We would much rather hear from you than have you put up with a problem quietly. This policy explains how to make a complaint, how quickly we will deal with it, what we will not do while it is open, and how to take it further if we do not get it right. Complaining is free, and it will never count against you.
We hope you never need this policy. But if you are unhappy with something we have done, you have every right to say so and to have it dealt with objectively, efficiently and fairly. This policy applies to Pear Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 94 624 986 554) and to all our customers — current, former and prospective, residential and small business.
Our complaint handling process is:
This policy is written to meet the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2025. If anything in it falls short of that Standard, the Standard applies.
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with our service, our products, our staff or our handling of a previous complaint, where you are asking us to do something about it. You do not have to use the word “complaint”, and you do not have to put it in writing.
If you tell us you are unhappy and we are not sure whether you want it treated as a complaint, we will ask you — and if you say yes, we will log it as one and give you a reference number. An initial call to report a fault or ask a question is not automatically a complaint, but it becomes one the moment you tell us you are dissatisfied with how it is going.
We will help you put your complaint together if you need a hand with it. You do not need to know the right words or the right department.
Use whichever of these suits you:
If it is easier for you to complain another way, we will make that work:
We acknowledge every complaint promptly and give it a unique reference number, so that you can track it and so that everyone here can see its history.
Wherever we can, we will fix the problem there and then on the first call — that is better for you and better for us. If we cannot, we will tell you what we need to look into, who is handling it, and when you will hear back.
You can check on your complaint at any time using your reference number, through any of the channels above, and we will tell you where it is up to.
We aim to resolve complaints on first contact. Where we cannot, these are the timeframes we work to, and we will keep you posted along the way.
Our proposed resolution has to be accepted by you before we are required to implement it — although if a solution is plainly in your favour, we may simply do it without waiting.
Every complaint feels urgent to the person making it. Some are urgent by definition, because you are exposed until they are fixed, and those go to the front of the queue.
Your complaint is treated as urgent if:
For urgent complaints we will confirm our proposed resolution of the urgent part and, once you accept it, implement it within 2 working days of receiving the complaint. If we cannot manage that, we will tell you within those 2 working days why, when we expect to have it done, and — if the delay is likely to be a further 10 working days or more and is not caused by a mass service disruption — your external dispute resolution options, including the TIO.
If you think your complaint should be treated as urgent and it is not, say so. We will give you an answer on that within 2 working days.
While we are investigating your complaint, and while it is with the TIO or another recognised external dispute resolution body:
If you are disputing charges, tell us the amount or describe the charges you are disputing so we can quarantine the right part of the bill. Any undisputed part of the bill still needs to be paid by its due date.
If it becomes clear while we are talking that you are having trouble paying, we will raise our Financial Hardship Policy with you and go through the options. Asking for help is not a complaint against you, and it will not be treated as one.
You are never stuck with the first answer you get from us. There are three steps, and you can move up them as fast as you like.
You can contact the TIO at any point, and we would rather you knew that than found out later. In most cases the TIO will ask you to give us a chance to fix it first, which is why step one is worth a try. Complaints about how we have handled your personal information can also go to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992 — see our Privacy Policy.
We close a complaint when one of these is true:
Where a complaint is closed, you can ask for written confirmation of the resolution and we will send it within 5 working days. If you get back in touch after we have closed it, you can pick it up again with the same reference number.
This happens very rarely, and we do not reach for it lightly. Occasionally a complaint is frivolous or vexatious, or a complainant behaves in a way that is fraudulent, racist, threatening or abusive towards our staff.
We will not treat a complaint as frivolous or vexatious unless we have considered it carefully and escalated it internally first. If, after that, there is nothing further we can do to help — or we decide not to deal with the complainant any longer because of their behaviour — we will tell them within 5 working days, in writing if they ask, giving our reasons and their options for external dispute resolution, including the TIO. We are not then required to accept further complaints from that person about the same or a similar issue, other than through an external dispute resolution process.
Every complaint is recorded and categorised, and we keep those records for at least two years. We look at them regularly for patterns — the same fault, the same charge, the same confusing wording on a bill — because a complaint that keeps recurring is usually a problem with us, not with the customers reporting it.
Where we find a systemic issue, we fix the cause, and we contact the other customers affected by it rather than waiting for them to notice. That is the part of complaint handling that actually makes the service better.
We review this policy at least once a year. The current version is always available on our website, and we will send you a copy free of charge on request.
Prefer a copy on file? Download the Complaint Handling Policy as a PDF →
