Sometimes you may encounter issues with your vehicle, or you may have a concern or query that cannot be addressed by an authorised Volvo Car retailer. You can make a complaint to us if you are not satisfied with any of our products or services, or the conduct of our employees or authorised retailers.

Our team of Customer Relations Consultants are here to help you. This Complaints Handling Policy sets out what you need to know if you want to make a complaint to us.

How can I make a complaint?

You can make a complaint using any one of the channels below:

Is there a fee for complaints handling?

No. We will not charge you to make a complaint.

Can someone make a complaint on my behalf?

Yes. You may nominate a representative to make and handle a complaint on your behalf.

What information do I need to provide when making a complaint?

When contacting us, it helps us to identify and resolve your issue if you include the following details:

• Your name, phone number and email address
• Your Volvo “vehicle identification number” (VIN)
• Your registration licence plate number
• Model, variant, and model year details of your vehicle
• An overview of the issue you are experiencing, including:
  • Brief summary of your concern. Please include any relevant dates, times, locations, reference numbers or documents;
  • Whether your complaint relates to the Internet Service in your vehicle;
  • Whether you have made a complaint about this matter with your Volvo retailer and, if so, details of the Volvo retailer and who at the retail facility dealt with your complaint, and what the outcome was; and
  • What outcome you are seeking.
• Whether the vehicle has been inspected by an authorised retailer and the details of that inspection
• Whether you have any communication needs or preferences
• Any other information you think is relevant for us

Depending on your issue, our Customer Relations Team may request further information from you.

What process will Volvo Car Australia follow to address my complaint?

Upon receipt of your complaint, Volvo Car Australia will:

• If, when you contact us, it is unclear to us whether you wish to make a complaint, clarify with you if you wish to do so.
• Promptly acknowledge receipt of your complaint. We will provide this acknowledgement immediately in the case of complaints made by telephone (unless a recorded message is received) or at a retail facility or within two (2) business days in the case of complaints received by a recorded telephone message, email, our online channel or social media. We will post a response within 2 business days of receipt of a complaint by mail or, if that complaint includes alternative contact details, we will contact you within 2 business days by that alternative means.
• Use our best efforts to resolve each complaint at the first point of contact with Volvo Car Australia.
• Investigate the complaint if it cannot be immediately resolved. We will provide you with a unique reference number, the name of the Case Manager who will assist in resolving the complaint and details of how to contact them (including to monitor the progress of your complaint), and an estimated time for resolution.
• Advise you of the outcome of our process as soon as practicable after the process is completed.
• When we advise you of the outcome of our process, explain:
  • The actions which were taken by us to assess, investigate and respond to your complaint; and
  • The outcome of our investigation, including the resolution (if any) that we will offer to you and how we will implement that resolution.

What can I expect as part of the complaints handling process?

• Timely communication from our Customer Relations Team, including prompt acknowledgement of your complaint, an expected timeframe for resolution of your complaint and updates if there are any delays to this timeframe.
• Being treated with respect.
• Having your complaint dealt with impartially and based on merit, and resolved in accordance with all relevant laws, including any rights you may have under the consumer guarantees provided under the Australian Consumer Law and any applicable Volvo warranty. For further information, please see https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees
• An opportunity to provide us with feedback about how we managed your complaint.

What if I am not happy with the solution or outcome proposed by Volvo Car Australia?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint to Volvo Car Australia, you may request that your complaint be escalated within Volvo Car Australia for further review or seek legal advice.

What are my rights to privacy in relation to my complaint?

When you make a complaint, we will need some personal details from you in order to properly respond to your complaint. We will always collect, store, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which can be viewed at: https://www.volvocars.com/au/legal/privacy/privacy-customer-privacy-policy

Do additional terms apply if my complaint relates to my vehicle’s Internet Service?

Yes, there are additional terms that apply if your complaint relates to your vehicle’s Internet Service, which are set out below.

Additional processes that Volvo Car Australia will follow to address my complaint

If the complaint relates to your vehicle’s Internet Service:

• Volvo Car Australia will assist you to formulate, make and progress your complaint. If you have any accessibility requirements or disabilities or are from a non-English speaking background or suffering from financial hardship, we will also provide you with any additional assistance you may require to formulate, make or progress your complaint. You may let us know at any time during the process of making your complaint that you require this additional assistance.
• If the complaint cannot be immediately resolved, the Case Manager will contact our internet service provider (Optus) for support resolving the complaint.
• If your complaint is not an urgent complaint, Volvo Car Australia will seek to resolve your complaint within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the complaint or, if the complaint relates to billing errors, within your then current billing period or if sooner within 40 days. If we are unable to meet the applicable timeframe, before the end of that period we will tell you the cause of the delay and our new timeframe for resolving your complaint. If we tell you the applicable timeframe will extend longer than an additional 10 business days (provided the delay is not caused by a mass outage of the connectivity service provided by our provider, Optus) you may ask us to escalate the complaint or you may refer the complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) (contact details set out below).
• When we advise you of the outcome of our process, if your complaint is not an urgent complaint, we will take all necessary actions to implement our proposed resolution within ten (10) business days of you accepting that resolution unless you agree to a longer period or we require you to take steps to implement the resolution and you do not take them within the proposed timeframe.
• If you agree with the outcome of our process, we will close the complaint when you provide that agreement or, if we offer you a resolution that you accept, on implementation of that resolution. Otherwise, we may only close your complaint with your consent or if one of the following applies:
  • We conclude that we can do nothing more to resolve your complaint or assist you and that the complaint is frivolous or vexatious. In this case, before closing the complaint, the Case Manager will, within 5 business days of reaching this conclusion, notify you that we have decided not to deal further with your complaint, providing reasons for that decision and advising you of options for external dispute resolution. If requested by you we will provide that information in writing, within 5 business days of the date of your request.
  • The Case Manager is unable to contact you to discuss your complaint or to advise you of a proposed resolution after 5 separate attempts (each attempt on a separate calendar day, over a period of no more than 10 calendar days). In this case, before closing the complaint, the Case Manager will write to you advising that we have been unable to make contact, providing details of the contact attempts and inviting you to contact us within a specific timeframe of no less than 10 business days.

How will Volvo Car Australia handle urgent complaints relating to your vehicle’s Internet Service?

A complaint regarding your vehicle’s Internet Service is an urgent complaint if:

• We accept that you are a financial hardship customer or you have qualified under our financial hardship policy where the complaint is likely to directly contribute to or aggravate your financial hardship.
• Disconnection of your vehicle’s Internet Service is imminent or has occurred and where due process for that disconnection has not been followed.

If your complaint regarding your vehicle’s Internet Service is an urgent complaint, we will apply our processes set out above to resolve your complaint except that, if the complaint is not able to be resolved at the first point of contact:

• Your Case Manager will take into consideration that the complaint is an urgent complaint in determining the steps necessary to both investigate and resolve it.
• We will seek to resolve your complaint within two (2) business days of receiving the complaint or, if we are unable to meet this timeframe, before the end of that period we will tell you the cause of the delay and our new timeframe for resolving the complaint. If we tell you the timeframe will extend longer than an additional 10 business days (provided the delay is not caused by a mass outage of the connectivity service provided by our provider, Optus) you may ask us to escalate the complaint or you may refer the complaint to the TIO (contact details set out below).
• If we offer you a resolution that you accept, unless you otherwise agree, we will take all necessary actions to implement our proposed resolution within two (2) business days of receiving the complaint.

What internal prioritisation and escalation processes does Volvo Car Australia use for complaints relating to a vehicle’s Internet Service?

Subject to ensuring that we meet the specific timeframes that are set out in this Complaints Handling Policy, prioritisation of complaints relating to a vehicle’s Internet Service will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on criteria such as the nature of the complaint; the quality of supporting information provided by the customer making the complaint; the timeliness of the customer’s responses to requests for information; the factual circumstances surrounding the complaint; and the resolutions being sought or that are appropriate.

Your complaint relating to your vehicle’s Internet Service may be escalated in a number of different circumstances, including at your reasonable request or if you do not accept the outcome proposed by us to resolve your complaint. If your complaint relates to your vehicle’s Internet Service, we will also escalate the complaint if we do not resolve it within the time frames set out in this Complaints Handling Policy.

If your complaint relating to your vehicle’s Internet Service is escalated for any of the reasons set out in the previous paragraph, it will be managed by the Customer Relations Centre (CRC) Manager. The CRC Manager will review the complaint with, if required, the assistance of other Volvo Car Australia team members or external parties, such as our internet service provider (Optus). The CRC Manager will seek to resolve the complaint as promptly as possible in accordance with this Complaints Handling Policy. In some cases, the complaint may need to be escalated further to Volvo Car Australia’s senior management. We will keep you informed of the process for escalation.

What if I am not happy with the solution or outcome proposed by Volvo Car Australia?

If your complaint relates to your vehicle’s Internet Service, in addition to any other rights you may have, if you are not happy with the solution or outcome proposed by Volvo Car Australia, you can contact the TIO. The TIO contact details are available here: https://www.tio.com.au/complaints. We will not cancel your vehicle’s Internet Service where you pursue any option for external dispute resolution.

What is a business day?

If your complaint relates to your vehicle’s Internet Service, references in this Complaints Handling Policy to a business day (Monday to Friday) will be interpreted as a day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday where you are located.