Transcript
Complaints and conciliation video three - Early Intervention
Some complaints come to Consumer Protection that we believe consumers and businesses may be able to resolve with just a little prompt from us. This is an informal process we call “early intervention.”
It’s an opportunity for you to find a fair solution together. And you’ll save the time and energy of going to conciliation and potentially the Magistrates Court.
You’ll each receive an email that includes:
- our complaint number
- key points about the complaint, and
- information about what happens next.
Businesses also receive:
- the consumer's contact info, and
- an identifying number (invoice, order number, etc) that links the consumer to their purchase or service.
We encourage businesses to reach out to consumers to resolve an issue within seven working days of hearing from us.
For consumers
If you reach an agreement at this stage and resolve the complaint, happy days! It is a good idea to get the agreement in writing. Please reach out to let us know what you’ve agreed to.
More importantly, please contact us if you:
- have not heard from the business within seven working days,
- cannot reach an agreement together, or
- reached an agreement, but the business hasn’t provided the remedy.
As the issue has not been resolved, your complaint will move into the conciliation queue. It will be assigned to one of our conciliators in order of priority. When this happens, we’ll send you an email with more details about conciliation and next steps.
For businesses
Early intervention is successful when you’re willing to work with the consumer.
The consumer will let us know if you don’t contact them or couldn’t reach an agreement together. In that case, the complaint will move into conciliation.
So, when you receive our email, be proactive. Reach out to the consumer, even just to say you’re aware of the complaint and will be in touch in the next few days. Then, follow up to learn more about the issue and start negotiations.
We don’t expect you to resolve the issue within seven days, but you should start the conversation. Keep in regular contact with the consumer if it's going to take some time to sort things out. Communication is key.
If you’ve tried to negotiate but are feeling stuck, we’re happy to help. Give us a call for some education and advice.
Closing
This early intervention process is the quickest and easiest way to resolve a formal complaint. However, if you can’t reach an agreement this way, the next step is conciliation.
Next in our Complaints and Conciliation video series, is the conciliation process.
To better understand the complaint process or your rights and responsibilities as a consumer or business, visit our website at consumerprotection.wa.gov.au or give us a call on 1300 30 40 54.