Complaints

Anyone. You don't have to be aged over 18. You don't have to live in Victoria. And you don't have to be an Australian citizen.

Nothing. We provide a free service to people who make a complaint to us. Victorian taxpayers fund our service.

An email or letter is best but an initial phone call may help

It is usually best to put your complaint in writing. This is particularly true if you are dealing with a large organisation.

If you write, someone will have the job of answering your letter. And your complaint is more likely to get to the right department or person.

Phoning the organisation

It may help to make a phone call to the organisation first. A phone call can help clarify the issues. And it may help you understand the organisation's complaint-handling procedures. For example, for some complaints, you may need to fill in a special form.

If you do phone the organisation

• tell them about your complaint
• ask if they can help and
• ask what they intend to do.

Keep notes of

• the person's name and position
• the time and date of your call
• what was said.

You may be asked to put your complaint in writing. This is likely if your matter is complicated or there is a significant history to it.

Addressing your email/letter

Send your email/letter to the organisation's complaint-handling area, if there is one.

If you are unable to identify such an area, mark your email/letter to the attention of the head of the organisation (eg the CEO of a Council).

What to include

You should be clear and to the point. Summarise in a couple of sentences what your complaint is about. Don't give unnecessary detail.

Your email/letter should be set out in a logical order and include:

• the date
• your name, address and day-time phone number
• a description of the incident or problem
• dates, places, times, and names of people
• details of any phone conversations and meetings
• any explanations you think are important
• copies of relevant documents
• the result you are seeking.

Tell the organisation what you need

Explain what action you think could resolve your problem. This will give them a chance to fix a mistake or an omission.

Make sure your requests are reasonable.

If your request is realistic and within the power of the person you are writing to, you are more likely to get a result.

Ask for action

• Request that they acknowledge your email/letter in writing.
• Ask the organisation how long it will take to deal with your complaint. If there is a degree of urgency involved, let them know this and explain why.

Four weeks (28 days) is usually a reasonable length of time in which to receive an answer to a non-urgent complaint.

Keep records

It is important that you keep copies of all the emails/letters you send and receive, as well as details of all phone calls.

If you end up making a complaint to us, we will want to see evidence of how they handled your complaint.

Knowing your complaint’s progress

If nothing happens, call the organisation to check on the progress of your complaint. If they are not able to provide you with an update, then write again or contact us.

Dissatisfied with the response?

If you are unhappy with the outcome, ask the organisation what appeal rights are available to you.

After this process, if you are still unhappy about the outcome, complain to us. Or if the organisation has not responded in a reasonable time (say within 28 days), complain to us.

Have you made a complaint to the organisation already?

It's always better to see if they can resolve your problem first.

If you're not happy with their response and the issue continues to affect you, we may be able to help.

It's helpful to have a few things ready before you start your complaint with us. You will be asked for the below information in our online form or if you call us:

• dates of when it happened
• which organisation it involved
• any documents about your complaint eg
  • email or letter you sent the organisation to complain
  • their response, if any
  • photograph/s, if any.

• what outcome you're looking for. If you're unsure, we can talk to you about what outcomes may be possible.

No. You can make a complaint anonymously. But this means we won't be able to get in touch with you for more details or to let you know the outcome of your complaint.

If you're making a complaint and you give us your name and contact details, we may forward them on to another person or organisation. This would be for the purposes of investigating and considering your complaint. If you do not want your name or details passed on, you should request this at the time of making your complaint.

If you're reporting improper conduct , your identity is kept confidential.

Yes. But only with their permission.

We will ask you for their contact details. We will contact them to make sure they are happy for you to act on their behalf. You will then be responsible for updating them on any progress or informing them of the outcome.

We aim to:

• Acknowledge your complaint; tell you who is dealing with your complaint; and give you their contact details - within 10 business days.
• Deal with most straight-forward complaints - within 30 days.
• Deal with complaints after making enquiries - within 90 days.
• Investigate more complex cases - within 9 months.
  
• Update you about your complaint, unless it is not practical or appropriate to do so - every 4 weeks.

Find out more about our service standards in our Service Delivery Charter.

We are able to fix some complaints by contacting the organisation involved.

The organisation may agree to actions such as:

• Reversing the decision or action at the centre of the complaint.
• Acknowledging their mistake and apologising.
• Providing a better explanation for their decision or action.
• Waiving unfair fees or making payments where appropriate.

If your complaint cannot be easily resolved, sometimes we will look into it further and see whether we should investigate. We only investigate less than 10% of complaints we receive. Learn more about the Investigations process.

There are some complaints that cannot be resolved and that we decide not to investigate. If we do not intend to take further action on your complaint, we will explain why. Where possible, we will provide you information about other available options.

No.

We need to make sure we use our resources to the best advantage of all Victorians.

This means we may not look into your complaint if, for example:

• You have not already made a complaint to the organisation. All public organisations should have procedures to respond to complaints.
• It has been more than 12 months since the decision or action you are complaining about.
• No practical or meaningful outcome can be achieved.

If we do not intend to take action on your complaint, we will explain why. Where possible, we will provide you information about other available options.