Complaints Handling Policy

1. We want to fix problems

This Complaints Handling Policy is issued by JND Comms Pty Ltd (ABN 58 686 602 666), trading as heardle. We want to resolve problems quickly, fairly, and at no charge to you. This policy is our written complaints handling process. It does not limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law or your right to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

In this policy, a working day is a day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday in New South Wales, where our principal place of business is.

heardle does not offer Priority Assistance. If you have a diagnosed life-threatening medical condition that depends on a working telephone service, tell us so we can discuss your options.

2. What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about our products, services, or how we handled an enquiry or an earlier complaint, where you expect a response or a resolution. You do not have to use the word “complaint”.

Asking for information or support, or reporting a fault that is not a network outage, is not a complaint unless you tell us you want it treated as one. A matter already in legal proceedings is not a complaint under this policy.

If we are not sure whether you are making a complaint, we will ask you. If you say yes, we will record it as a complaint even if we resolve it on first contact.

3. How to make a complaint

You can complain yourself, or an authorised representative or advocate can complain for you. It is free. You can use any of these methods:

• Phone: 1300 1 Heard (1300 143 273), Monday to Friday 9:00am–5:00pm Australian Eastern Time (excluding NSW public holidays). You can speak to a staff member about your complaint. If we use a phone menu, the first set of options includes speaking to someone about a complaint.
• Email: complaints@heardle.com.au (any time)
• YOUR.heard: submit a support request when signed in and say it is a complaint (any time)
• Post: Factory 8, 3 Fairmile Close, Charmhaven NSW 2263, or PO Box 4604, Lake Haven NSW 2263
• In person: by appointment at our Charmhaven office (we do not operate retail stores)

Please include your account name or number, service address, a clear description of the issue, and the outcome you want. If the complaint is about a charge, say which invoice or amount you dispute.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact us through the National Relay Service on 1800 555 660 or accesshub.gov.au. If you need an interpreter, the Translating and Interpreting Service is 131 450.

4. Help to lodge or progress a complaint

Tell us if you need help making or progressing a complaint, or understanding this process, including if you have a disability or accessibility need, are from a non-English speaking background, are in financial hardship, or have other special needs. See also our Accessibility page and our Payment Assistance Policy.

5. What we will do

We will try to resolve your complaint when you first contact us. If we cannot, we will investigate in a way that matches how serious the issue is, keep you informed, and offer a remedy that addresses the cause and your situation.

• Acknowledge: immediately if you complain by phone or in person; within 2 working days if you complain by email, YOUR.heard, or post.
• Reference: we will give you a unique complaint reference (your YOUR.heard ticket number, or another number we give you) so you can check progress.
• Propose a resolution: within 10 working days of receiving the complaint, unless it is urgent (see below).
• Implement: within 5 working days after you accept the proposed resolution, unless we agree another time with you, or we are waiting on an action you agreed to take.
• Confirm in writing: within 5 working days after we have implemented the resolution, or within 5 working days of your request for written confirmation of the complaint or the outcome.

You do not have to accept a proposed resolution. If we reach an impasse, we will tell you about the TIO.

If the complaint is about a specific fee, we may pause collection of that disputed amount while we investigate. Other undisputed charges remain payable.

6. Urgent complaints

Tell us if you believe your complaint is urgent. A complaint is urgent if any of the following apply:

• you are a financial hardship customer (you have applied for, or have, payment assistance) and the issue could reasonably make your financial situation worse
• disconnection of a service is imminent, or has already happened without the correct process
• you receive Priority Assistance for the service (heardle does not offer Priority Assistance, but we will still treat a complaint as urgent if this applies through another arrangement)
• you are an affected person experiencing domestic or family violence and you indicate there is a threat to the safety of you or your children

We will propose a resolution for an urgent complaint, and if you accept it we will implement it, within 2 working days of receiving the complaint. We will handle domestic or family violence matters sensitively and will not ask for evidence that could increase risk.

7. If there is a delay

If we reasonably believe we cannot meet the timeframes above, we will tell you as soon as we can: the cause of the delay, when we expect to resolve the complaint, and your options if you are unhappy with that timeframe.

If the delay is expected to be more than 10 working days after the required resolution timeframe (and it is not caused by a notified mass service outage, and it is not because we are waiting on you), we will also tell you about the TIO using the wording in section 9.

8. Escalation

If you are not happy with the progress or outcome, you reasonably want the complaint treated as urgent, or you ask about other options, we will tell you about this escalation process and about the TIO within 24 hours.

If you then ask us to escalate or prioritise the complaint, we will assess that request within 5 working days. If the request is reasonable, a supervisor or senior complaints officer who was not the original handler will take it over. We will tell you how the escalated complaint will be managed.

9. Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint, you have the right to take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which is a free and independent service.

TIO: tio.com.au or 1800 062 058. The TIO generally expects you to have tried to resolve the complaint with us first.

We will also give you this TIO information if you tell us you are dissatisfied with progress or timing, if a complaint is still unresolved after 30 calendar days, and in the delay situations in section 7.

We will not cancel, restrict, suspend, or disconnect your service because you made a complaint or because you contacted the TIO.

10. Other options

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992 (privacy)
• ACMA: acma.gov.au (content and some telecommunications matters)
• Your state or territory consumer affairs / fair trading office (Australian Consumer Law)

11. Closing a complaint we cannot progress

If we reasonably consider a complaint is frivolous or vexatious, we may close it. We will write to you within 5 working days, explain why, and tell you about the TIO.

If we cannot reach you about a complaint, we will try at least 5 times on different calendar days within no more than 10 calendar days. If we still cannot contact you, we will write setting out how we tried, and give you at least 10 working days to get back to us.

12. Network outages

Complaints about a mass or notified network outage are handled under the same process, with the extra timing and notice rules in the Complaints Handling Standard that apply to those outages. A delay caused only by a notified mass outage does not require the extra TIO delay notice in section 7.

13. Records and review

We keep records of complaints, including your contact details, the complaint reference, the issues, investigation, proposed and agreed resolutions, and relevant correspondence. We monitor complaints at least every 3 months for recurring problems, and we review this policy at least once a year.

14. Accessibility

If you need this policy in another format, or help lodging a complaint, tell us. See also our Accessibility page.