FAQs

You can complain to TDR about any service or product from a TDR scheme member under the Terms of Reference. This includes home phone lines and handsets, pre-pay and monthly mobile phone plans, broadband services and installation. You can also make a complaint involving a vulnerable consumer and your phone provider under the 111 Contact Code or Chorus under the Copper Withdrawal Code. 

There are some things that TDR cannot cover, however. This includes prices set by your phone or internet provider and network coverage.  You can find a list of excluded matters here.

You must make your complaint to us within three years of when you became reasonably aware of the matter giving rise to the complaint. If you make your complaint to us after this time, we will be unable to consider it. 

If you are not sure, you can check with TDR to see if we can help.

Yes. You should raise the complaint directly with your phone or internet provider first and give them the opportunity to resolve the issue. If you need some assistance making the complaint, TDR can help. 

Your provider should work with you directly. If a solution is not found or if you are unhappy with that process, TDR can then help you and your provider to resolve the matter.  

If you accept TDR’s final decision, your phone or internet provider is bound by that decision and must carry out all of the actions - including payments - that are in the decision.

While TDR are considering your complaint, the related services should not be stopped due to non-payment of the disputed amount. The telecommunications company should not start a debt collection process about the disputed amount while there is still a dispute either. You should, however, pay all of the amounts on your bill that are not part of the dispute, otherwise the related services may be restricted or disconnected. 

No. TDR cannot consider claims that are based on: 

• Loss of profits or indirect loss 

• Claims for pain and suffering 

• Loss of business reputation Inconvenience and mental distress 

• Costs involved in compiling or pursuing a complaint through the TDR process. 

Yes, you can raise a complaint to TDR about your transfer. There are specific codes that set out the obligations of providers when customers transfer  from one telecommunications company to another (you can find more about these under Standards & Compliance on the TCF website).

Yes, you can contact us to check what information we hold by email, by phone or by post to the Privacy Officer, FairWay Resolution Limited, PO Box 841 Christchurch. 

No. TDR cannot look at a complaint that is currently being considered by another body, such as the Disputes Tribunal or Court System, or where that body has issued a determination or ruling. If you have engaged a lawyer to contact your phone or internet provider about your complaint, you cannot use the TDR service in relation to that complaint while the lawyer is dealing with the provider.

Yes. Anyone can complain on your behalf - for example, a member of your family, a friend or a Community Law Centre, however this person must be listed as being ‘authorised to act on this account’ with your phone or internet company.

Yes. We can arrange an interpreter. Please let us know and we will arrange this for you. 

No. If you are not satisfied, you can choose to take the complaint to the Disputes Tribunal or through the Court System.

No. Most complaints will be dealt with in our early stages by talking to you over the phone and through the exchange of information by email. If a mediation is arranged, it can be held online or in person at a suitable venue. If the matter is adjudicated, this is usually based on the information supplied.

No. TDR’s process is designed to help you and your provider work together, without needing lawyers or to go to Court.

No. Our role is to be neutral. We focus on helping you reach a mutual agreement. If you cannot reach an agreement, we will make an independent decision based on the information provided and from a legal standpoint. 

We are committed to managing your privacy per the Privacy Act. As part of our customer service charter, your information will be kept private and confidential, and you will receive information that is up to date and correct. Your information is held securely, and we will look after and protect your information. 

The TDR process is confidential. Only the people and companies involved in a dispute can access any information about it.  

As part of the complaint process, all information received from you, your phone or internet provider, and if necessary a wholesale provider, will be made available to each other, unless we are asked otherwise. Both of you will be given time to comment on the information that is exchanged. 

Any personal details about you or your complaint will not be made available publicly. We may share anonymised details about some complaints, for example as a case study or by publishing a decision. All personal and identifiable information is removed before publication. 

The dispute process is free for consumers. If your telecommunications company has to look for information that is more than three months old or relates to an account that has been closed, however, it can charge you for this work. It can also charge if your complaint requires your phone line to be tested more than once in a six month period. The company must tell you before it does anything that might result in a cost to you. 

Yes. TDR can only deal with disputes relating to claims that do not exceed the maximum amount which may be sought in proceedings at the Disputes Tribunal (currently $30,000). If your complaint relates to amounts in excess of the limit, it should be pursued through the Court System. 

If TDR can’t help, we recommend you go through your phone or internet provider’s complaints process to try to resolve your issues. If you are dissatisfied with the results of this process, you can go to the Disputes Tribunal or through the Court System. If your dispute relates to unfair trading practices, we suggest you also inform the Commerce Commission.

TDR is funded by the telecommunications industry. This means there is no charge for customers making a complaint.