Complaints can be lodged by contacting the complaints officer on
- telephoning 1300 360 450
- e-mailing info@acaloans.com.au
- writing to “The complaints Officer” 10/48 Berry Street Nowra NSW 2541
or by speaking to any of our staff who will refer your complaint to the Complaints Officer
We adopt the definition of “complaint” in AS ISO 10002-2006, namely “an expression of dissatisfaction made to an organisation, related to its products or services, or the complaints handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected. This means we will treat informal complaints seriously and refer them to IDR unless they are resolved by the end of the next business day.
Any complaint which is resolved to the customers satisfaction by the end of the next business day will not require the full IDR process to be applied.
Investigating Complaints
The complaints officer will review the complaint carefully and promptly, taking such steps and reviewing such documents as a person would do. The complainant also has the option of referring their complaint to the FBAA (Finance Brokers Association of Australia) for internal dispute resolution.
Responding to complaints within appropriate time limits and referring unresolved complaints to an EDR (External Dispute Resolution) scheme
The complaints officer will provide a written “Final Response” to the complainant within 45 days which states
- the final outcome of the dispute at IDR
- the right to take their dispute to EDR (no matter what the result of the investigation was at IDR)
- the name and contact of our EDR scheme
If the complaints officer is unable to give a final response within the specified period, the complaints officer will, before the end of the period:
- inform the complainant of the reasons for the delay
- advise the complainant of their right to complain to EDR
- provide the complainant with the name and contact details of our EDR scheme
Legal Proceedings
Unless the statute of limitations is about to expire, legal proceedings will not be commenced or continued nor will any other enforcement action to be taken during the IDR period and for at least 14 days from giving a final response
Recording Information about complaints and Identifying and recording systemic issues
We will record information of the complaint under the following table headers
- Date of complaint and Reference
- Name of complainant
- Type of complaint
- Acknowledge receipt of complaint on and to
- Result of investigation
- Complainant advised date/method
If the complaint discloses a systemic issue the complaints officer will immediately bring the matter to the attention of the business owners.
The types of remedies available for resolving complaints or disputes
If a complaint is justified, the complaints officer will recommend a solution comprising one or more of the following:
- an apology
- compensation
- a free service
- or other such compensation which may be applicable to the complaint or circumstances
Internal structures and reporting requirements
The complaints officer reports directly to the business owner. The complaints officer will make a written report annually as a minimum. The complaints officer will ensure that these procedures are reviewed at least annually and a report on the review provided to the business owner
Guiding Principles
- Visibility – We will take reasonable steps to ensure customers know about the existence of our IDR procedures and how to make a complaint. This information will be readily available, not just at the time a consumer wishes to make a complaint or dispute. All staff who deal with customers not just complaints or disputes handling staff only, should have an understanding of our IDR procedures.
- Objectivity – We will address each complaint in an equitable and objective manner. Where possible, the complaint should be investigated by staff not involved in the subject matter of the complaint.
- Charges – The IDR procedures are free of charge
- Confidentiality – We will keep all information confidential.
- Customer Focused Approach – We will be helpful, user friendly and communicate in plain English, showing our commitment to resolve complaints.
- Commitment – We are actively committed to efficient complaint handling.
- Analysis and Evaluation of Complaints – All complaints will be classified and then analysed to identify systemic recurring and single incident problems and trends.
EDR Scheme
The EDR scheme for Australian Credit Holdings Pty Ltd is COSL or the Credit Ombudsman Service Limited. Our Membership No with COSL is MN: M0018019 and they can be contacted on 02 9273 8455.