How to Lodge a Complaint

The following methods can be used to lodge a complaint about the provision of irrigation water by customers of Gascoyne Water Co-operative Ltd (GWC) or its’ subsidiary Coral Coast Water Pty Ltd (CCW):

In Person: You can call into the office located on 50 Boundary Road during office hours (8:30am-4:00pm) and lodge your complaint in writing or verbally with our administration staff.

By Mail: you can mail your complaint to Gascoyne Water Co-operative Ltd, PO BOX 5, CARNARVON WA 6701.

By Email: You can email your complaint to: [email protected]

How Complaints are Recorded

All complaints whether written, by telephone or verbal over the counter and that are not rectified immediately, will be given a unique Complaint ID#. The numbering system will be as follows: The current year “YYYY” followed by 001, 002, 003 and so on sequentially numbered to end of year for each individual complaint.

For example, the first complaint received in 2012 would be numbered 2012.001 with the second complaint numbered 2012.002 and so on until the year is complete.

The Complaint Management Process

The customer complaint management process operates within a framework of natural justice and confidentiality. The following complaint management process includes:

• Register the complaint;
• Manage the complaint process
• Officer receiving complaint determines who can rectify the issue(s) involved and if further authorisation from higher authority is required;
• Officer receiving complaint or officer who is assigned the complaint acknowledges receipt of the complaint within five (5) business days;
• The complainant shall be provided with information on the complaint management process (copy of this Guide sent to customer);
• The complainant shall be notified who is looking after the complaint by name and title;
• Providing a final written response to the complainant within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the complaint, including: Information relevant to the complaint; Explanation of event(s); Adequate reasons for any decisions made; Any changes made as a result of the complaint; Information on where to seek an independent review of the complaint; Acknowledgement of thanks to complainant for their feedback;
• If pending, provide feedback to complainant within fifteen (15) business days advising the status of the complaint investigation procedure and negotiate a timeframe for final response.
• When finalised all documentation to be confidentially filed in the customer complaints folder with outcomes recorded in the customer complaints register.
• The provision of periodic reporting for governance to the Board of Directors.

Customer Rights & Responsibilities

Customers can expect to:

• Have complaints treated as genuine and properly investigated;
• Be given appropriate and easily understood information regarding the process of complaints;
• Have their complaint issues adequately addressed;
• Have information about their complaint filed separately from their other documentation;
• Have personal information remain confidential within the complaint management process;
• Not suffer any negative impact as a result of making a complaint.

Customers are expected to:

• Provide pertinent information to the GWC staff regarding the issue of complaint;
• Respect the role of the Co-operative staff and their right to respond to a complaint;
• Treat all Co-operative staff with courtesy and consideration;
• Ask for assistance and further information when unsure about information provided to them regarding the Customer Complain Management Process.
• Raise any concerns about the complaint management process with the Cooperative staff members as soon as possible.

Promotion & Transparency

The Co-operative shall demonstrate commitment to promotion and transparency by:

• Publicising and promoting information on how customers can lodge a complaint and acknowledging the customer’s right to complain.
• Provide information to customers in a format that they can understand and provide further explanation of this information when requested.
• Operate a complaint management process in an environment which recognises the importance of openness, accountability and service improvement.
• Receive and accept complaints and provide opportunities for customers to provide feedback about the service.
• Recognise that details of a complaint may be accessible by all parties involved under the Freedom of Information Act 1992.
• Report on an annual basis the number and categories of complaints received to the appropriate authority.

Timeliness of Response

The Co-operative shall demonstrate commitment to the resolution of complaints in a timely manner by:

• Acknowledging all complaints in writing within five (5) business days of receipt of the complaint.
• Informing the complainant of the approximate time that it will take to resolve the complaint.
• Commencing an investigation of complaints within five (5) business days of receipt of complaint.
• Resolving complaints as soon as practicable in the best interests of all parties, ideally within the fifteen (15) business days’ time frame where possible.
• If there is a delay, the complainant will be advised of the progress of the investigation.

Assistance with Complaints

The Co-operative shall ensure that all customers have the opportunity to provide feedback by:

• Ensuring customers with special needs (e.g. disability, elderly, culturally and linguistically diverse) are provided with appropriate information and/or assistance in making a complaint.
• Offer assistance/support to the complainant in making a complaint.
• Encouraging complainants with special needs to bring a support person to any meetings with the Co-operative.
• Providing confirmation of the receipt of a verbal complaint from a customer with a special need and assisting with a written summary of the complaint as requested by the complainant.
• Providing adequate support to respondents and to complainants. This may include assistance with completing a report in response to a complaint.

Remedies

The Co-operative will seek to apply remedies which take into account the circumstances of the case, legal obligations and good industry practice. These may include:

• An apology
• Honouring of commitment(s)
• Information • Repair/rework/compensation
• The provision of technical assistance
• An indication of changes to services, policy, process or procedure arising from the complaint
• Other remedies as determined by the facts of the matter.

Depending on circumstances some remedies will need the authorisation of the Board of Directors before being agreed upon.

Dispute Resolution

After you have given us the opportunity to resolve your complaint, if you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you may refer your complaint to:

• The Disputes Panel (made up of Directors and Members as voted at AGM);
• The Board (escalate complaint past management and for Board decision);
• The State Administrative Tribunal;

The Company Secretary will arrange for the establishment of a Disputes Committee formed from elected members of the Disputes Panel to consider the matter.