Frequently asked questions

It's free for consumers — always. Lodging, tracking and resolving a complaint costs nothing, and we never take a percentage of any refund or compensation you receive. Businesses pay for tools to respond; you never do.

About three minutes. You answer a few plain-English questions, pick what would make things right, and optionally attach receipts, photos or screenshots. Start your complaint whenever you're ready.

No need to sign up first — your account is created automatically when you lodge your first complaint, so you can come back and track replies. You'll just set a password or use a login link.

Telcos and NBN, energy and utilities, airlines and travel, banks and insurance, retail and online shopping, trades and services, council and government, real estate and renting, cars and dealerships — and a "something else" option for anything that doesn't fit a box.

The business is notified privately and the 14-day clock starts. You'll see every reply and deadline in your account, and we'll nudge the business if they go quiet. You'll get an email each time something changes.

If they don't respond within 14 days, we point you to the right next step — usually the relevant ombudsman or regulator for your industry and state, which are free and government-backed. The unanswered complaint is also noted on their public page.

Yes. You can upload receipts, photos, screenshots and emails to your complaint at any time. Good evidence makes a complaint far more likely to be taken seriously and resolved quickly.

You'll be notified when the business responds and proposes an outcome. You can accept it, ask for more, or escalate — and once you're happy, the complaint is marked sorted with the outcome on record.

It may appear on the business's public Dammad page after the 14-day window, but only after moderation removes anything abusive, speculative or identifying. Resolved complaints are clearly marked as resolved.

No. Public complaints show a first name and last initial plus a general location (e.g. "Marcus T., Frankston VIC"). We never publish your email, phone or address.

Yes. You can choose to keep a complaint private when you lodge it — it'll still go to the business and be tracked, it just won't appear on the public page.

Only the business named in your complaint receives the details needed to respond. Your contact information is never shown publicly. See our privacy policy for the full picture.

Yes — we verify that complaints come from real people and you confirm your account is true to the best of your knowledge. This keeps the platform credible and protects honest complaints from being lumped in with fakes.

Honest complaints about your genuine experience are your right. We moderate to keep complaints factual and remove anything defamatory or abusive, which protects you too. Dammad isn't a law firm and this isn't legal advice — if you're worried, seek independent legal guidance.

No. Dammad is an independent platform that helps you lodge, escalate and track complaints. For formal disputes we direct you to the relevant ombudsman or regulator — those are free, government-backed, and businesses are legally required to engage with them.

Under the Australian Consumer Law you're entitled to consumer guarantees — goods and services must be fit for purpose, of acceptable quality, and match their description. When they don't, you may be owed a repair, replacement or refund. Our Know your rights guide breaks it down by situation.

It depends on the industry: telco complaints go to the TIO, energy and water to your state energy ombudsman, banking and insurance to AFCA, and so on. When you lodge, we point you to the right one for your category and state if it gets that far.