How do I complain to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)?
Who the TIO covers, what it can order your telco to do, the time limits, and what happens after you lodge.
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You can lodge with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) once you have complained to your telco and it has not fixed the problem; it is free for residential and small business customers. Lodge within 2 years of discovering the issue, and your telco then gets 10 working days to resolve it. If that fails the TIO investigates and can make a decision binding on the telco for up to $100,000.
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Can the TIO take your complaint?
Almost certainly, if your telco has not resolved it. The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is the external dispute resolution scheme every phone and internet provider in Australia must belong to by law, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces both membership and the TIO's decisions. The telcos fund it, so it is free for consumers and small businesses.
The TIO handles complaints from individuals, small businesses and not-for-profits about billing, faults and dropouts, contracts, sales, customer service, privacy, financial hardship and land access. It will not hear a complaint about pricing itself or a telco's general commercial policy, and it stops if you start court or tribunal proceedings.
The TIO can make decisions binding on your telco for compensation up to $100,000 (Terms of Reference, clause 2.10).
Compensation for stress and inconvenience is capped at $1,500 per complaint, except in privacy complaints (clause 2.11).
Lodge within 2 years of discovering the problem; the TIO may still accept it up to 6 years if there is a good reason (clauses 2.13 to 2.15).
What it can order: repair the fault, correct the bill, reduce or waive a debt, remove a default listing, release you from a contract without penalty, pay compensation, or explain and apologise. A recommendation is not binding. A decision binds the telco once you accept it; you are never bound, and if you reject a decision you can still go to court.
Where you stand decides the path:
- You complained to the telco and it has not fixed it. Standard referral: the telco gets 10 working days.
- You have not complained to the telco yet. The TIO still takes it, but as a first-contact referral the telco gets 15 working days, so it is slower than complaining to the telco first.
- Your situation is urgent. A medical or safety risk, a service you rely on for safety, financial hardship, a natural disaster or a business facing financial loss: the telco gets 2 working days for the urgent part, and the TIO can bypass referral and go straight to case management.
- The problem is more than 2 years old. The TIO decides whether to accept it; if it does, the telco gets 20 working days.
The TIO's 2024-25 annual report, published 15 October 2025, counted 57,592 complaints, up 1.6 per cent on the year before; 89 per cent came from residential customers and 11 per cent from small businesses. Mobile services drew 25,739 complaints, nearly half the total, and 36.9 per cent more complaints came back unresolved after the first referral than in 2023-24. The ACMA's own data for October to December 2025 shows telcos escalated 7.3 per cent of the complaints they received to the TIO, up from 6.9 per cent the previous quarter.
How do you lodge with the TIO?
Step 1: Get the telco's reference number and its answer
You must give the telco a reasonable chance first. If you have not, do that now using the guide to complaining to your telco, which lists what to put in the complaint. Note the reference number, what the telco offered and why it is not enough.
Step 2: Ask in writing and set a deadline
Send the telco one last written message before you lodge. It fixes the record the TIO will read, and it often produces a better offer.
Subject: Final request before TIO complaint, reference [telco reference number]
I complained on [date] about [problem]. You [did not respond / offered [offer]], which does not resolve it because [reason].
Under the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018 you were required to propose a resolution within 10 working days. I want [outcome, for example a credit of $[amount] and the fault repaired].
If this is not resolved in writing by [date, 5 working days away] I will lodge a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which can make a decision binding on you.
Step 3: Lodge
Online at tio.com.au/make-a-complaint. The form takes 10 to 20 minutes and cannot be saved part-way, so have your account details, the telco's name, its reference number, a short timeline and your ideal outcome ready. Or call 1800 062 058, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday AEST (free from landlines; from a mobile, ask for a call-back). You can also post the downloadable form to PO Box 276, Collins Street West VIC 8007. A friend or family member can lodge for you with your verbal permission.
Step 4: Work the referral
The TIO sends the complaint to a dedicated resolution team at your telco, which has 10 working days (2 for urgent issues) to contact you and settle it. Around 80 per cent of complaints end here. When the TIO calls, the number shows as 03 8600 8700. If the telco does not contact you in that window, tell the TIO rather than chasing the telco yourself; the TIO moves the complaint to the next stage.
What if the telco still won't fix it?
- Tell the TIO the referral failed. Update your complaint online or by phone with what the telco offered and why it falls short. A Dispute Resolution Officer takes the case and can conciliate between you.
- Assessment. The TIO gathers information from both sides and shares its view of a fair outcome, weighing the law, industry codes and good practice. Each side has 10 business days to respond. If you both accept, it is resolved. If the TIO thinks the telco's offer was already fair and you refuse it, it can close the file.
- Decision. If the telco rejects the assessment, the Ombudsman can issue a formal decision. Once you accept it the telco must comply, and it can direct up to $100,000. You can decline and go to a court or tribunal instead. While a complaint is open the TIO can also issue a temporary ruling, for example to reconnect a service, lift a restriction or stop debt collection, and that binds the telco immediately.
- If the telco ignores the decision. The TIO writes to the telco requiring proof within 5 business days that it has done what the decision says. If it has not, the TIO refers it to the ACMA for enforcement, with your consent, and can publish the telco's name. In February 2026 the ACMA issued a remedial direction to Best Telecom after it failed to pay a $1,103.38 refund the TIO had ordered; breaching a remedial direction carries Federal Court penalties of up to $10 million for a company.
- Court or tribunal. Only if the TIO cannot help: a claim over $100,000 or an issue outside its scope. Starting proceedings ends the TIO's involvement.
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What doesn't work
- Skipping the telco. The TIO sends it back as a first-contact referral with 15 working days instead of 10, and says the detour adds about five days.
- Lodging in two places at once. The TIO stops handling a complaint if you start a court or tribunal claim on the same matter.
- Ignoring the TIO's requests for information. It can close a complaint when you do not respond, and reopens only in exceptional circumstances.
- Refusing an offer the TIO considers fair. Its Terms of Reference let it close the file; ask what it would take to make the offer fair instead.
- Expecting large compensation for stress. Non-financial loss is capped at $1,500; financial loss needs receipts.
- Leaving it past 2 years. After that the TIO only accepts the complaint with a good reason, and never after 6 years.
Common questions
Does it cost anything to complain to the TIO?
No. The TIO is free for residential consumers and small businesses because telcos must be members and fund the scheme. Calls to 1800 062 058 are free from landlines; from a mobile, standard rates apply unless you ask the TIO to call you back.
How long does a TIO complaint take?
Most finish inside the 10-working-day referral; the TIO says about 80 per cent are resolved at that stage. If it goes to case management each side gets 10 business days to respond at the assessment and decision stages, so a contested complaint runs to months rather than weeks.
Can the TIO stop a debt collector or remove a default listing?
Yes. Tell the TIO when you lodge that you dispute the debt; it can ask the telco to pause collection, and it can issue a temporary ruling to remove a default listing, reconnect a service or stop legal action while the complaint is open.
What if my provider is not a TIO member?
It must be, by law. If a provider is not a member, the TIO can require it to join before referring your complaint, and it refers providers that refuse to the ACMA. Lodge anyway and let the TIO sort out membership.
Can a small business use the TIO?
Yes, if it meets the TIO's size and turnover criteria; about 11 per cent of complaints in 2024-25 came from small businesses. The TIO treats a business at risk of financial loss as urgent and can shorten timeframes, and it has awarded business-loss compensation in published cases.
I rejected the TIO's decision. What now?
You are not bound by it, and the telco is not either once you reject it. You can take the claim to a state civil tribunal or court. Accepting the decision means full and final settlement, so weigh the $100,000 cap against what a court claim would cost.
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Terms of Reference (in effect 1 January 2025)
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Our complaints process
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Make a complaint
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Complaint Handling Procedures (from 1 July 2025)
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Annual Report 2024-25
- ACMA, Best Telecom ordered to refund customer after failing to comply with TIO decision
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