Complaints

What can I complain about?
Making a complaint
Tips for making a written complaint
Your privacy
Our complaints handling policy
Rights of appeal
External agencies contact details

Complaints ABOUT ESV are generally related to ESV policy, procedure, system or behaviour of an ESV employee involved in service delivery. We are fully committed to a providing an integrated complaints handling process. If you are not satisfied with the service you have received from us, we welcome your feedback. It gives us the opportunity to fix the problem and improve our service to you and to others.

Complaints TO ESV are part of ESV's role in regulating the safety and technical compliance of energy supply, installations, appliances and pipelines. As such, there may be times that members of the community may witness something they determine to be unsafe or warrant investigation and possible prosecution from ESV. We welcome these opportunities and you can report these incidents here.

If you are dissatisfied with the service provided to you by ESV, the Ombudsman Victoria is an independant and impartial service that can be accessed by any member of the public. Their contact details are:

The Ombudsman Victoria
Level 22, 459 Collins Street
Melbourne Victoria 3000
Telephone: (03) 9613 6222
Toll free (from regional areas):
1800 806 314

What complaints should be dealt with by other agencies?

Making a complaint

The first point of call for making a complaint ABOUT ESV is with ESV. This gives us the opportunity to address your concerns directly and resolve them in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Apart from resolving the complaint, bringing it to our attention of will give us the opportunity to make changes that may benefit other members of the community.

If you are wanting to report a complaint TO ESV, the most important step is to collect as much information as you can. This may include, photographs, supporting documents, names, dates, times, witnesses etc. Putting your complaint in writing (email, letter or via our website) is the required method for making a complaint to ESV. This will not only give someone the responsibility of replying to your complaint, it will also ensure it is directed to the right person or department.

Click here to utilise our online complaint form for complaints ABOUT and TO ESV.

Online: Online complaints form

Email: complaints@esv.vic.gov.au

Mail:   Complaints Handling Manager    
          PO Box 262
          Collins Street West Victoria 8007

Tips for making a written complaint

All written correspondence regarding complaints should be addressed to The Complaints Handling Manager and letters and emails should be clear and to the point.

Your complainat should be set out in logical order and include:

• The date
• Your name, address, telephone number and preferred means of contact
• A description of the issue or problem 
• Relevant dates, names and times
• Details of any telephone conversations and / or meetings 
• Any explanations you think are important
• Copies of relevant documents / evidence (photographs etc)
• Explain what action you think should be taken to resolve your problem
• Make sure your demands are reasonable
• Keep records of all the letters you send as well as details of phone conversations etc

If you have not received a response within 7 days, please call to follow up on the progress of your complaint.

Click here to lodge your complaint online.

Your Privacy

Information you provide in connection with your complaints will be handled in accordance with all applicable privacy laws. Your personal details will only ever be disclosed to another party with your consent or if otherwise permitted under privacy laws.

You can access personal information ESV holds about you by contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer.

Our complaint handling policy

ESV has a strict Complaints Handling Policy. The principles in this policy apply to all ESV staff in their dealings with all customers and external companies. It has been developed to support and as an expansion of the ESV Customer Service Charter.

It sets out the principals that ESV has adopted for the management of feedback, compliments, suggestions or complaints - received in relation to the services provided and the experiences of the delivery of those services by ESV. It describes the principles that we follow to recover the experience when our service delivery has not met expectations.

ESV recognises the importance of a well managed complaints handling process as part of providing a quality customer service. We are accountable for our actions and decisions, and customers and other external parties have the right to complain about us and seek remedy for decisions that affect them.

This complaints handling procedure was developed in accordance with AS ISO10002–2006: Customer satisfaction—Guidelines for complaints handling in organisations and the Ombudsman Victoria’s guide to complaint handling for Victorian Public Sector Agencies.

Click here to view our complaints handling policy

Rights of Appeal

Where we are unable to resolve a complaint to your satisfaction, we will explain why and let you know what other options you have. These options may include:

Asking for a review of a decision. This may involve another, independent ESV employee who was not involved in the initial investigation reviewing the case Contacting the Victorian Ombudsman

External agencies contact details

Here is a list of links to various complaint and dispute resolution bodies that may be able to assist with your complaint: