Transcript—How we manage complaints
Joe: Hi everyone, I’m Joe from the Public Trustee. This is Suzi.
Suzi waves and smiles.
Joe: Today, we’re here to talk about complaints.
Suzi: Thanks Joe. Joe and I are just 2 of around 600 people who work for the Public Trustee. We try to help our customers, like you, the best we can, but sometimes we might not get it right.
Joe: It’s your right to make a complaint if you feel we have done something that you don’t agree with, or have missed something you feel we should have done. You can make a complaint in person, over the phone, by writing us a letter or email, or by using our website complaints form.
Suzi: Usually, the quickest way to fix a problem is to talk to the person you are dealing with or their manager. Sometimes, we may have simply overlooked something, or misunderstood your wishes. If so, it should be easy to fix if you let us know straight away.
Joe: But if you’re not comfortable raising the issue with your Trust Officer, you can contact our complaints team directly.
Suzi: In everything we do, we must follow the law at all times. This includes things we need to consider when making decisions about money, as well as people’s privacy and human rights. If you think we have not followed the law, we will investigate.
Joe: If you are making a complaint, we will need some details so we can look into it. You can make a complaint without telling us your name or contact details if you choose to.
Joe: So, what happens once you have made a complaint?
Suzi: The complaint is sent to a complaints officer. Within 5 working days, we will review your complaint, and let you know we’re looking at it. Sometimes, we may be able to resolve your complaint at this time.
Joe: If we need more information, we will contact you, as long as you have given us your contact details, to ask you some more questions.
Suzi: If your complaint is more serious, or will need a lot of work to investigate, it may take up to 45 working days to resolve, though most complaints will be resolved within 5 to 28 working days. When we acknowledge your complaint, we’ll let you know how long it should take to resolve.
Joe: We will contact you to let you know the outcome of your complaint and what action we are taking. Hopefully, this will have fixed the problem, but if not…
Suzi: If you are unhappy with how your complaint has been handled, you can ask for an internal review. This is where someone who has not been involved with your complaint before will investigate it again. This will take up to 45 working days.
Joe: If you’d like more detail on how we handle complaints, and what you can do if you’re still not happy with our response to your complaint, please see our website, or call us on 1800 014 536.
Joe and Suzi (smiling and waving): See you later!