NSW Fair Trading sets a high standard of quality customer services to which it is committed. Our customers, the consumers and traders of New South Wales, can expect accurate information provided in a prompt and courteous manner. You can access these services by calling 13 32 20 or by visiting our Fair Trading Centres or website. More detailed information is in the brochure Fair Trading - what we can do for you.

What can you expect?

We aim to answer 90% of all telephone enquiries within 5 minutes. If you write to us, we respond as promptly as possible.

Complaint handling and dispute resolution services

We aim to finalise 85% of general consumer complaints or disputes between parties within 30 days of receiving the complaint. In other cases we contact the parties within 30 days to advise them of actions being taken.

Licences

After receiving all relevant information from the applicant and other agencies, we issue the licence within 30 working days. Some licence types may take additional time to finalise due to checks that must be carried out with external agencies.

Licence renewals are issued within 14 working days provided they are not affected by a disclosure/statement relating to an applicant’s fitness to continue the business.

Rental bond refunds

Provided both parties to a bond have agreed, refunds are usually deposited to a bank account within 2 working days or issued by postal cheque within 4 working days of receiving the claim form.

In cases where the Bond Service is required to notify either party to a bond, refunds are generally issued within 20 working days of receiving the claim form. For bond information call 13 32 20.

Registrations

Business names can be registered and renewed at any Fair Trading Centre.

When we receive a business name application by mail it is processed within 5 working days. An application to renew a business name is processed within 3 working days (where all required information is provided).

Requests for extracts from the business names register can also be processed at any Fair Trading Centre.

Association names can also be reserved at any Fair Trading Centre.

Names reservations received by mail are processed within 7 working days.

Associations can be incorporated at any Fair Trading Centre or within 10 working days by mail (where all required information is provided).

At the busy Sydney and Parramatta centres the average waiting time for business names and associations services is 20 minutes.

Co-operatives

Applications for the approval and registration of co-operatives that have met all requirements are processed within 28 working days of receiving the application.

Your contributions through customer feedback

Feedback from our customers plays an important role in reviewing and improving our services. If you have a complaint about our service, please contact us so that appropriate action can be taken and we can learn from your experience.

Complaints may be lodged at a Fair Trading Centre, relevant Branch or with Customer Feedback on 9619 8671. You may also complete the Customer feedback form, available at all Fair Trading Centres and from our website – see Contact us.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may wish to contact:

Deputy Commissioner for Fair Trading
PO Box 972
Parramatta  NSW   2124
Tel: 9895 0111

You may also contact:

NSW Ombudsman
Level 24
580 George Street
Sydney  NSW   2000
Tel: 9286 1000

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