Your feedback is important to us.

We value your feedback about our operations and services. Whether you have a request for action, a compliment or a complaint, we would like to hear from you. To let us know how we can better service your needs, you can contact us by:

• Email the City
• Telephone: 08 9432 9999 or TTY 08 9432 9777
• Post mail to: Investigation Officer, City of Fremantle, PO Box 807, Fremantle WA 6959
• Visit us at: Walyalup Civic Centre, 151 High Street, Fremantle
• Complete the customer feedback form online or you may prefer to pick up a feedback form from the Walyalup Civic Centre, Fremantle Library, The Meeting Place, or Fremantle Arts Centre

Customer satisfaction counts

The City will ensure your requests, comments or complaints are dealt with appropriately and in accordance with the customer service charter.

Making a complaint

We realise that sometimes, despite our best efforts, you may not be happy with the way we have performed a service.  We encourage you to bring your concern to us directly so the matter can be resolved promptly.  A complaint may be received in person, over the phone or in writing including electronic communication.

A complaint is not to be confused with a suggestion, a request for service or a request for information.  For convenience, the following definitions are provided:

• Complaint - a statement of dissatisfaction by a customer regarding the unsatisfactory delivery of a product or service offered by council or the unsatisfactory conduct of council officers.
• Compliment - positive feedback about a product or service.
• Suggestion - suggested service or product improvement.
• Request for information - an enquiry or request for information about council services, facilities, policies or procedures.
• Request for service - request for action to be taken in relation to a service or product.

The following will not be classified as a complaint:

• Requests for service.
• Requests for information or explanations of policies or procedures.
• Allegations of unlawful activity or nuisance occurring on private land.
• Appeal or objection in accordance with standard procedure or policy (i.e. Local Government Act 1995 S9.1 - Decisions).

The City manages all complaints in line with established policies and procedures. Should a complaint be received at the City, the following action will be taken:

• All complainants will be treated with respect, courtesy and professionalism.
• If the complaint is received by phone or over the counter the officer concerned will take all the details from you at that time. If the matter cannot be resolved at that time, an investigation will be commence and a written response informing you of the progress will be provided to you within 10 days working days.
• If the complaint is received in writing we will acknowledge your correspondence and provide a written reply informing you of our progress within 10 working days.
• If you are not satisfied with the City’s decision, you may wish to contact the Ombudsman Western Australia. Various publications on how to make a complaint are available on the Ombudsman website.

Customer service charter

Our commitment to you

At the City of Fremantle, our customers are our top priority.  We set and strive to maintain the highest standards of customer service that is authentic, is of real value and is of the highest possible quality. The purpose of our customer charter is to set out the City of Fremantle’s commitment to customer service excellence and outline the key actions required to meet your expectations and to continuously improve our customer experience.

Download the customer service charter.

Service standards

The charter sets out the service standards that can be expected and provides a focus for the City of Fremantle in how we can make the customer experience positive, worthwhile and consistent.

At all times we aim to:

• Deal with enquiries in a polite, professional and helpful manner. 
• Be realistic about what we can do and in what time-frames.
• Listen to your views.
• Provide you with clear and relevant information.
• Take ownership of enquires, follow up with you and keep you informed of progress through to completion.
• Actively seek and use customer feedback regarding our services to continuously improve our processes and procedures.

What I want as a customer	Our commitment to you	Measure of performance
I want my query to be answered promptly	When you telephone us, we will strive to answer within 20 seconds  We will answer your call courteously and professionally, identifying ourselves by name and area of the business Where possible, we will manage your enquiry immediately. If your query or request is of a technical or specialised nature, we will redirect your call to the appropriate officer best able to assist you. Where there is an unexpected delay in answering your call, we will give you the option of leaving a message or requesting a call back.	80% of calls will be answered within 20 seconds 90% of calls take less than three minutes to complete The average call wait time for all calls received weekly and monthly is less than 15 seconds. City of Fremantle records all calls for training and coaching purposes and reviews calls to ensure service quality standards are maintained.
I want someone to contact me when they say they will	If you call a City officer directly and leave a message, we will return your call by the following day If you are making a request that requires action, we will advise you of the expected time frame to action your request. You will be given a reference number to quote should you need to re-contact us. Should you have an after -hours issue or emergency, we will provide a locally based 24 hour emergency contact service.	Measurement through customer relationship management system Adherence to City of Fremantle phone answering standards and service request standards Feedback through customer service surveys.
I want different options to be able to contact you	You can contact the City of Fremantle by telephone, email, in writing, in person, online and through social media. On the telephone We will endeavour to resolve customer enquiries through our customer contact centre at the first point of contact or ensure specialist enquiries are referred to the correct person. By writing or by email Emails and online service requests will be acknowledged by email within one working day, with a customer request number for your reference. We aim to resolve your enquiry within ten (10) working days. If your enquiry requires in-depth research or follow-up that takes longer than ten (10) working days, we will contact you to inform you which department is managing your enquiry and when you can expect it to be resolved. In person We will be professional and courteous, attending to you within five minutes of your arrival If you have an enquiry about a complex issue like planning or building you may need to make an appointment. This way we can ensure a specialist officer is available to discuss your issue. Social media Monitor social media and respond if action is required within 24 hours.	Adherence to City of Fremantle customer service standards Feedback through customer service surveys Measurement of all service standards achieved.
I want someone to listen to me	We will greet you with warmth, respect, courtesy and understanding. We will listen to you and discuss your enquiry in detail. From time to time, we reach out to our customers and ask for feedback to get a deeper insight into how you feel about the City and what we can do to make our service better. We use customer feedback to continuously improve both customer service and service delivery.	Customer feedback Customer surveys Continuous improvement.
I want to deal with a Council that will do what it says it will do	The City of Fremantle ensures that all staff understand and live the customer commitments within this charter. With technical service requests or certified planning and building applications, we will meet statutory obligations and keep you informed of progress.	Open and honest communication with all customers Adherence to service standards established across the City.
I want great service every time	We will continue to meet the standards set out in the customer service charter.	Adherence to service standards established across the City.
What can I do to help?	Our responsiveness to you will be enhanced if you can: provide accurate and complete information so we can respond appropriately to your enquiry respect community property respect the right of other customers by being courteous work with us to solve problems understand that if a City officer feels they are being threatened, is the subject of abusive language or behavior, that they may terminate any discussion or communication. tell us where we may have let you down on our services so that we may improve.
I want someone to listen to my concerns and complaints	We value your feedback and welcome your suggestions, comments, compliments and complaints. When receiving your feedback we will: acknowledge and address your feedback promptly consider all relevant information regarding your feedback and seek resolution communicate to you any decisions or actions taken regarding your feedback. If you are not satisfied with the way your feedback was handled or resolved, we will: escalate your concerns to a senior officer if appropriate , offer further conciliation refer you to the Western Australian Ombudsman’s Office.	Customer feedback Customer service surveys Internal system reports Continuous service improvement.

We want to be proactive about obtaining your feedback. From time to time, we may contact you to seek your feedback on your interactions with the City of Fremantle. Your experience with us is important and your feedback will enable us to provide a better service to the community. 

Feedback and complaints

We make every effort to be inclusive and accountable for our organisations decisions and how they are made. We realise that sometimes, despite our best efforts, you may not be happy with the way we have performed a service.

How are complaints handled?

When receiving your feedback we will:

• acknowledge and address your feedback promptly
• consider all relevant information regarding your feedback and seek resolution
• communicate to you any decisions or actions taken regarding your feedback.

Resolving your complaint

If you are not satisfied with the way your complaint was handled or resolved, we will:

• escalate your concerns to a senior officer
• offer further mediation, when appropriate
• If you are still not satisfied with the City’s decision, you may wish to contact the Ombudsman Western Australia.
• Ombudsman Western Australia can be contacted at PO Box Z5386, St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6831.