a complaint.

• Representatives: you may nominate an authorised representative or advocate to make a complaint and deal with us on your behalf. To protect your privacy, you'll need to give us your permission (over the phone or in writing) to speak with them about your complaint.
• Accessibility: if you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact the National Relay Service on 1300 555 727 (or via relayservice.gov.au) and ask them to connect you to us on 1800 114 663.
• Language support: if you're from a non-English speaking background, you can contact us via the Translating & Interpreting Service on 131 450. You may incur fees from any third-party services you engage to assist you.
• Domestic and family violence: if you're affected by domestic, family or sexual violence, let us know and we'll do our best to assist and protect you, including keeping your contact and location details confidential where needed.
• Financial hardship: if you're suffering financial hardship, see our Payment Assistance Policy to learn more about how we can help.
   

5. Acknowledging your complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint, and give you a unique reference number and instructions on how to monitor it:

• immediately, if you contact us by phone, live chat, our app, or in store; or
• within 2 working days, if you contact us by any other means, including email or post.
   

6. How we classify and prioritise complaints

On receipt of a complaint, we classify it as outlined below. Faults arising from a network outage are handled separately under section 11 and aren't subject to this table

7. When your complaint is treated as urgent

Your complaint will be treated as urgent if:

• you've applied for, or entered into an arrangement for, financial hardship assistance, and the issue you're complaining about can reasonably be presumed to directly contribute to or aggravate that hardship;
• your service has been disconnected, or disconnection is imminent, and due process hasn't been followed;
• you're receiving Priority Assistance (for example, because of a severe medical condition) for the service you're complaining about;
• you tell us there's a threat to the safety of you and/or your children; or
• you reasonably request that your complaint be treated as urgent or escalated.

If you tell us you're dissatisfied with the response times that apply to your complaint, we'll treat this the same way: within 24 hours we'll advise you about our internal prioritisation and escalation processes and your options for external dispute resolution, and if you then ask us to prioritise or escalate your complaint, we'll assess and do so within 5 working days.

We don't offer priority assistance, or support for medi-alert services and monitored alarm systems. Priority assistance is offered by Telstra for people who may be reliant on a telephone service because of a serious medical condition. If you have a medi-alert or priority assistance service, or believe you're eligible, please consider this before proceeding with your order.

If your complaint hasn't been treated as urgent under the criteria above and you reasonably believe it should be, let us know and we'll, within 2 working days, advise you about our internal prioritisation and escalation processes and your options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO.

8. Resolving your complaint

We aim to:

• confirm a proposed resolution to alleged billing error complaints, and resolve them, by the end of the billing period immediately following your current one, or within 30 calendar days, whichever occurs first;
• confirm a proposed resolution to an Urgent Complaint, and if you accept it, implement that resolution, within 2 working days; and
• confirm a proposed resolution to all other complaints within 10 working days.

Once you accept a proposed resolution, we'll take all reasonable actions to implement it within 10 working days (2 working days for Urgent Complaints), unless we've agreed another timeframe with you, or the resolution needs an action from you that you haven't yet completed.

After we've completed our investigation, we'll confirm in writing that your complaint has been resolved, within 5 working days. We'll advise you either verbally (by phone) or in writing (by email), depending on your preference. If you request written confirmation of a proposed resolution, or of the resolution of an urgent complaint, we'll provide it within 5 working days of your request.

9. Delays

If we reasonably believe a resolution may fall outside the timeframes in section 8, we'll advise you of the cause of the delay and a new timeframe as soon as practicable. If the delay is expected to be longer than 10 working days beyond the relevant timeframe (and isn't the result of a Mass Service Disruption), we'll also advise you of your options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO.

If your complaint isn't resolved within 30 calendar days of us receiving it, we'll let you know about your options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO, if we haven't already done so.

10. Escalating your complaint

If our support team can't resolve your complaint in the first instance, we'll escalate it to a Senior Manager for further assistance, who'll discuss the complaint and decide how to resolve it.

If, at any stage, you tell us you're dissatisfied with the progress or resolution of a complaint, or you ask about your options to pursue it further, we'll, within 24 hours, advise you about our internal escalation process and your options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO. If you then indicate you'd like your complaint escalated, we'll assess and escalate it, where appropriate, within 5 working days.

We won't commence legal proceedings against you on the same subject matter as your complaint while it's being handled internally (and for 7 working days after we advise you of the outcome), or while it's being investigated by the TIO.

11. Network outage complaints

If you contact us because you can't establish or maintain connection with your service (a service outage report), we'll determine whether there's reason to suspect a network outage is affecting or likely to affect you. If so, we'll treat your report as a network outage complaint, unless the outage is solely or predominantly caused by a natural disaster, in which case we'll instead consider whether it should be handled as an ordinary complaint under this policy.

Where we treat your report as a network outage complaint, we'll confirm to you, as soon as practicable and where possible on first contact:

• that we're treating your report as a network outage complaint, with a unique reference number;
• that our default resolution is to restore your access to the affected service;
• the contact methods available to you during the outage;
• that we'll let you know once your service is restored; and
• where on our website you can find our network outage complaints handling process, updates on the outage, and details of any bulk resolution offer.

We'll take all necessary actions within our capacity to restore your service as soon as reasonably practicable. If your network outage complaint is urgent (because you've indicated a risk to your personal safety or a serious health risk, or you're a priority assistance consumer), we'll also make all reasonable efforts to help you stay connected in the meantime, including by considering alternative or interim options where available.

Once your service is restored and we've notified you, we'll write to you confirming how to make a complaint seeking a tailored resolution if you're not satisfied with the default resolution, what to do if you believe the restoration was unsuccessful, how to request further assistance, and details of any bulk resolution offer. We won't close an urgent network outage complaint until your service is restored, and we won't close any network outage complaint less than 3 working days after that written confirmation, unless you've told us the restoration was successful.

If you remain dissatisfied after your network outage complaint is resolved, you can ask us to consider it further as an ordinary complaint under this policy.

12. If we can't reach you

If, in the course of handling your complaint, we're unable to contact you to discuss it or to advise you of a proposed resolution after at least 5 separate attempts (each on a separate calendar day, over a period of no more than 10 calendar days), we'll write to you to:

• advise that we were unable to contact you;
• provide details of our contact attempts; and
• invite you to contact us to discuss your complaint within a specific timeframe of not less than 10 working days from the date of the invitation.
   

13. Closing your complaint

We'll only close a complaint with your consent, except where:

• you've told us you're not happy with the progress or resolution of your complaint and, in response, we've advised you of your options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO;
• we haven't been able to contact you for more than 10 business days after an attempt to contact you in writing or by phone (see section 12); or
• we reasonably believe, after careful consideration and internal escalation, that your behaviour or complaint is frivolous or vexatious. Within 5 working days of reaching that view, we'll advise you of our decision, the reasons for it, and your options for external dispute resolution. If you ask us to, we'll confirm this in writing within 5 working days. Where this applies, we're not required to accept further complaints from you on the same or similar issues, except as part of an external dispute resolution process.

Your telecommunications service will never be cancelled for the sole reason that you were unable to resolve your complaint directly with us and instead pursued options for external dispute resolution.

14. If you're not happy with our decision

You will find the majority of complaints can be handled by our internal processes, and we ask that you first allow us the opportunity to exhaust all avenues in resolving your complaint. However, if you're not satisfied with how we've handled your complaint, you have a right to take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which is a free and independent service, or to the fair trading department in your state or territory.

15. Other places to get help

• National Relay Service: for customers who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech or communication difficulty, call 1300 555 727 (or use relayservice.gov.au) and ask to be connected to us on 1800 114 663.
• Translating and Interpreting Service: 131 450, if you'd like to speak with us in a language other than English.
• Financial hardship: see Goodtel's Payment Assistance Policy.
• Domestic and Family Violence support: see Goodtel's Domestic and Family Violence Statement.
   

16. Approval

This policy is approved by Goodtel's Managing Director.