Complaints Handling Code of Practice

Providers must have a code of practice that clearly provides information on the handling complaints and the resolution of disputes.  Providers must implement the following measures, at a minimum, to assist consumers (and businesses) when they need to contact them with a complaint.

Making a complaint

To make it easier to make a complaint, the Provider is required to provide at a minimum the following complaint handling channels:

• A Freephone (1800) telephone or 19XX short code number that is free to all consumers
• An electronic means of contact – e.g. an email address or an online complaint form, where the consumer can attach documents to send to the service provider if they need to as part of their complaint. The electronic means of contact should have no word character restrictions and the consumer must be able to download or print a copy of what they submit or be provided with a record of the complaint in a durable form.
• An address to write to the service provider.

Consumers who make a complaint to their provider using a customer service channel that is not a complaint handling channel, must be appropriately dealt with via that channel or re-directed by their provider to the relevant complaint channel and to their code of practice.

It is not necessary for consumers to use a particular word or phrase to make a complaint.

Consumers cannot be transferred to any other section of the service providers business if the transfer results in a higher cost of the call to make the complaint.

Process for resolving complaints

A complaint must be acknowledged within two working days and the acknowledgement must include details of the link to the Provider’s code of practice and a unique reference number that allows the complaint to be logged and tracked.

If your provider ignores the issue raised or does not make a meaningful attempt to resolve it, it will be deemed to be a complaint after 2 working days.

A provider must issue a complaint response within ten working days. When a resolution cannot be provided within 10 working days, the complaint response must give a timeframe for resolution (where appropriate), and advise that a dispute can be referred to ComReg.

A complaint must be recorded and tracked.

Providers must retain records relating to a complaint, including audio recordings,  for at least 12 months after the date the complaint is finally closed.

Refunds

Providers must also specify in their code of practice the mechanism whereby consumers (and businesses) can avail of a reimbursement of payments, payments of compensation and payments in settlement of losses.

Publication of Code of Practice

A working link to an up-to-date code of practice for complaint handling must be clearly published on the home page of the provider’s website and the code must be able to be located by consumers using certain search words on the service provider’s website – for example ‘complaint’ or ‘how to make a complaint’.

For more information see Code of Practice for Complaint Handling, Minimum Requirements for ECS Providers.