Need to contact

ACCC

and make sure they reply?

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is Australia's national competition, consumer, fair-trading, and product-safety regulator — a Commonwealth statutory authority within the Treasury portfolio that enforces the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including the Australian Consumer Law. Unlike a retailer, the ACCC does not resolve individual disputes; it provides guidance through the ACCC Infocentre and uses reports to identify systemic harm worth investigating.

• ACCC contact number (consumers): 1300 302 502, Mon–Fri, 11am–3pm AEST/AEDT
• Small business line: 1300 302 021
• First Nations line: 1300 303 143
• Online reporting: Consumer, small business, and franchise forms via the ACCC portal
• Specialist sites: Scamwatch and Product Safety Australia
• Offices: Eight locations — Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Townsville
• Reputation: Widely trusted and cited by media, legal bodies and advocacy groups; mixed feedback on reduced phone hours

Limited ACCC Customer Service Hours

• The Infocentre phone line operates only Mon–Fri, 11am–3pm AEST/AEDT.
• Trustpilot reviewers report long waits or unanswered calls outside the busiest windows.
• Written online reports are often a faster way to lodge the matter on record.

Expectation That ACCC Will Resolve Individual Disputes

• The ACCC is not an ombudsman and does not mediate single-business disputes.
• Most individual matters are redirected to state fair-trading bodies or industry ombudsmen.
• Filing a report helps the ACCC spot patterns but does not guarantee a personal outcome.

Delayed or Generic Responses to Online Enquiries

• Online-form submissions are acknowledged automatically but rarely followed up individually.
• Consumers expecting case-by-case feedback often report disappointment.
• Keep your submission reference as evidence if you later escalate.

Confusion Over Jurisdiction

• Residential tenancy, employment and private legal disputes fall outside ACCC remit.
• Callers are redirected to the correct state or federal agency.
• Checking the ACCC's Where to go for consumer help page before contact saves time.

Scam and Product-Safety Reports

• High report volumes flow through Scamwatch, but the ACCC cannot recover lost money.
• Product-safety concerns are referred back to the retailer under consumer guarantees.
• Use Scamwatch and Product Safety Australia for the correct reporting channels.

Phone — ACCC Infocentre

• Consumers: 1300 302 502
• Small business and franchise: 1300 302 021
• First Nations line: 1300 303 143
• Overseas callers: +61 2 6243 1305
• Hours: Mon–Fri, 11am–3pm AEST/AEDT — call early in the window to avoid queues

Online Report Forms

• Report a consumer issue: ACCC consumer report form
• Report a business or franchise issue: business/franchise report form
• Include dates, amounts, business details and copies of written correspondence.
• Save your submission reference number for follow-up.

Scam and Product-Safety Reporting

• Scams: Scamwatch report form
• Unsafe products: Product Safety contact form
• Keep photos, receipts and seller details ready before filing.

Specialist Lines

• Media enquiries: 1300 138 917 or media@accc.gov.au
• Cartel immunity hotline: (02) 9230 3894 or cartelimmunity@accc.gov.au

Post

• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, GPO Box 3131, Canberra ACT 2601.
• Use post for formal written submissions where a paper record is preferred.

Accessibility

• National Relay Service: 133 677, then ask for 1300 302 502
• Translating & Interpreting Service (TIS National): 131 450
• Both services are free for ACCC calls.

Before You Contact the ACCC

• Contact the business first and keep written records of every exchange.
• Structure your request using the ACCC's complaint-letter tool.
• If the business refuses, you can also lodge a formal complaint via Ajust to keep momentum.

The ACCC is a regulator, not a retailer, so it has no refund, warranty or shipping policies of its own. Instead, it administers the Australian Consumer Law protections that every Australian business must honour.

Consumer Guarantees (Repair, Replace, Refund)

• Goods must be of acceptable quality, match description and be fit for purpose.
• For major failures, consumers can choose a refund or replacement.
• Full rules are on the ACCC's repair, replace, refund page.
• For a step-by-step refund walkthrough, see the ACCC refund guide on Ajust.

Cancellations and Unfair Contract Terms

• Standard-form contracts with small businesses and consumers cannot contain unfair terms.
• The ACCC enforces unfair-contract-term protections across all industries.
• See the unfair contract terms page for detail.

Warranties Against Defects

• Any express warranty must meet mandatory disclosure requirements.
• Consumer guarantees exist regardless of — and in addition to — any manufacturer warranty.
• Reference: warranties against defects.

Product Safety and Recalls

• Unsafe goods must be reported by suppliers; consumers can check active recalls at Product Safety Australia.
• Refunds for unsafe products are handled by the retailer under consumer guarantees.

ACCC Service Charter

• Sets out what consumers can expect when contacting the ACCC, including response standards.
• Read the Service Charter for full commitments.