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The IT Dept Pty Ltd

Complaints Handling Policy

The IT Dept Pty Ltd. Last updated 23 October 2026.

If we've let you down, tell us and we'll fix it. You have a right to make a complaint. Complaining is free, you can do it however suits you, and it will never count against you. We acknowledge complaints straight away or within 2 working days, propose a resolution within 10 working days, and deal with urgent ones within 2. If we can't sort it out, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman can help, free and independently. This policy is made under the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018 and the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code.

Complaints at a glance

  • How: call 02 4398 7081 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays), email hello@theitdept.au, use your account at https://the-it-dept.underlay.au/portal, or write to NSW, Australia. It's free.
  • Acknowledged: straight away on the phone, or within 2 working days otherwise, with a reference number.
  • Resolved: we propose a resolution within 10 working days. Anything we agree to do is done within 5 working days of you accepting it.
  • Urgent (hardship, disconnection, family violence, safety): we propose a fix, and complete it if you accept, within 2 working days.
  • Billing mistakes: put right by the end of your next billing period, or within 30 days if that's sooner.
  • Network outages: see section 12.
  • While it's open: we won't chase or suspend you over any amount you're disputing.
  • Not happy? Ask us to review our answer, or go to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058 or at tio.com.au.

1. What a complaint is

A complaint is any time you tell us you're unhappy with our service, our staff, a bill, or the way we've handled something (including a previous complaint), and you expect us to respond or fix it. You don't need to use the word "complaint". If it sounds like one, we treat it as one, and if we're not sure whether you'd like to make a complaint, we'll ask you.

A first report of a fault, a question, or a request for a change isn't a complaint on its own. It becomes one if you tell us you're unhappy with how we've handled it. A report that your service is down because of a network outage is handled as section 12 describes.

2. How to make a complaint

You can use any of these to make a complaint, and to ask about one you've made:

  • Phone: 02 4398 7081, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays
  • Email: hello@theitdept.au, any time (we reply during those hours)
  • Online: your account at https://the-it-dept.underlay.au/portal
  • Post: NSW, Australia
  • National Relay Service: if you're deaf, or find it hard hearing or speaking, use the National Relay Service and ask for 02 4398 7081: Voice Relay 1300 555 727, TTY 133 677 or SMS Relay 0423 677 767, or NRS Chat, Captions and Video Relay through accesshub.gov.au.
  • Interpreter: call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to call us on 02 4398 7081. It's free.

If you can't get through, or now isn't a good time to talk, ask us to call you back: tell us the number and the time that suit you, and we'll call then.

Tell us what went wrong and what you'd like us to do about it. Include your name and service address or account email so we can find your account, but don't let missing details stop you: we'll ask for anything we need. Former customers, and people who aren't customers yet, can complain the same way.

3. It's free

We never charge you for making a complaint, for us handling it, or for any information or records we give you as part of resolving it.

4. Help to make a complaint

We'll help you make your complaint and see it through, including if you have a disability or accessibility needs, if English isn't your first language, or if you've applied for or are getting financial hardship help. For example:

  • Interpreters: call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to contact us on 02 4398 7081. It's free for you.
  • If you're deaf, or find it hard hearing or speaking: use the National Relay Service and ask for 02 4398 7081: Voice Relay 1300 555 727, TTY 133 677 or SMS Relay 0423 677 767, or NRS Chat, Captions and Video Relay through accesshub.gov.au. Or simply email us.
  • Someone to act for you: a friend, family member, financial counsellor, advocate or lawyer can make and manage a complaint on your behalf. Tell us, or have them tell us with your agreement, and we'll deal with them as your authorised representative.
  • Other formats: we can send this policy and our responses in plain text, large print or another format you need, or talk it through over the phone.

5. We'll acknowledge it straight away

If you complain by phone, we acknowledge it during the call. If you complain any other way, we acknowledge it within 2 working days. Either way you'll get:

  • a unique reference number for your complaint;
  • the name of the person handling it, or the way to reach them;
  • how to check on its progress: contact us any way in section 2 and quote the reference;
  • when you can expect it to be resolved; and
  • a link to, or copy of, this policy.

Quote the reference whenever you contact us and you'll never have to start from scratch.

6. The steps, and how long each takes

We try to fix things the first time you contact us. When that isn't possible:

  1. Acknowledgement, as in section 5.
  2. Initial assessment: we work out what the complaint is about, whether it's urgent (section 7), and whether we can fix it straight away.
  3. Investigation: we look into what happened, check our records and, if it involves nbn's network or an nbn appointment, raise it with nbn through our wholesale access provider. You don't need to go to nbn yourself: it stays our complaint to resolve.
  4. Proposed resolution: within 10 working days of receiving your complaint, we tell you what we propose to do about it.
  5. Our decision: if you accept, that's our decision. If you don't, we tell you our final answer and the reasons, and your options: a review (section 10) or the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (section 11).
  6. Doing what we agreed: we complete every action within 5 working days of you accepting (2 working days for urgent complaints), such as credits, refunds, plan changes and account corrections, unless you agree to a different time.
  7. Closing it: within 5 working days of finishing our investigation, we confirm in writing that your complaint is resolved and what we've done. We only close a complaint with your agreement, or if we've tried to reach you at least 5 times on separate days over up to 10 days, then written to you giving you at least 10 working days to get back to us.

Billing mistakes are put right by the end of the billing period after the current one, or within 30 days, whichever is sooner. If you ask, we'll confirm our proposed resolution in writing within 5 working days of your request.

Delays: if we can't meet a timeframe (for example because a fix depends on nbn), we'll tell you before it runs out. We'll explain why, give you a new date, and remind you that you can take your complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman if you don't want to wait. We only extend a timeframe when we genuinely need to. If your complaint is still open 30 days after you made it, we'll give you the TIO's details by the next working day.

7. Urgent complaints

We treat a complaint as urgent, and propose a fix and complete it if you accept within 2 working days of receiving it, if:

  • you've applied for, or are receiving, help under our Financial Hardship Policy, and the complaint is about something that could make your financial situation worse;
  • your service has been disconnected or suspended by mistake, or is about to be and shouldn't be;
  • you tell us you are, or may be, affected by domestic, family or sexual violence (see our domestic, family and sexual violence support); or
  • you tell us there's a threat to your safety or the safety of someone in your household.

Urgent complaints go to the front of the queue. If something else about your situation makes a complaint urgent, tell us and we'll consider it.

8. How we prioritise and escalate

Urgent complaints come first. Other complaints are handled in the order we receive them, with anything affecting whether your service works ahead of everything else.

You can ask for your complaint to be escalated at any time. An escalated complaint goes to a senior person with the authority to resolve it. We assess a request to escalate, or to treat a complaint as urgent, within 5 working days (sooner for urgent complaints), and act on it where it's reasonable. If you tell us you're unhappy with how long it's taking or how it's going, or ask what else you can do, we'll explain within 24 hours how we prioritise and escalate complaints and how to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

9. Keeping you informed, and protecting your service

We'll contact you the way you prefer, and keep you updated while your complaint is open, including whenever something changes. You can ask for an update at any time.

  • While your complaint is open, we won't take any credit management action over an amount you're disputing. That means no reminders, no suspension and no cancellation for non-payment of that amount. You still need to pay any part of your invoice you aren't disputing.
  • We won't start legal action against you about the same matter while we're handling your complaint, for 7 working days after we tell you the outcome, or while the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is dealing with it.
  • We will never suspend, cancel or treat you differently because you've complained, to us, to the TIO or to anyone else.

10. If you're not happy with our answer

Ask us to review it. Say so by any of the methods in section 2 and quote your reference number. The review is a fresh look at your complaint by someone with the authority to change the outcome and, wherever possible, not the person who handled it the first time. We complete it within the original timeframe where we can. If we can't, we complete it within 10 working days of your request (2 working days for urgent complaints). We'll tell you the result and our reasons.

You don't have to ask for a review first. You can go to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman whenever you want.

11. The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint, you have a right to take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which is a free and independent service. The TIO resolves complaints about phone and internet providers, including if we haven't resolved yours in time. The IT Dept Pty Ltd is a member of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme.

  • Phone: 1800 062 058
  • Online: tio.com.au
  • Post: PO Box 276, Collins Street West VIC 8007

The TIO will usually ask whether you've given us a chance to fix the problem first, and may refer your complaint back to us. When that happens we treat it as a priority and contact you promptly. We will never discourage you from going to the TIO.

12. Network outages

Telling you about an outage

These are our procedures for communicating with you during a major or significant local outage of nbn's network. When nbn, through our wholesale access provider, tells us about one that affects your service, we'll:

  • email you, and text your mobile if we have it, as soon as we can, saying what's affected, the cause and the area if known, when the service is expected back, and how to contact us;
  • post the same information in the portal at https://the-it-dept.underlay.au/portal, and give it to you if you call;
  • send updates as soon as we can after anything important changes, and in any case at least every 6 hours for the first 24 hours and then at least once a day; and
  • tell you the same ways once the service is back.

During an outage we'll answer calls and emails as quickly as we reasonably can. Where an outage is caused by a natural disaster, we post updates in the portal. nbn publishes its current major and significant local outages on its outage register. Planned maintenance is covered in our Customer Terms.

Reporting an outage

If your service isn't working, contact us any way in section 2, or run a line test from the portal. You can report it yourself or through someone you've authorised.

Complaints about a network outage

If you report that your service is down and we have reason to suspect a network outage is affecting you, we treat your report as a network outage complaint, decided the first time you contact us. Then:

  1. Acknowledgement, on first contact: we give you a reference number, confirm we're handling it under this process and that the aim is to restore your service, tell you how to reach us and where to find updates, and confirm we'll tell you when it's back.
  2. Restoring your service: we do everything within our control, as soon as reasonably practicable. If your complaint is urgent (section 7), we make every reasonable effort to keep you connected, including any interim option we can offer.
  3. When it's back: we tell you, then write to you as soon as we can explaining what to do if it still isn't working, how to ask for a resolution that suits your own circumstances (for example, a credit), and any offer we're making to everyone affected, with its deadline.
  4. Closing it: not sooner than 3 working days after that written notice, unless you tell us your service is working. For an urgent complaint, we check with you within 2 days of the notice whether it's working, act within 2 working days if it isn't, and don't close it until your service is back.

An outage caused mainly by a natural disaster is handled as an ordinary complaint. Either way, you can take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

13. Other places for information

The regulators don't resolve individual complaints, but they publish information about your rights:

  • Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA): telecommunications consumer rules, at acma.gov.au
  • Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): consumer guarantees, refunds and fair trading, at accc.gov.au, or your state or territory's fair trading office (NSW Fair Trading: 13 32 20)

Privacy complaints can also go to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: see our Privacy Policy.

14. Records, and fixing the root cause

We record every complaint, what we did about it and the outcome, and keep those records for at least 2 years. You can ask for a copy of the records about your complaint.

We review complaints regularly to find the cause, not just the symptom. When a complaint shows that something is wrong with a process or our systems, we fix it for everyone, and we check whether other customers were affected. If they were, we contact them and put it right, even if they haven't complained.

Our Customer Terms and each plan's Critical Information Summary set out what you can expect from the service itself.

About us

The IT Dept Pty Ltd (ABN 12 665 405 505). The IT Dept Pty Ltd supplies your service, is the party to your contract and bills you. The IT Dept Pty Ltd is a member of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme.

Contact us at hello@theitdept.au or on 02 4398 7081 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays). Our address for notices is NSW, Australia.