8Standard on ensuring professional, effective and efficient handling of complaints

8 Standard on ensuring professional, effective and efficient handling of complaints

(1) The ACMA must determine an industry standard that: (a) applies to: (i) carriage service providers; and (ii) carriers responsible for network units that are used in the supply of services; and (b) deals with the handling of consumer complaints about the supply of services by persons listed in paragraph (1)(a) in a professional, effective and efficient manner. (2) Without limiting paragraph 8(1)(b), the standard must deal with: (a) requirements for carriage service providers to establish a consumer complaints handling process, including minimum requirements in relation to timeliness, accessibility and transparency of that process; (b) a requirement that a consumer complaint handling process established under a requirement for the purposes of paragraph (2)(a) must be free of charge for consumers; (c) requirements for carriage service providers to manage, monitor, analyse, and record consumer complaints, including requirements for response times for steps in the consumer complaints handling process to be completed; (d) requirements that, where: (i) a carriage service provider (the first carriage service provider) supplies a carriage service; and (ii) that carriage service is involved (directly or indirectly) in the supply of another carriage service (the retail carriage service) by another carriage service provider (a retail carriage service provider) to consumers; the first carriage service provider must provide reasonable assistance to; (iii) the retail carriage service provider; and (iv) any other carriage service provider who supplies a carriage service that is involved (directly or indirectly) in the supply of the retail carriage service; in managing and resolving any complaints received by the retail carriage service provider in relation to the retail carriage service. (e) requirements that, where; (i) a carrier is responsible for a network unit; and (ii) that network unit is used by a carriage service provider (the retail carriage service provider) to supply a carriage service to consumers (a retail carriage service), or to supply a carriage service that is involved (directly or indirectly) in the supply of a retail carriage service; the carrier must provide reasonable assistance to: (iii) the retail carriage service provider; and (iv) any carriage service provider who supplies a carriage service that is involved (directly or indirectly) in the supply of the retail carriage service; in managing and resolving any complaints received by the retail carriage service provider in relation to the retail carriage service.