Dispute Resolution

It is always our desire to ensure the highest quality service is provide – Service Focussed Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors.

In the event that you need to resolve an issue or potential complaint with our services, then we are required to have a procedure in place to ensure that dispute is resolved in a reasonable time and not inconvenience stakeholders – per Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.

Pease refer to the following procedure:

Contact us immediately

• By phone on (07) 3899 2927 directly to the accountant that you normally directly engage with;
  
• This will be communicated directly to the Director of Harriss Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors (irrespective of level of dispute)
  
• The office is opened from Monday to Thursday – 9am to 5pm.

Oral or written

All complaints can be made orally (phone or in person) or written (including email).

Reasonable time and level of dispute

In the event that you do not believe your event has been dealt with adequately or in a reasonable time, then please contact the Director of Harriss Chartered Accountants directly on (07) 3899 2927 or kurt@harriss.com.au. 

Fee related complaints

Advising of a dispute of a specific fee is required to be made prior to the due date of the invoice, with any adjustment or other change to an invoice being considered at our complete discretion. Consideration of a remedy to the dispute relating to an invoice after the due date for payment of our invoice (14 days after date of invoice) will only be in exceptional circumstances.

After 30 days or more of any unpaid invoice, we may refer the outstanding amount or amounts to a debt collector to claim on our behalf, make application to the small claims courts or commence legal action against entities and/or directors or guarantors of payment of our fees per our engagement letter. We also reserve the right to charge interest, administration fees and recover legal fees or other fees charged by a third party. Further, we also reserve the right to withhold any and all services regardless of the nature until our invoices are paid in full.

In the event of a dispute, we may at our discretion invoke our legal right of lien over documents and/ or property in our possession until the dispute is resolved. This includes not lodging prepared but unpaid for documents/forms etc with a State, Territory or Federal Government department, organisation or authority or any other third party. Further, we reserve the right to not pass on our work product to a new accountant you have engaged, including not being required to provide copies or originals of your documents that we possess to you or a new accountant.

Process of dispute

• All complaints should be made at your earliest convenience either orally or written (including via email). We encourage the complaint be in writing to ensure the dispute is clearly outlined and dealt in a reasonable time.
  
• We will provide you with a written (including via email) acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint within 7 business days of receiving the complaint. This will be done via email or by phone or by meeting.
  
• We will consider the complaint over the following 14 days and may request further information to understand the circumstances. 
  Our request for additional information or clarification from you will clearly state that a response is required within 14 calendar days to comply with the stipulated response times.
• We will ask you to sign file notes of relevant conversations or confirm via emails to confirm they contain a complete and accurate record of the complaint and subsequent negotiations.
• We will maintain contact with you to ensure that you are informed of the ongoing progress of your complaint; until the complaint is remedied.
  
• All fee disputes should be made prior to due date for payment of our invoice, being 14 days after date of invoice.
  
• Within 45 business days of receiving your complaint we will provide you with a final verbal or written response. This excludes public holidays, closure of office times. At our discretion, this may be extended in exceptional circumstances, such as Director being on holidays or away due to any health issues or during high lodgement periods or where legal advice is required.

Remedies

This will consist of one of the following remedies:

• Accept the complaint and where appropriate, offer redress;
  
• Offer redress without accepting the complaint; or
  
• Reject the complaint, giving reason.

Our final verbal or written response will be considered closure of the matter. If you are not satisfied with the remedy or our decision there are various alternative options available to you.

Privacy and Confidentiality Disputes

Please see our Privacy statement. 

Communication

Where we feel communication between the parties is unproductive or threatening in nature, we will cease communication with you, or we may choose to deal with you through communication other than oral, or through a third party such as a solicitor, mediator or debt collector.

Alternate Procedure

Upon exhausting all the above, you can contact the following:

Federal Privacy Commissioner

• Phone  1300 363 992
  
• Director of Complaints, Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner, being GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 1042.

Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand

• Phone  1300 137 322
  
• membercomplaints@charteredaccountantsanz.com
  
• Conduct & Discipline, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, being GPO Box 9985 Sydney NSW 2001

Tax Practitioners Board

• Phone  1300 362 829
  
• enquirymanagement@tpb.gov.au
  
• The Secretary (Complaints), Tax Practitioners Board, being GPO Box 1620 Sydney NSW 2001

Our Contact Details