Complaints about our services  

NSW Fair Trading is committed to providing high quality, efficient, timely and responsive services. On occasions, you – our customer – might not be happy with the service provided, or you could have concerns about the way we do things. We will always attempt to clear up anything you are not satisfied with on the spot. However, if you decide to take your complaint further, you can be sure that we will treat your concerns in an open and responsive way and within clear time frames.

This information is designed to make it easy for you to understand our customer complaint handling process.

What is a customer complaint?  

Our customer complaint management system covers complaints about the following issues:

• corporate and divisional policies
• published administrative procedures
• administrative decisions (see below for exceptions)
• non-statutory fees and charges
• actions of employees or agents
• quality of service
• timeliness of service
• accuracy of information provided 
• accessibility of services.

The following are not considered customer complaints:

• requests for information about policies or procedures
• complaints dealt with under a privacy management plan
• complaints about matters where Fair Trading has no legislative basis to either change a decision or become involved
• complaints about legislation, unless the complaint is about how Fair Trading administers it
• appeals against administrative decisions that involve other specific processes and time frames that are set out in legislation
• Complaints about fraud or corruption, which are dealt with under the Department of Finance and Services’ Code of Conduct and Comprehensive guide to reporting corrupt conduct, maladministration and serious and substantial waste of public money (PDF size: 152kb).

Top of page

Complaints 

Can anyone complain?

Yes. This policy is aimed at our customers, but there are no restrictions on who can make a complaint about us.

How do I make a complaint?

There are several easy ways to complain or provide compliments or suggestions to NSW Fair Trading. NSW Fair Trading also covers the following related entities:

• Fair Trading Administration Corporation (FTAC)
• Financial Counselling Trust Fund
• Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Authority
• Rental Bond Board.

Provide feedback in one of the following ways:

• Customer feedback form (in 7 languages)
• Write to:
  Customer Feedback Manager
  NSW Fair Trading
  PO Box 972
  Parramatta, NSW, 2124
• Phone: 9619 8671
• Phone: 13 32 20 and ask us to post you a complaint form
• Pick up a form from a Fair Trading Centre

What if I want to remain anonymous?

Although we won’t be able to respond to you about your concerns, anonymous complaints can provide us with useful pointers to service improvements. These complaints will also be registered and referred to the relevant area for review.

Top of page

What we will do 

What result do I want from my complaint?

We will do our best to deal with your complaint in a way that is reasonable to both you and us. If you tell us you want some specific action, which could range from an apology or faster processing of an application, to the review or reversal of a decision that affects you, we will treat your suggestion seriously. However, keep in mind that our response will be in accordance with our corporate policies and governed by what any relevant legislation permits us to do.

How will Fair Trading treat me if I make a complaint?

We will treat you with patience, courtesy and respect. We are open about our management of customer complaints.

Why do you register my complaint?

We register formal customer complaints for several reasons:

• knowing how many customer complaints we get is one of several ways we can judge how well we are doing our job
• analysing customer complaints lets us identify areas where we can improve
• most importantly, it allows us to keep track of your complaint and to ensure that you receive a prompt response.

What does Fair Trading do with the information it receives from customer complaints?

We actively monitor our customer complaint handling performance and evaluate customer complaint volumes and trends for service improvement purposes.

Annual reporting of customer complaints is a statutory requirement and is included in the Department of Services, Technology and Administration’s annual reports. We assure you that any personal details you give us will remain confidential to the Department.

View or download the Customer complaint management guide (PDF size: 159kb)

Top of page

Contacting you 

Who will contact me?

The manager responsible for the service you complain about, or the manager’s delegate, will contact you within 4 working days. That person might be able to resolve your complaint then and there – but if not, or if your complaint will take longer to resolve, you will be given that person’s contact details and a reference number so you can check on the progress of your complaint. In the unlikely event that you have not received any response after 20 working days, you should contact us on 9619 8671 so we can follow up your complaint with the responsible area.

How will you contact me and how long will it take?

 

Contact method	How long?
Phone or email: We will first attempt to resolve or clarify* your complaint by phone, or by email if that is how you contacted us. With your agreement, any further contact required will also be by phone or email.	We will phone or email you within 4 working days of receiving your complaint.
Letter: We will post you a letter if: we cannot reach you by phone or email we find you need a letter in response when we phone or email you you are not satisfied with our attempt to resolve or clarify* your complaint by phone or email.	We will write to you, if required, within 20 working days of receiving your complaint.

Note:
* 'clarify' may include advising you that a longer period of time may be involved if we need to obtain information from third parties.

Top of page

What if I am still not satisfied? 

Where we can’t resolve or clarify a complaint to your satisfaction, we will tell you about your rights and opportunities for external review, including through the NSW Ombudsman, the Administrative Decisions Tribunal or another legal remedy.

Top of page

Further information 

Read the full Department of Finance and Services document: Customer feedback: Complaints about DSTA’s services (PDF size: 172kb).

Top of page