Customers Complaints Handling Policies

Complaint Handling Process – Summary

Our principles:
You have a right to complain, and if you do we will deal with your complaint in a fair, efficient, objective
manner and through a transparent process.
We strive to solve any problems you may have during your first contact with us.
Our complaint handling process complies with the requirements of the Telecommunications Consumer
Protections Code C628:2012 (TCP Code) and responsibility for compliance with the process lies with our
Chief Operating Officer.

Free of charge:
We will not charge you for dealing with your complaint in most instances, and we will never charge you
without telling you first.
We may charge you to recover our costs in very specific circumstances only, i.e. we may charge you
where you request information that was collected more than two years ago or where you request us to
provide information that is not free of charge as per our Standard Form Customer Contract or our
Critical Information Summary.
If cost recovery charges apply, we will tell you before charging you (and you may of course choose not
to pay and discontinue your complaint) and we will inform you about your options for external dispute
resolution, e.g. the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

How to make a complaint?

If you wish to complaint, please contact us:
During the hours of 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday on phone number 1300 780 187
Email: ask@teslatelecom.au
Complaints lodged afterhours will be responded to by close of business the following working day.
If you are calling us from a landline, your call to our 1300 number will be charged at your local call rate.
Note that calling us from a mobile may be more expensive.
We will help you formulating, lodging and progressing your complaint if you request this.
Of course you can appoint an authorised representative or advocate to make a complaint on your
behalf.

What we will do:

Acknowledge…
We will acknowledge your complaint immediately if you complained to us over the phone, and within 2
working days if you have lodged your complaint through any other channel including where you left a
message on our answering machine (e.g. outside our office hours).
When we acknowledge your complaint, we will give you a unique reference number or similar to enable
you to easily follow up on your complaint. We will also give you an indicative timeframe for resolving
your complaint. You can follow up on your complaint by calling 1300 780 187 or emailing
ask@teslatelecom.au.

…And Solve

Our goal is to always fix your problem during your first contact with us.
Sometimes this is not possible and we need to investigate the matter. We will then agree with you on
how to fix your problem (this may include waiving of fees or other commercial solutions) and advise you
accordingly within 15 working days of receiving your complaint. We will advise you in writing if you
request this.
Occasionally it may take longer than 10 working days to investigate your problem and in this case we
will explain why and give you a new expected timeframe.
If the delay is more than 10 working days (and is not the result of a Mass Service Disruption) we will also
inform you about your options for external dispute resolution such as the TIO.
We will implement all actions required to fix your problem within 15 working days unless you agreed
otherwise or unless you have not done something that we needed you to do and we cannot proceed
because of this.

What if your complaint is urgent?

Your complaint will be treated as urgent
• if you have applied for being in financial hardship under our Financial Hardship Policy and the
issue you are complaining about directly contributes to the Financial Hardship you are
experiencing, or
• if your service has been disconnected or is about to be disconnected and due process has not
been followed, or
• if you are receiving Priority Assistance (e.g. because of a severe medical condition) for the service
you are complaining about.
In this case we will agree with you on how to address the issue and implement all required actions to fix
the issue within 2 working days. If there is a delay, we will explain why, provide you with a new expected
timeframe, and if it is a longer delay also inform you about your options for external dispute resolution
such as the TIO.

If you are unhappy with our efforts:

If you tell us that you are not satisfied with the complaint timeframes, its progress or the outcome or if
you tell us your complaint ought to be treated as urgent, we will escalate your complaint internally. If
you are still dissatisfied, we will inform you about your options for external dispute resolution such as
the TIO.
We will never cancel your service because you have contacted an external dispute resolution scheme.
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
We encourage you to always contact us first if you experience any problem or are unhappy. We will do
our best to solve your problem during our first contact.
You can contact the TIO as follows:
Phone: 1 800 062 058
Fax: 1 800 630 614
Online: http://www.tio.com.au/making-a-complaint
The services of the TIO are free of charge.