Talking with your provider
Raising your concerns directly with your service provider can be an effective way to resolve complaints. It can also help you maintain a good relationship with your service provider. For this reason, when you submit a complaint to the Commission, we ask whether you have already attempted to raise your concerns with the provider.
This page provides information about:
- How to go about resolving your complaint with your provider and
- What to do if for some reason you feel unable to raise your complaint with the service provider.
How to go about raising your concerns with your service provider
Before you contact your service provider with your complaint, check their website to read their complaints policy. This will let you know how they prefer to receive their complaints (in writing or by phone), who you should contact and what you can expect from them in return, including how long it might take to respond to your complaint.
Once you have this information, start to prepare your complaint. The checklist below might be helpful.
Checklist
Your complaint should contain:
- Your name and contact details.
- A concise summary of what happened. Your complaint should set out the date, time and location of the incident you are complaining about and the names of any staff members who were involved. If you are unsure of details, make this clear, it is better to avoid misunderstandings.
- Copies of any documentation you have relevant to your complaint. This might include letters, case notes or diary entries.
- Exactly what it is that has made you want to make a complaint.
- The outcomes you are seeking from your complaint. Successful resolution of your complaint is more likely if you are clear and realistic about what outcome you want.
Ask the provider for a date when you can expect a response.
The Commission is available if you need help preparing your complaint or approaching your service provider. If your concerns are not resolved, you can lodge your complaint with the Commission.
What to do if you cannot talk to your service provider
We recognise that some complaints cannot be raised directly with your provider. There are many reasons for this, including that your provider has gone out of business or is no longer operating in the Territory. It may also be that you don’t feel comfortable making this contact.
If this is the case, contact us at the Commission and discuss your concerns with our staff.