Complaints Handling Policy
Our customers have the right to make complaints.
This policy describes our complaints handling processes for General Complaints and Network Outage Complaints in accordance with our obligations under the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018 (the Standard). Our complaints handling processes are free of charge for consumers to use.
We will not cancel your telecommunications services for the sole reason that you are unable to resolve the complaint directly with us and pursue options for external dispute resolution.
Does this policy apply to you?
This policy only applies to telecommunications goods and services that we supply to you if you are a consumer, i.e:
(a) an individual who acquires or may acquire a telecommunications product for the primary purpose of personal or domestic use and not for resale; or
(b) a business or non-profit organisation which acquires or may acquire one or more telecommunications products which are not for resale and which, at the time it enters into a contract with us for the supply of a telecommunications product:
does not have a genuine and reasonable opportunity to negotiate the terms of the contract; and
has or will have an annual spend with the carriage service provider which is, or is estimated on reasonable grounds by the carriage service provider to be, no greater than $40,000.
A reference above to a consumer includes a reference to the consumer’s representative.
Do you need this policy in a different format?
If you need this policy in a different format if you are a consumer with a disability, from a culturally or linguistically background or have special needs please contact us or the Translating and Interpreting Service.
Definitions used in this policy
In this policy, we, our and us are all references to Launtel Pty Ltd (34 107 572 341) of 1-3 Herbert St, Invermay, TAS, 7248 and a business day is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in Tasmania.
Complaints that are dealt with under this policy
This policy is designed to deal with General Complaints and Network Outage Complaints.
Our processes for managing General Complaints are set out in Schedule 1.
Our processes for managing Network Outage Complaints are set out in Schedule 2.
General
For the avoidance of doubt, calls to request information or support or to report a fault or service difficulty are not classified as complaints, unless we are asked to treat the call as a complaint. Complaints that are managed under this policy also do not include any issue that is the subject of legal action.
See Schedule 3 for general information that applies to both General Complaints and Network Outage Complaints that are made under this policy.
Schedule 1: General Complaints
What is a General Complaint?
A General Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to us in relation to our telecommunications products, the application of our complaints handling process or our network outage complaints handling process, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected by a consumer.
How to make a General Complaint and monitor the progress of your General Complaint
If you wish to make a General Complaint, you can contact us by telephone by speaking with a member of our personnel that deals with complaints or send your complaint as follows:
Phone | 8am — 10pm Monday to Friday | |
Online | ||
Post | ||
You can also visit our office at 1-3 Herbert St, Invermay, TAS, 7248 if you would prefer to make or discuss a General Complaint with us in person during our in-office business hours of Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
If you need an interpreter, you can make a complaint by telephone using the Translating and Interpreting Service by calling 131 450. If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can make a complaint to us using the National Relay Service.
We will provide you with updates on the progress of your complaint in accordance this policy to help you monitor the progress of your complaint. You can also contact us via one of the methods set out above for an update at any time.
Urgent and non-urgent General Complaints
General Complaints may include urgent and non-urgent complaints. Urgent complaints are limited to complaints:
made by a customer who has applied, or entered into an arrangement, for financial hardship assistance and where the subject matter of the complaint can reasonably be presumed to directly contribute to or aggravate the financial hardship of that customer;
complaints where disconnection of a service is imminent or has occurred and where due process has not been followed;
complaints which involve a priority assistance consumer and the service for which they are receiving priority assistance; and
complaints made by a former, current or prospective customers who identifies as someone who is, or may be, experiencing domestic and family violence and indicates that there is a threat to the safety of that person and/or their children
How we manage General Complaints
We will assess all General Complaints for validity and urgency and ensure that our staff appointed to manage General Complaints are empowered with the capacity to determine the outcome of the complaint and are trained to address General Complaints in accordance with this policy.
We will use our best efforts to resolve General Complaints on first contact. The potential steps in the process for managing complaints that are unable to be resolved on first contact are as follows:
Step 1 – Clarify if you wish to make a complaint: In the event that our staff are uncertain if you wish to make a complaint, our staff will clarify your intentions and the circumstances where you have made contact and expressed dissatisfaction with us via one of the methods set out above.
Step 2 – Help you formulate a complaint: We will provide you with assistance to help you formulate, lodge and progress your complaint, including if you have special needs or disabilities, if you come from a non-English speaking background or if you are suffering financial hardship and have applied, or entered into an arrangement with us for financial hardship assistance.
Step 3 – Acknowledgement of complaint: Upon our receipt of your complaint, we will open a file for your complaint and provide you with a unique reference number for the complaint and instructions about how the complaints can be monitored. Where your complaint is made in person at our store, by telephone or via a live chat service our staff will acknowledge your complaint immediately during their interaction with you. If you make a complaint by email or by post, we will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days of our receipt of your complaint.
Step 4 – Initial assessment: Following our acknowledgement of your complaint we will carry out an initial assessment and investigation of it to determine if it is urgent or not and formulate a proposed resolution. We will investigate your complaint to the extent commensurate with the seriousness of your complaint, where it is not possible to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction at first contact or without an investigation.
Step 5 – Decision: If, after careful consideration and appropriate internal escalation of a complaint, we reasonably conclude that we can do nothing more to resolve the complaint or assist you and that your behaviour is frivolous or vexatious, we may decide not to deal, or to deal further with the complaint. If that is the case, we will notify you within 5 business days of this decision and provide you with reasons for the decision and options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO.
Step 6 – Response to urgent aspects of the complaint and proposed resolution: We will communicate our proposed resolution to the urgent aspects of the complaint, and if accepted by you, we will resolve those urgent aspects of the complaint, within 2 business days of receiving the urgent complaint (if we believe the resolution of the urgent aspects of the complaint can be implemented within that timeframe). If you require us to provide written confirmation of a proposed or actual resolution of any complaint, we will provide written confirmation to you within 5 business days after receiving your request.
Step 7 – Response to non-urgent aspects of the complaint and proposed resolution: We will communicate our proposed resolution to the non-urgent aspects of the complaint within 15 business days of receiving the complaint. If you require us to provide written confirmation of the proposed resolution, we will also do so within 5 business days after receiving your request. If your complaint relates to alleged billing errors, we will resolve your complaint no later than the end of the billing period immediately following your then current billing period or within 40 calendar days, whichever occurs first.
Step 8 – Communicating information about delays in resolving the complaint: If we do not believe that a complaint can be resolved within any of the above applicable timeframes, we will inform you as soon as practicable within that period of the cause of the delay, the new timeframe for resolving the complaint, and if the anticipated delay is longer than 10 business days and is not caused by a notified mass outage the avenues for external dispute resolution including the TIO.
Step 9 – Discussions: If you do not wish to accept our proposed resolution, we will make our personnel who deal with complaints available to discuss with you any other proposals that we or you may have for the resolution of the complaint.
Step 10 – Implementation of agreed resolution: Urgent complaints will be implemented as set out in Step 6 above. Non-urgent complaints within 10 business days of your acceptance of our proposed resolution of the complaint unless: (a) another resolution was otherwise agreed by you and us; or (b) you agreed to undertake actions to implement the proposed resolution by a specified time, but did not complete the actions as agreed.
Step 11 – Confirmation of resolution: We will provide confirmation to you that your complaint has been resolved as soon as practicable after we complete our investigation of your complaint or within 5 business days after receiving your request for written confirmation.
Step 12 – Closing of the complaint: After the applicable steps set out above are completed, your complaint will be closed, unless: (a) it is escalated, in which case it will be subject to the processes of the TIO or other applicable dispute resolution processes; (b) you communicate to us that you are dissatisfied with the progress of the resolution of a complaint or enquire about your options to pursue the complaint further and we have advised about our internation escalation process and options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO; (c) where we have decided not to deal, or to deal further with the complaint under Step 5 above or (d) we are unable to contact you to discuss your complaint or to advise you of the proposed resolution of your complaint after at least 5 separate attempts, with each attempt on a separate calendar day, over a period of not more than 10 calendar days.
Schedule 2: Network Outage Complaints
What is a Network Outage Complaint?
If we receive an initial call or contact from a consumer indicating that they cannot establish or maintain connection with a carriage service (service outage report) and we determine that there is a reason to suspect a network outage is occurring that is affecting or is likely to affect the consumer, the service outage report will be a Network Outage Complaint.
Network Outage Complaints do not include network outages whose sole or dominant cause is a natural disaster.
An urgent Network Outage Complaint is a Network Outage Complaint where the consumer indicates that there is a risk to their personal safety or a serious health risk; or which involves a priority assistance consumer and the service for which they are receiving priority assistance.
Information available via our website
Our network outage communications procedures are located on our website at https://www.launtel.net.au/outages-announcements.
We will ensure that the contact information made available on our website referred to above is accurate and up-to-date, including by updating our website to set out information about any new contact method we make available for customers to use to contact us about service outage reports and network outages, as soon as practicable, but no later than 2 hours after it is made available.
How to make a Network Outage Complaint and monitor the progress of your Network Outage Complaint
If you wish to make a Network Outage Complaint (whether urgent or non-urgent), you can provide us with a service outage report by telephone by speaking with a member of our personnel that deals with complaints or by sending a service outage report as follows, unless the relevant communication method is not available due to a network outage:
Phone | 8am — 10pm Monday to Friday | |
Online | ||
Post | ||
We will make a phone number (for real time communications) and live chat (for near real-time communications) available to our customers to enable them to lodge service outage reports and to seek assistance from us in the event of a network outage.
If you need an interpreter, you can provide us with a service outage by telephone using the Translating and Interpreting Service by calling 131 450. If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can provide us with a service outage using the National Relay Service.
How we manage Network Outage Complaints
We handle service outage reports and Network Outage Complaints as follows:
Step 1 – Determine whether a service outage report is a Network Outage Complaint: We will assess all service outage reports to determine if there is a reason to suspect a network outage is occurring and, if so, whether you are affected or likely to be affected by the outage or whether the report should be treated as a General Complaint under Schedule 1 of this policy. We may request information from you to assist with this determination.
Step 2 – Acknowledgement of Network Outage Complaint: We will provide you with written or verbal acknowledgment that your service outage report is a Network Outage Complaint, if possible, on first contact. We will also at the same time give you a unique reference number for the Network Outage Complaint and notify you that Network Outage Complaints are handled under our Network Outage Complaints process as set out in this Schedule 2; confirm that the outcome of the default resolution is to restore access to carriage services affected by a network outage; and provide you with details of how to contact us during the network outage and the location on our website where you can access:
our Network Outage Complaint process;
a summary of all relevant communications about the network outage as required under the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages) Industry Standard 2024 (CCO Standard);
any relevant information known about the outage and its impact on our telecommunications products; and
options about remedies available to you and other customers affected by the network outage including any bulk resolution offer.
Step 3 – Urgent Network Outage Complaint assistance: If your complaint is an urgent Network Outage Complaint, we will make all reasonable efforts to assist you with the complaint to stay connected to a carriage service during the network outage, including by considering alternative or interim options where available.
Step 4 – Implementation of the default resolution: We will take all necessary actions within our capacity to implement the default resolution (described below).
Step 5a – Status updates (for network outages that are not major outages): We will provide information about the status of a network outage on request. Where the outage is not a major outage, we will provide the following updates:
if there is a material change to the outage, as soon as practicable after we become aware of the material change; or
otherwise as frequently as we consider an update is necessary, and at least once every 24 hours until the outage is restored or rectified.
The information that we will provide, if the update relates to a material change, is details about the material change. Otherwise, we will provide a statement that there been no material change to the major outage.
Step 5b – Status updates (for network outages that are major outages): We will provide information about the status of a network outage on request. Where the outage is a major outage, we will provide the following updates:
if there is a material change to the outage, as soon as practicable after we become aware of the material change; or
otherwise as frequently as we consider an update is necessary, and at least once every 6 hours for the first 24 hours of the outage and once during each 24 hours thereafter until the outage is restored or rectified.
The information that we will provide, if the update relates to a material change, is details about the material change. Otherwise, we will provide a statement that there been no material change to the major outage.
Step 6 – Notification when network carriage services have been restored: We will notify you as soon as practicable after we consider that all services affected by an outage have been restored or fully rectified. For urgent Network Outage Complaints, within 2 calendar days of that notification, we will contact you to seek confirmation that the default resolution was successful.
Step 7 – Notification about available options, if you are dissatisfied with the resolution of the network outage complaint: We will inform you in writing as soon as practicable after sending you the notification under Step 6, confirming:
how you can make a complaint seeking a tailored resolution if you are not satisfied with the default resolution;
the steps to take if you believe the default resolution has been unsuccessful;
how you can easily and accessibly request further assistance from us if your service has not been restored; and
details of any bulk resolution offer and timeframes for accepting that offer.
Step 8 – Responding to a consumer who indicates that our attempt to implement the default resolution has been unsuccessful - If you tell us that the default resolution was unsuccessful (whether or not in response to a notice), we will take steps to implement the default resolution, no later than 2 business days after receiving your notification (for urgent Network Outage Complaints) or otherwise as soon as reasonably practicable.
Step 9 - Closing a Network Outage Complaint: We will only close:
an urgent Network Outage Complaint if your service has been restored;
a non-urgent Network Outage Complaint, no earlier than 3 business days after sending you the notification in Step 6, unless you have indicated to us that the default resolution has been successful.
Step 8 - Escalation: If you are not satisfied with the default resolution, you may make a General Complaint in accordance with this policy. Our General Complaints complaints handling process is set out in Schedule 1. If you are not satisfied with how we have
Default resolution of network outage complaints
A default resolution with reference to a Network Outage Complaint, means the outcome of restoring a consumer’s access to a carriage service affected by a network outage such that the consumer can establish and maintain that carriage service.
Default resolution of network outage complaints must occur as soon as practicable and will be implemented as follows:
We will complete all necessary actions within our capacity to implement default resolution as soon as reasonably practicable for Network Outage Complaints including urgent Network Outage Complaints.
We will make all reasonable efforts to assist a consumer with an urgent Network Outage Complaint to stay connected to a carriage service during the network outage, including by considering alternative or interim options where available.
A Network Outage Complaint is resolved when:
(a) services affected by the network outage are restored; and
(b) we have notified the consumer that services have been restored; and
(c) we have notified the consumer in writing confirming:
how they can make a complaint seeking a tailored resolution if they are not satisfied with the default resolution;
what steps to take if they believe our attempt to implement the default resolution has been unsuccessful;
the methods by which a consumer can easily and accessibly request further assistance from us if their service has not been restored; and
if we have a bulk resolution offer, details about the nature of that offer and any timeframes for accepting that offer.
The notification in paragraph (3)(c) must be sent as soon as practicable after a notification of restoration or rectification of a major outage has been sent.
We must seek confirmation from a consumer who made an urgent network outage complaint about whether our attempt to implement the default resolution has been successful within 2 calendar days of sending the notification in paragraph (3)(c).
If a consumer, who has made an urgent Network Outage Complaint responds to a notification given under paragraph (3)(c) or responds to the confirmation sought in subsection (5) indicating that the default resolution has been unsuccessful, we must take steps to implement the default resolution no later than 2 business days after receiving that response.
We must not close an urgent Network Outage Complaint until the service has been restored for the consumer.
We must not close a Network Outage Complaint less than 3 business days after sending the notification in paragraph (3)(c), unless the consumer has indicated to us that the default resolution has been successful.
Schedule 3: General information about complaints
Financial Hardship
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please see our Financial Hardship Policy.
Referral of a complaint to the TIO
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint, you have a right to take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), which is a free and independent service, after we have been given a reasonable opportunity to resolve the complaint.
We invite you to contact us in the first instance to discuss any issues that you may have with how we are handling your complaint.
TIO Contact Details | |
Telephone | |
Website | |
Legal proceedings
We will not commence legal proceedings against you with respect to the same subject matter as your complaint when your complaint is being handled internally and for 7 business days after you are advised of the outcome of your complaint.