How do I make a complaint to my phone or internet provider?
What the Complaints Handling Standard requires of your telco, how to put a complaint in writing with a deadline, and when to go to the TIO.
AI-assisted research and reviewed for accuracy. Something out of date? Let us know.
Your telco must handle your complaint under the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018, which the ACMA enforces. It has 10 working days to propose a fix, 5 working days to carry it out once you agree, and 2 working days for urgent complaints. Put the complaint in writing and keep the reference number. If it stalls or the offer is unfair, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman decides, free of charge.
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Does your telco have to deal with your complaint?
Yes, and on a clock. Every phone and internet provider must follow the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018, a binding rule made by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). It was tightened on 30 June 2025 and again on 1 January 2026, and the ACMA can issue formal warnings, remedial directions and infringement notices, or take a telco to the Federal Court, for breaching it.
Your telco must try to fix the problem when you first contact it. If it cannot, these deadlines apply.
Acknowledge: straight away by phone, in store, in the app or on live chat, and within 2 working days by email or post.
Propose a resolution: within 10 working days of your complaint.
Carry out the agreed fix: within 5 working days.
Urgent complaints: resolved, including the fix, within 2 working days.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction where you expect a response. You do not have to use the word "complaint", but it helps. You can complain after you have left the telco, and the telco cannot force you to accept its offer.
Which deadline applies depends on your situation:
- Urgent. You are on a financial hardship arrangement and the problem could make it worse; the service has priority assistance for a life-threatening medical condition; the telco has disconnected you, or is about to, without following the proper process; or, since 1 January 2026, you have told the telco you are experiencing domestic or family violence and there is a threat to your safety or your children's. 2 working days.
- Standard. Everything else. 10 working days to propose a fix.
- Network outage. If you report no service during a major or significant local outage, the telco must log a network outage complaint with a reference number, tell you in writing when service is restored, and tell you how to claim anything more. The guide to mobile phone outages covers that.
The Standard also says when the telco must point you to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO): if a delay will run more than 10 working days past the deadline, as soon as you say you are unhappy with progress, and in any case once the complaint has been open 30 calendar days. The wording it must use is that you have the right to take the complaint to the TIO, "which is a free and independent service".
Sales, contracts, billing and credit management sit under the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code 2019 (TCP Code), which still applies while the ACMA writes the standard that will replace it.
The rules on selling, contracts, billing and credit are being rewritten. The ACMA refused to register the industry's draft TCP Code on 24 October 2025, and on 29 September 2026 it published a draft Telecommunications (Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2026 to replace the 2019 Code, with submissions open until 10 November 2026. Until the standard commences the TCP Code 2019 still applies; watch acma.gov.au for the start date, because the draft adds remedies for mobile coverage that does not match what you were sold and protections against wrongful disconnection.
What should you do first?
Step 1: Use the complaints channel, not general support
Every telco must publish its complaints handling process on its website. Telstra's form is at telstra.com.au/forms/make-a-complaint, or call 13 22 00 and say "complaints". Optus takes complaints at optus.com.au/complaints, by email to complaints@optus.com.au, or on 133 937.
Have your account number, the service affected, the dates, and evidence: bills, speed tests, screenshots, outage SMS.
Step 2: Ask in writing and set a deadline
Write it down even if you have already phoned. Cover four things: what went wrong, the evidence, how it affected you, and the outcome you want (a credit, a repair, a waived fee, release from the contract). Keep the reference number the telco must give you.
Subject: Complaint about [service type] on account [account number], reference [reference number if you have one]
I am making a complaint about [what went wrong], which started on [date]. [One or two sentences on the impact, for example: I could not work from home for three days.]
Evidence: [bill dated ..., speed test on ..., outage SMS on ...].
Under the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018 you must propose a resolution within 10 working days of this complaint and carry out the agreed fix within 5 working days. [If urgent: This complaint is urgent because [hardship arrangement / priority assistance / disconnection], so you must resolve it within 2 working days.]
I want [the outcome, for example a credit of $[amount] for [period] and the fault repaired]. Please confirm the complaint reference number and respond in writing by [date 10 working days from today]. If it is not resolved by then I will lodge a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
Step 3: Hold them to the deadlines
If the telco cannot meet a deadline it must tell you why, give a new date and, if the delay is more than 10 working days, give you the TIO's details. Note every call: date, name, what was promised. If the offer is not fair, say so in writing and ask for a manager or case manager to review it; Telstra and Optus both run that internal escalation step before the TIO.
Keep paying the charges you are not disputing. Optus's policy, like most, pauses debt collection on the disputed amount while the complaint is open, but the rest of the bill still falls due.
What if your telco refuses or goes quiet?
- Internal escalation. Ask for a manager or specialist team to review the complaint. It costs nothing and usually takes days. Once you tell the telco you are unhappy with progress it must give you the TIO's details.
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). Free, independent, and a scheme every telco must belong to by law. Lodge online at tio.com.au (10 to 20 minutes, completed in one sitting) or call 1800 062 058, 8am to 8pm weekdays AEST. The TIO refers the complaint to a dedicated team at your telco, which has 10 working days (2 if urgent) to resolve it; about 80 per cent settle at that stage. If it does not, the TIO investigates and can make a decision binding on the telco for up to $100,000. Lodge within 2 years of discovering the problem, or up to 6 years with a good reason. The guide to lodging with the TIO walks through each stage.
- Report the breach to the ACMA. The ACMA does not resolve individual complaints, but it investigates telcos that ignore the Standard and publishes the outcomes. If your telco missed the deadlines or never mentioned the TIO, report it at acma.gov.au; it goes on the compliance record.
- Chargeback. Rarely fits an ongoing telco bill, because a chargeback needs a card payment for something not supplied. It can fit a prepaid recharge or a device you paid for by card and never received. Ask your bank quickly; card schemes set time limits.
- Court or tribunal. A state civil tribunal can hear a contract or Australian Consumer Law claim, but the TIO stops handling your complaint once you start proceedings. Keep this for a claim the TIO cannot take, such as one above $100,000.
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What doesn't work
- Venting to general support and never saying "complaint". The telco must ask if it is unsure, but a clear complaint starts the 10-working-day clock and gets you a reference number.
- Accepting the first credit offered on the phone. Once you agree, the complaint is closed; the telco cannot force a resolution on you, so take a day to decide.
- Going to the TIO before complaining to the telco. The TIO still takes it, but as a first-contact referral the telco gets 15 working days instead of 10.
- Stopping all payments. Withhold only the disputed amount; unpaid undisputed charges can lead to restriction or a default listing.
- Losing the reference number. Without it you restart from zero with each new agent and the TIO cannot match your case.
- Waiting more than 2 years. The TIO's standard time limit runs from when you discovered the problem.
Common questions
How long does my telco have to resolve a complaint?
10 working days to propose a resolution, then 5 working days to carry it out once you agree. Urgent complaints must be resolved within 2 working days. These are the Complaints Handling Standard timeframes that applied from 30 June 2025; before that it was 15 and 10 working days.
What counts as an urgent telco complaint?
Four situations qualify. You are on a hardship arrangement and the problem could worsen it; the service has priority assistance; you have been disconnected, or are about to be, without proper process; or, since 1 January 2026, you have disclosed family violence and a threat to safety. Say which applies when you complain.
I have already left the telco. Can I still complain?
Yes. The Complaints Handling Standard covers former customers, and the ACMA says so explicitly. Final bills, exit fees and refunds of credit balances are common complaints after switching. Use the old telco's complaints channel and quote the closed account number.
Should I complain to NBN Co or to my internet provider?
Your provider. You have no contract with NBN Co, and your retailer is responsible for logging faults, booking technicians and handling your complaint under the Standard. If your provider blames NBN Co, it must still meet the deadlines and tell you what is causing any delay.
Can my telco take disputed money by direct debit while the complaint is open?
No. Under the TCP Code a telco may only debit amounts you have agreed to, and the ACMA says that applies even while a complaint is unresolved. Keep paying what you do not dispute, and ask the telco in writing to confirm the disputed amount is on hold.
Does the Complaints Handling Standard cover small businesses?
Yes. The Standard applies to consumer complaints, and the ACMA has audited telcos specifically on small business complaints. The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman also accepts complaints from small businesses that meet its size criteria; about 11 per cent of its complaints in 2024-25 came from small businesses.
- ACMA, How telcos must handle complaints
- ACMA, Complain to your phone or internet provider
- Federal Register of Legislation, Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard Amendment 2025 (No. 1)
- ACMA, Have your say on stronger protections for telco consumers
- Optus, Complaint Handling Policy (July 2026)
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Our complaints process
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