If the customer service teams have not been of assistance, the complaint can be referred to Customers Relations, the specialist complaints resolution team. Customer Relations can also be contacted directly at:

• Email:     accounts@widenet.com.au

• Mail:       Attn: Wide Net Accounts, 3 Holder Ave, Richmond SA 5033

 

When making a complaint please ensure to supply current contact information. Should Wide Networks be unable to contact the customer via known methods, they will be contacted in writing and advised they have 10 business days to respond before the complaint will be closed.

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Customer Assistance

• Customers may let us know if they need assistance with understanding the complaint process or help in making or progressing a complaint. The following processes can be used to help provide customer assistance:

• Customers may nominate an authorised representative or advocate to make a complaint and deal with us on their behalf. However, to protect the customer’s privacy, permission must be provided either over the phone or in writing to speak with the authorised representative or advocate about the complaint.

• Customers with a hearing or speech impairment, can contact us by using the National Relay Service. Customers from a non-English speaking background, can contact us via a language interpreter service or nominate someone to deal with us on their behalf.

• Customers with other special needs can let us know and we will do our best to assist where possible.

 

Customer Financial Hardship

If customers are suffering temporary or ongoing financial hardship, which is defined by Wide Networks as a situation where;

• a customer is unable because of illness, unemployment, being the victim of domestic or family violence, or other reasonable cause, to discharge their financial obligations under their contract with the supplier; and

• the customer believes that they are able to discharge those obligations if payment and/or service arrangements were changed.

 

Wide Networks will work with the customer to help them respond to the financial difficulty. Wide Networks is committed to helping customers facing financial hardship maintain telecommunications access and working with them to find a sustainable solution. Any help given will depend on individual circumstances and provided on a case-by-case basis.

 

There are also a range of other financial support services available such as free financial counselling services offered in each state and territory in Australia. The following organisations are not affiliated with Wide Networks, but might provide the help needed:

 

South Australia

• Uniting Country SA

• usca.org.au

• South Australian Community Legal Centres: 08 8281 6911

• clcsa.org.au

• South Australian Financial Counsellors Association

• safca.org.au

• Relationships Australia (SA)

• rasa.org.au

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​Complaint Response Time

Following receipt of a complaint, it will be acknowledged and the customer provided with a reference number:

• immediately, if contacted by phone, or

• within 2 business days for general complaints or within 1 business day for Urgent Complaints.

 

Wide Networks will make an initial assessment, conduct an investigation and aim to resolve all complaints within the following timeframes:

• for Urgent Complaints, within 2 business days;

• for all other complaints, within 10 business days, except where the complaint involves complex matters, in which case we will aim to resolve within 15 business days.

 

For Urgent Complaints, Wide Networks will provide, within 2 business days of receiving the complaint, written confirmation of the proposed resolution and if accepted, the date the resolution was implemented. For general complaints, confirmation of the proposed resolution will be provided in writing within 15 business days of receiving the complaint. For complaints about alleged billing errors, the complaint will be resolved no later than the end of the next billing cycle immediately following the complaint. If written confirmation of the proposed resolution is requested, Wide Networks will provide such confirmation within 10 business days of the request.

 

If it is believed a resolution may fall outside of these timeframes, Wide Networks will contact the customer directly to discuss the reasons for the delay and advise a new timeframe. If the delay is expected to be longer than 10 business days, we will advise the customer of their options for external dispute resolution, including with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Where a complaint is indicative of broader problem or systemic issue, we will seek to resolve the main cause of that problem or issue.

 

Complaint Classification

Complaints received are classified into one of the following categories as appropriate:

• Billing - all complaints regarding billing issues, international roaming, excess usage, first month billing, and other billing complaints;

• Customer Service - all complaints regarding incorrect information, lack of ownership, failure to escalate, no callback, call wait times and other customer service issues;

• Faulty Service - all complaints regarding fault delay, fault process disputes, services not cancelled and other fault complaints;

• Provisioning - all complaints regarding connection issues, hardware delivery, hardware issues, infrastructure delays, missed appointments, provisioning delays, relocations and other provisioning issues; or

• Speed - all complaints regarding speed issues and congestion.

 

Urgent Complaints

A complaint will be considered an Urgent Complaint where;

• the customer has asked to be assessed (or have been approved) for financial hardship assistance and it's clear that the nature of the complaint will directly contribute to or worsen that hardship;

• disconnection of a service is imminent or has already occurred and where due process has not been followed; or

• the issue is about a service or situation that is dangerous to the customer or others.

 

Note: Wide Networks does not offer priority assistance, nor support for medi-alert services and monitored alarm systems. Priority assistance is offered by Telstra for people who may be reliant on a telephone service because of a serious medical condition. Customers who have a medi-alert or priority assistance service or believe that they are eligible, should consider this before proceeding with their order.

 

Urgent Complaints will be given priority over other complaints. Wide Networks will acknowledge a customer’s Urgent Complaint immediately if contacted via phone or otherwise within 1 business day of receiving the Urgent Complaint. Wide Networks aims to resolve Urgent Complaints within 2 business days. The customer will be contacted directly to advise and discuss a new timeframe in the event that a resolution is likely to fall outside of this timeframe.

 

If the complaint has not been considered urgent based on the stipulated criteria and the customer reasonably believes it should be, they can inform Wide Networks of this and will, within 2 business days, be advised about the internal prioritisation and escalation processes and the options for external dispute resolution, including with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

 

Complaint Escalation

If the Customer Service team is not able to resolve the complaint in the first instance, it will be escalated to a supervisor or team manager for further assistance. Where they have been unable to assist, Customer Relations will take over management of your complaint.

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If at any stage of the process, the customer is not happy with the progress or proposed resolution of a complaint or wants to know more about their options to pursue a complaint further, Wide  Networks will advise the customer of their option to reasonably request to have the complaint escalated to a supervisor of Customer Relations or options for external dispute resolution.

 

If the customer informs us they are not happy with the response times that apply to the handling of the complaint, we will, within 10 business days, advise the customer about our internal prioritisation and escalation processes and their options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO.

 

Monitoring a Complaint

Wide Networks will keep the customer updated with the status of their complaint and they may also contact us, either by phone or by email, with their reference number or customer number to request a status update. Customer Relations staff will also supply the customer with their direct contact details upon submission or escalation of the complaint. Where relevant, Wide Networks will let the customer know any reasons for any delay as soon as practical and a specific timeframe for resolution.

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Complaint Resolution

After the investigation of the complaint is completed, Wide Networks will, as soon as practicable, confirm with the customer that their complaint has been resolved. The customer will be advised either verbally (via telephone) or in writing (via email) of the outcome of the complaint. If the customer prefers a specific method of contact, they should advise Wide Networks of this when making the complaint. If written confirmation of the resolution is requested, it will be provided within 5 business days of the request.

 

Wide Networks is unable to implement any proposed resolution until the customer has accepted it. Once the resolution is accepted, Wide Networks will take all reasonable actions to implement it within 10 business days (or within 2 business days for Urgent Complaints), unless the customer has agreed upon another time frame, or where resolution required some action from the customer and they have not yet completed that action.

 

The complaint will not be closed without the customer’s consent, except where the complaint has already been appropriately escalated within Wide Networks and where;

• the customer informed us that they are not happy with the progress or resolution of the complaint and in response Wide Networks advised the customer of their options for external dispute resolution, including the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman; or

• Wide Networks have not been able to contact the customer for more than 10 business days after an attempt to contact you in writing; or

• Wide Networks reasonably believe, after careful consideration, that the behaviour or complaint is frivolous or vexatious and within 10 business days of reaching this view, we have advised the customer that will we not deal with their complaint (and the reasons why) and explained their options for external dispute resolution. If requested by the customer, we will confirm these matters in writing within 10 business days of your request.

 

External Dispute Resolution

The customer will find the majority of matters can be handled by our internal processes and we ask that they first allow Wide Networks the opportunity to exhaust all avenues in resolving their complaint. However, if the customer is not satisfied with the handling of their complaint after it has been appropriately escalated within Wide Networks, they may seek complaint mediation or further assistance from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (telephone 1800 062 058) or the fair trading department in South Australia.

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