Centrepay complaints policy for your business

Adapting or creating your complaints policy

Your policy must explain all the following:

How a customer can get a copy of the policy easily; for example, on your website, displayed in your offices, requesting a hard or digital copy.
How a customer can make a complaint, for example, by phone, via email, in person.
What details a customer should include in a complaint.
What a customer can expect from the complaint process.

The policy should also note you’ll action all the following:

provide a response in writing, or verbally if a written response is not possible
aim to resolve complaints within 20 business days
handle complaints fairly and impartially
notify Services Australia within 5 business days of any serious, repeated, or unresolved complaints
store complaint records for at least 7 years.

Your complaints process could also include membership and use of an industry complaints or disputes resolution scheme. It should also include details of other help available, for example a relevant consumer or regulatory body or Centrepay complaints and feedback.

Complaints policy template

This is an example template to help your business when writing a complaints policy for Centrepay.

Your policy must be written in Plain English and should use appropriate headings. It must include how you will apply the policy if a customer makes a complaint and options for customers who need other help.

Your policy must also include escalation processes to Services Australia or relevant consumer or regulatory bodies for serious, repeated or unresolved complaints.

This template is a guide and should be adapted or added to depending on your business needs.

We recommend including version control information.

Highlighted text should be filled in and the highlight removed before sending to us.

Meeting your obligations when handling complaints

In addition to your complaints policy for Centrepay, your business must adhere to certain complaint obligations when using Centrepay.

This includes, but isn’t limited to, all the following:

apply your complaints process to resolve complaints
provide us with details about how you investigated, dealt with and resolved complaints
show evidence of how you’ve changed or improved your complaint process
tell us about any serious, repeated, or unresolved complaints within 5 business days
train your staff in Centrepay and your complaints handling policy
meet your privacy obligations when managing any privacy related complaints.

You also need to provide your complaints policy within 5 business days if a customer requests it.

If you don’t comply with your obligations, we may suspend or remove your business from Centrepay.

Businesses approved for Centrepay must meet their contractual obligations as outlined in the Centrepay Policy for Businesses and Centrepay Terms of Use.

Submitting complaints to Services Australia

Depending on who makes the complaint will determine how the complaint needs to be sent to us.

Customer complaints

If you can’t resolve a complaint satisfactorily, we can help.

You can refer your customers to use any of the following:

written online form
call our Feedback and Complaints line
visit one of our service centres.

If you know a customer is not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint they’ve made to you, you must tell us within 5 business days. You can do this by contacting our Centrepay for businesses team.

Business complaints

If you have a complaint about a decision notice we’ve issued, you’ll need to do both of the following:

lodge the complaint as directed in the notice we gave you
provide sufficient information to enable us to investigate.

We’ll investigate your complaint and notify you how we propose the complaint can be resolved.

We’ll do this within 20 business days of whichever date is the latest either:

the day you make the complaint
the day you give us further information we ask for.

You can also make a general complaint or give feedback about Centrepay.

If you need help

If you don’t understand your obligations or you’re worried you’re not complying, you can contact our Centrepay for businesses team.