Do you want to make a complaint about a disability service provider? Unsure where to start, or who to complain to?
Keep reading to find out how to get the most of out of your complaint.
Things to consider before making a complaint:
Know what you are complaining about. Ensure your complaint is clear, concise, and based on facts, not feelings. Rather than complaining that ‘this service provider sucks!’, ask yourself the following questions: ‘why do I feel that way?’, and ‘what has happened to make me feel this way?’. Your goal is to list the things that have occurred to make you feel dissatisfied. It may be easier to write down all your concerns, and then use this to form the basis of your complaint.
Try to resolve the complaint with the service provider first, if possible. Service providers have a responsibility to resolve complaints. Additionally, good service providers will use the complaint you make to improve their internal processes so the issue doesn’t happen again. Please remember, although it may feel intimidating, if you don’t speak up, the issue cannot be rectified. Service providers also treat complaints as confidential, so you don’t need to worry about ‘everyone’ talking about your complaint.
Think about what needs to happen to resolve your complaint, remembering that some complaints can only be resolved with a genuine apology, while some complaints require further investigation, or additional remedial actions. Working backwards in this way will help ensure you have included all elements of your complaint.
Don’t rush into lodging a non-urgent complaint while you are still very angry. It is better to take time, calm down, write it down, and lodge your complaint when you are feeling more level headed.
What else should you know?
Your service provider will have a complaints policy and process. That means they will have a documented and standard approach to handling your complaint. This means you can ask the service provider to tell you how they will address your complaint before you even lodge it.
If you don’t feel comfortable, or have not been able to resolve your complaint with the service provider, you can complain to the Department of Communities. They will be able to help you with complaints until the NDIS Commission comes into force in Queensland on 1 July 2019.
Dept of Communities, Disability and Seniors: https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/about-us/customer-service-compliments-complaints
