Whilst 2talk hopes that its customers (former, current and potential) will not have cause to be dissatisfied, we absolutely acknowledge the right for our customers to make a complaint and for it to be resolved in an objective, efficient and fair manner. 2talk’s complaint handling process meets the following broad principles:
You can contact 2talk via the following methods:
You may wish for someone else to deal with us on your behalf. This might be a family member, friend, your carer or your advocate. If so, you need to let our Customer Service Team know who that person is, so that we can add them to your account as an “authorised representative”. Contact the Customer Service Team using the details listed above.
If you a person with a hearing or speech impairment and/or you use a text phone (TTY) or a computer with a modem, you can contact us by using the National Relay Service (NRS). You can use the NRS for no additional charge. Contact the NRS using a modem or TTY by dialling 133 677 and quoting the relevant 2talk telephone number (listed above).
Customers having difficulty with English can communicate with us via the National Translator and Interpreter Service by calling 13 14 50.
When you make a complaint, you will be allocated a unique reference number. The reference number will be the ticket created to record your complaint. This will be provided:
Where possible, we will endeavour to resolve your complaint at the first instance as this is in everybody’s interests.
We will discuss the elements of your complaint to enable appropriate classification into different categories and enable us to analyse trends and identify potential systemic issues. We will use our findings to continually strive to improve your customer experience.
When making a complaint that involves the disputation of charges, you will need to specify the amount or the nature of the charges that you are disputing. We will not take any further Credit Management action in relation to a specified disputed amount whilst the complaint remains unresolved and continues to be investigated by either 2talk, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) or another recognised external dispute body, nor will we cancel your service just because you are making a complaint.
Credit Management action in this case refers to the process by which we manage credit risk and/or the collection of outstanding debts from current and former customers.
If, during our discussions regarding your complaint, it seems you may be having trouble paying your account, we will talk to you about the possibility of payment options, including our Financial Hardship Process.
We will delay the commencement of any legal proceedings while your complaint is being handled internally and for 7 Working Days after you are advised of the outcome of the complaint.
In some cases, either upon your request or upon the discretion of our customer service staff, the complaint may need to be referred to a Team Manager. The Team Manager may then need to call upon the authority or expertise of staff in other departments or relevant third parties. In this instance a “firstcontact” resolution may not be possible however you will receive a complaint reference and we will endeavour to resolve your complaint within our resolution timeframes.
If you are not happy with the response times given, or wish to have your complaint assessed and treated as an Urgent Complaint, we will advise you within 5 Working Days (or 2 Working Days if you wish your complaint to be treated as urgent) of;
We will endeavour to resolve your complaint at first contact but, if after our initial assessment we are unable to reach a resolution, we will advise you of our proposed resolution of your complaint as soon as possible following the completion of our investigation, but in any event:
You can request to have in writing, and we will provide it within 5 Working Days of your request;
Our proposed resolution must be accepted by you before we are required to implement the solution, however we can choose to implement a solution to your benefit without your prior approval.
Following your acceptance of the proposed resolution or earlier if we choose, we will complete all the necessary actions to deliver the resolution offered within 10 Working Days of providing that resolution unless:
We understand that all customers would consider their complaint in some way “urgent” and desire a speedy resolution in all cases. However, some complaints by definition are more urgent than others as they may involve the customer being in a vulnerable position until the complaint issue is resolved. For these complaints, there needs to be a process of escalation that is respected by us and in turn all of our customers. These involve complaints where:
For urgent complaints, we will provide confirmation of the proposed resolution of the urgent aspects of the complaint and, if accepted by the customer, implement the urgent aspects of the resolution within 2 Working Days after the date the complaint is received.
If we believe we are unable to resolve your urgent complaint within 2 Working Days we will, within that time, advise you of;
In very rare cases we sometimes may encounter complaints that are frivolous or vexatious or behaviour from complainants that is in our reasonable opinion, fraudulent, racist, threatening or abusive.
We will not conclude that a complaint is frivolous or vexatious unless we have given the matter careful consideration and it has been appropriately escalated within our internal channels. After this, if we can do nothing more to assist the complainant or, in view of the complainant’s behaviour, we choose not to deal with the complainant any further, we will inform the complainant, including in writing if requested, of the reasons within 5 Working Days and tell them about the options for external dispute resolution including the TIO. We are not then required to accept any further complaints from that complainant on the same or similar issues other than in the course of an external dispute resolution process.
If, after the internal escalation and complaint handling process has concluded, you are still not satisfied with the outcome or resolution of your complaint you are entitled to refer your complaint to the TIO.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is a free and independent alternative dispute resolution scheme for small business and residential consumers in Australia with unresolved complaints about their telephone or internet services. The TIO’s contact details can be found on www.tio.com.au, or call 1800 062 058.
If we have been unable to contact you to discuss your complaint or offer a proposed resolution, we will write to you at the address or email we have on file for you to;