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Home>Quicklinks>Complaints |
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Assistance with complaintsThe role of the Ministry of Tourism is to develop tourism policy, carry out research, and collect and disseminate information about the tourism industry in New Zealand. The Ministry is not resourced to investigate individual consumer complaints regarding the service or products provided by tourism businesses or by other government agencies. The Ministry wants all visitors in New Zealand to experience the highest standards of product and service from all of New Zealand’s tourism businesses. The Ministry works with other government agencies and tourism organisations to address issues of quality for our visitors at the national level. The Ministry endorses Qualmark, New Zealand’s official tourism mark of quality for visitor accommodation, attractions, activities and transport. If you do have a complaint about an aspect of your experience as a visitor in New Zealand, whether you are from New Zealand or overseas, you may want to consider the information below which explains how you can pursue the matter further. Contacting the Business ConcernedIf you have a complaint about your experience with a tourism business, the first step is to contact that business directly to clearly explain your concerns. Most businesses understand that customer complaints are a valuable source of information to help them improve the service they provide. You can obtain contact details of New Zealand businesses from the telephone directory, either listed by categories of business in the yellow pages or alphabetically by the names of individual businesses or residents in the whitepages. Trader chargebackYou can contact your local banking complaints service (in New Zealand this is the Office of the Banking Ombudsman) or credit card provider to enquire about a trader chargeback for goods or services that you did not receive or for a contractual breach.You will need to provide the banking complaints service or credit card holder with various details, including proof that you've returned the goods, or in the case of a service, you will need to supply a copy of your letter to the retailer stating that the service was not received and requesting a refund. In the case of a contractual breach, you will need to supply a copy of the contract, and proof that there was a breach of the contract. You'll also need to provide the date and amount of purchase, and a description of the goods or services ordered. There is a time limit within which a banking complaints service can act. In New Zealand, banks usually give two months from the date of the transaction to apply for a chargeback. Consumer RightsNew Zealand has legislation enacted to protect consumer rights. If you do not get a satisfactory outcome by contacting the business concerned directly, you can get advice on the next steps you might take from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs website. This includes information on your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 for rights and remedies relating to faulty goods, service failures and consequential loss. Also information on your rights under the Fair Trading Act, which prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct, false representations, and unfair practices by people in trade. Disputes TribunalIf you think that your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act or Fair Trading Act have been breached, you can seek compensation by taking a civil action through the Disputes Tribunal. The Disputes Tribunal has been set up to resolve disputes simply and quickly. A fee ranging from NZ$30 to NZ$100, depending on the amount of the claim, is required to lodge the claim. Any ruling made by the Tribunal is binding and will, if necessary, be enforced by the Courts. For further information about the Disputes Tribunal process, click here. Other InformationYou may also want to find out more about the Commerce Commission, who are responsible for enforcing the Fair Trading Act, or the Consumer New Zealand, who provide a source of independent consumer information.
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