Complaints Handling Policy

As a responsible travel service provider, we seek to maintain and enhance our reputation of providing you with high quality products and services. We value your thoughts and feedback (whether positive or negative) as they assist us to improve our products, services, customer service and the overall customer experience.

We are committed to being responsive to the needs and concerns of our customers or potential customers and to resolving your issues, concerns or complaints as effectively and efficiently as possible.

This policy has been designed to provide guidance to both our customers and staff on the manner in which we receive and manage your issues, concerns or complaints. We are committed to being consistent, fair and impartial when managing your issue, concerns or complaints.

The objective of this policy is to ensure:

you are aware of our complaint lodgement and handling processes;

both you and our staff understand our complaints management process;

your concern, issue or complaint is investigated impartially with a balanced view of all information and evidence;

we take reasonable steps to actively protect your personal information; and

your concern, issue or complaint is considered on its merits, taking into account individual circumstances and needs.

What is a complaint?

In this policy a concern, issue or complaint means an expression of dissatisfaction by a customer relating to a travel service provided by us.

How do I make a complaint?

If you are dissatisfied with a travel service provided by us, you should in the first instance consider speaking directly with the staff member/s you have been dealing with. If you are uncomfortable with this or consider the relevant staff member is unable to address your concerns you can lodge a complaint with us in one of the following ways:

by completing a feedback form on our website;

by telephoning us on 1300 252 652

by writing to us at Suite 535, 1 Queens Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004

by emailing us at Info@unforgettablesrilanka.com.au and

in person by speaking to a member of our customer service staff.

If we receive your complaint verbally and we consider it appropriate, we may ask you to put your complaint in writing.

Our complaints management process is free of charge.

What information will I need to provide?

When we are investigating your concern, issue or complaint, we will be relying on information provided by you and information we may already be holding. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary. To help us investigate your complaint effectively and efficiently, we will ask you for the following information:

your name and contact details;

the name of the person you have been dealing with about your travel service;

the nature of the concern, issue or complaint;

details of any steps you have already taken to resolve your concern, issue or complaint;

details of conversations you may have had with us that may be relevant to your concern, issue or complaint,

copies of any documentation which supports your concern, issue or complaint; and

any other information that is relevant to your concern, issue or complaint or that may assist us in resolving your concern, issue or complaint.

Who will provide help with me and my complaint?

The person receiving or managing your concern, issue or complaint should provide you with any assistance you may need to make your concern, issue or complaint. However, if you consider you need further assistance, please inform us of this at the time you are lodging your concern, issue or complaint.

How will my complaint be documented and recorded?

When taking a concern, issue or complaint, we will record:

your details including your name, contact details and any other relevant identifying information;

all details of your complaint including the facts and the cause or causes of your complaint;

the outcome and any actions taken following the investigation of your complaint;

all dates and times relating to actions taken to resolve the complaint and communications between us.

As part of our on-going improvement plan, complaints will be monitored for any identifying trends by management and rectification/remedial action taken to mitigate any identified issues.

If you lodge a concern, issue or complaint we will record your personal information solely for the purposes of addressing your concern, issue or complaint. Your personal details will actively be protected from disclosure, unless you expressly consent to its disclosure.

Where a third party travel supplier such as a tour operator, was involved in your travel services, we may be required to speak with them to fully investigate your concern, issue or complaint.

How will my complaint be resolved?

We are committed to resolving your concern, issue or complaint at the first point of contact, however, this will not be possible in all circumstances, in which case a more formal process will be followed.

We will acknowledge receipt of your concern, issue or complaint within five (5) days and keep you informed of the progress of your concern, issue or complaint throughout our formal resolution process.

We are committed to resolving your concern, issue or complaint within twenty-one (21) days of you lodging your concern, issue or complaint, however, this may not always be possible on every occasion. Where we have been unable to resolve your concern, issue or complaint within twenty-one (21) days, we will inform you of the reason for the delay and specify an anticipated date when we will be in a position to finalise your concern, issue or complaint.

During the investigation of your concern, issue or complaint we may need to seek further clarification or documentation from you to assist us in resolving your concern, issue or complaint.

If we have sought clarification or documentation from you and we are waiting on you to provide this information, we may not be able to meet our twenty-one (21) day finalisation commitment. In such circumstances upon receipt of your clarification or documentation, we will indicate to you when we expect to finalise your concern, issue or complaint.

Once we have finalised your concern, issue or complaint, we will advise you of our findings and any action we have taken. We will do this in writing, unless it has been mutually agreed that we can provide it to you verbally.

You have the right to make enquiries about the current status of your concern, issue or complaint at any time by contacting us.

What is the six-point complaint process?

Our six-point complaint process involves the following:

We acknowledge – within five (5) days of receiving your concern, issue or complaint, we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint.

We review – we undertake an initial review of your concern, issue or complaint and determine what if any additional information or documentation may be required to complete an investigation. We may need to contact you to clarify details or request additional information where necessary.

We investigate – within twenty-one (21) days of receiving your concern, issue or complaint we will investigate your concern, issue or complaint objectively and impartially, by considering the information you have provided us, our actions in relation to your dealings with us and any other information that could assist us in investigating your concern, issue or complaint.

We respond – following our investigation, we will notify you of our findings and any actions we may have taken in regards to your concern, issue or complaint.

We take action – where appropriate we amend our business practices or policies.

We record – we will record your concern, issue or complaint for continuous improvement process and monitoring through regular review, your personal information will be recorded in accordance with relevant privacy legislation.

What happens if I make a complaint about one of your employees?

If you complain about a member of our staff, we will treat your concern, issue or complaint confidentially, impartially and equally (giving equal treatment to all people). We will investigate your concern, issue or complaint thoroughly by finding out the relevant facts, speaking with the relevant people and verifying explanations where possible.

We will also treat our staff member objectively by:

informing them of any concern, issue or complaint about their performance;

providing them with an opportunity to explain the circumstances;

providing them with appropriate support; and

updating them on the investigation and the result.

What happens when a complaint is under investigation by a regulator or law enforcement agency?

If your concern, issue or complaint is currently being investigated by a relevant federal, state or territory consumer protection regulator or law enforcement agency, we may cease to take further action in relation to your concern, issue or complaint pending finalisation of their investigation.

Where applicable, we will assist any agency with their investigations.

If a complaint needs to be escalated, how does this occur?

Where possible, we will attempt to resolve your concern, issue or complaint at the first point of contact. If we are unable to resolve your concern, issue or complaint at the first point of contact, we will undertake an investigation of your concern, issue or complaint and provide you with our findings.

If you are satisfied with our proposed decision or actions, we will close your concern, issue or complaint and record the findings for our continuous improvement program.

However, if you are not satisfied with our proposed decision or actions, we will record this, and provide you with information on how to escalate your concern, issue or complaint, to the Australian Travel Industry Association (“ATIA”) for external review under their Australian Travel Accreditation Scheme (“ATAS”). ATAS is an industry accreditation scheme that sets the benchmark of quality for the travel industry.

ATAS is also responsible for monitoring our compliance with the ATAS Code of Conduct (“Code”) and assisting in the resolution of concerns, issues or complaints. The Code sets the standards of good practice that ATAS participants must follow when dealing with their customers. As an ATAS participant we have agreed to be bound by the Code. If you would like to know more about the Code you can visit the ATAS website available here.

How do I contact ATAS (Australian Travel Accreditation Scheme)?

Should you wish to speak to ATAS about your concern, issue or complaint you can contact them in the following ways:

by completing the online complaint form on their website available here;

by telephone on + 61 2 9287 9900;

by writing to them at Level 31, 31 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000; or

By email at compliance@atas.com.au.

Are all my other rights available to me protected if I make a complaint?

You reserve the right to refer your complaint to your relevant federal, state or territory consumer protection agency at any time.