Complaints and Dispute Handling Policy
A security deposit is an effective way to protect equipment owners and encourage responsible hiring behaviour. However, the deposit amount should be reasonable and transparent to balance protection for owners with a positive booking experience for hirers.
Last updated: October 2025
Table of Contents
- Platform Licence and Term
- Introduction
- What is a complaint?
- What is a dispute?
- Complaints and Disputes Team
- Recording and Tracking of Complaints and Disputes
- Disputes between owners and hirers on our platform
- Disputes with us
- Acknowledging Receipt of Complaints about the Platform
- Early Resolution of Complaints
- Internal Review of IDR Response
1. Introduction
Local General Hire Pty Ltd (ACN 692 128 537) trading as Local Hire Marketplace (we, us or our) are committed to delivering excellence in our business. We recognise that despite our best efforts, there may be instances where our products or services do not meet the expectations of our clients or customers. We view complaints as opportunities for improvement and valuable feedback about our service offering. This policy applies to our company and our directors, officers, representatives, and operations. All personnel have a responsibility in complaint and dispute management The processes outlined in this policy apply to all complaints and disputes involving:
- Clients or Customers using our services
- Business Partners
- Service Functionality
- Service Delivery Matters
- Quality Concerns
- Staff Conduct
Our complaints and dispute resolution process is provided free of charge to all clients and customers.
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- Our complaints and dispute resolution process is provided free of charge to all clients and customers.
- View Terms & Conditions
2 What is a complaint?
A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about our organisation, related to our products, services, staff, or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected.
Complaints may relate to:
- service or product quality
- technical issues
- Collection or Dropoff delays
- communication issues
- service standards
- staff conduct
- billing and payments
- data security and privacy
Complaints can be lodged through multiple channels:
- online
- email to our designated complaints address
- written correspondence
- social media channels
We recognise that:
- the term 'complaint' does not need to be explicitly used
- complaints may be made by authorised representatives
- some clients may require assistance in lodging complaints
- complaints may involve multiple parties
3 What is a dispute?
A dispute is defined as a disagreement between users or us when using our marketplace platform. The types of disputes include:
- User-to-User Disputes (Owner-Hirer):
- this includes equipment damage or condition claims or disagreements and late return issues
- Platform Disputes
- this includes disagreements around platform charges, service availability or account suspension or termination
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- We are not responsible for mediating or resolving disputes between users
4 Complaints and Disputes Team
The Complaints and Disputes Team's responsibilities include:
- managing the end-to-end complaints and disputes process (if applicable)
- coordinating with relevant parties
- investigating issues
- analysing complaint data and trends
- implementing improvements
- training staff in complaint handling
- reporting to senior management
- maintaining complaint and disputes records
5 Recording and Tracking of Complaints and Disputes
We aim to maintain a comprehensive complaints and disputes management system that records:
Complaint / Dispute Details
- Date and time received
- Nature of complaint or dispute
- Services or products involved
- Parties involved
- Resolution attempts
- Final outcome
- Compensation or remediation provided
Technical Data
- Service performance metrics
- Quality assurance data
- Communication logs
- Resolution timeframes
- Staff involved
Analytics
- Trend analysis
- Root cause identification
- Resolution success rates
- Client satisfaction metrics
- Response time tracking
6 Amendments
This policy may be reviewed periodically or as required by our needs.
Document Last Updated: October 2025
7 Disputes between owners and hirers on our platform
We encourage owners and hirers to resolve disputes directly either through our platform or through external communication methods. In the event that a dispute cannot be resolved through these means, owners and hirers may choose to resolve the dispute through other means, such as mediation.
We are not responsible for mediating, investigating, determining liability, resolving disputes or making decisions regarding disputes between owners and hirers.
Our role is strictly limited to:
- acilitating information exchange when requested;
- providing a communication framework for users.
- processing agreed financial transactions; and
We have set out the process as follows:
| No. | Steps | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Users must first attempt direct resolution either through the platform, direct communication outside the platform or other external dispute resolution processes. | If direct resolution is successful, and it has been agreed between the parties or directed under an alternative dispute resolution process that the hirer will be responsible for paying the replacement cost of the equipment, step 6 will apply. If direct resolution has failed, proceed to step 2. |
| 2. | Users must submit an information exchange request. | A user may request that we facilitate the sharing of evidence or information with the other party. This is purely administrative. We make no assessment of the validity, merit or accuracy of any claims. |
| 3. | Users must submit evidence in accordance with the following basic technical requirements. | Please note that meeting these requirements does not indicate validity, merit or our endorsement of any claim. Equipment Damage Claims:
Equipment Damage Claims:
Missing Equipment/Parts Claims:
Additional Information:
|
| 4. | We will not forward the information if it does not meet the following basic technical requirements. | Please note that this assessment does not constitute any determination regarding the substance, validity, accuracy or merit of any claims.
|
| 5. | If it meets the basic technical requirements, we will forward the claim and information to either the owner or the hirer (where applicable) for them to follow up with the claim. | If the claim is resolved and it has been agreed between the parties or directed under an alternative dispute resolution process that the hirer will be responsible for paying the replacement cost of the equipment, step 6 will apply. |
| 6. | We will only process payments related to disputes in specific circumstances. | We will charge the hirer’s stored credit card details when:
The processing of charges will be in accordance with our Terms and Conditions set out on our website. We do not make any determination regarding the appropriateness, accuracy or validity of such payments. |
8 Disputes with us
Where there is a dispute between a user and us, we will first meet with the user (in good faith) to resolve the dispute. If the dispute is not resolved at that initial meeting:
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Where the user is based in Australia, we will refer the matter to mediation, administered by the Australian Disputes Centre in accordance with Australian Disputes Centre Guidelines for Commercial Mediation; or
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where the user is not based in Australia, refer the matter to arbitration administered by the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, with such arbitration to be conducted in Brisbane, Queensland, before one arbitrator, in English and in accordance with the ACICA Arbitration Rules.
9 Acknowledging Receipt of Disputes
| Types of Dispute | Process |
|---|---|
| Dispute between users | We will acknowledge user disputes within 48 hours of receipt. The acknowledgement should include:
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| Dispute with us | We try to acknowledge complaints in writing within one business day of receipt. The acknowledgment should include:
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| Platform Interruptions | While we strive to always make our platform available to you, we do not make any promises that these will be available 100% of the time. The platform services may be disrupted during certain periods, including, for example, as a result of scheduled or emergency maintenance. We will try to provide you with reasonable notice, where possible, of any disruptions to a user’s access to our platform. If there are any platform issues, we will provide technical support where applicable. |
10 Acknowledging Receipt of Complaints about the Platform
We try to acknowledge complaints in writing within one business day of receipt.
The acknowledgment should include:
- the name and contact details of the assigned complaint handler
- expected timeframes for resolution
- next steps in the process
Staff receiving complaints must:
- record the complaint in our system
- classify the complaint by type and priority
- notify relevant team members
- forward all documentation to the Complaints and Disputes Team
11 Early Resolution of Complaints
Where possible, we aim to resolve complaints within five business days. Early resolution procedures include:
- immediate technical support where applicable
- direct communication with relevant parties
- quick resolution of simple misunderstandings
- immediate corrective actions where possible
12* Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) for Unresolved Complaints
For complex complaints requiring detailed investigation:
- a formal investigation process will commence
- technical audits will be conducted if required
- regular updates will be provided to all parties
- we will endeavour to provide a detailed written response within 20 days
- relevant stakeholders will be consulted
13 Internal Review of IDR Response
Complainants may request an internal review if unsatisfied with the initial resolution. The review process includes:
- assessment by a senior team member not involved in the initial response
- consultation with relevant subject matter experts
- clear explanation of any revised decision
- comprehensive review of all documentation and communications
Where there are multiple complaints or negative reviews about a user, including where there are repeated incidents of a user damaging equipment or repeated incidents of an owner providing faulty equipment, we may remove a user from our platform in our sole discretion.