Complaints & Escalation Policy

How to File a Complaint

If you encounter an issue or are dissatisfied with a service experience facilitated by DriveAssist Portal, we encourage you to inform us as soon as possible. Clear and detailed information helps us to investigate your concern thoroughly and efficiently. To file a complaint, please send an email to [email protected].

When submitting your complaint, please include the following essential information:

• Your Inquiry Reference Number: This is crucial for us to quickly locate your specific service request or interaction. It helps us streamline our internal processes and ensure we are addressing the correct event.
• Date of Contact/Incident: Please provide the exact date or an approximate timeframe when the issue occurred or when you last interacted with our platform or a service provider.
• Detailed Problem Description: Clearly and concisely explain the nature of your complaint. What happened? What were your expectations? What was the outcome? Include any relevant details such as names, specific locations, or times, if applicable.
• Your Contact Information: Ensure you provide your full name, email address, and a phone number where we can reach you to discuss your complaint further.
• Desired Resolution: While we cannot always assurance a specific outcome, understanding what you hope to achieve by filing the complaint (e.g., refund, apology, corrective action) helps us in seeking a suitable resolution.

Providing as much detail as possible will assist our team in understanding your situation fully and working towards a fair and timely resolution.

Our Complaint Handling Process

We follow a structured process to ensure every complaint is handled with care and efficiency. Here are the steps involved:

1. Inquiry Submission: You submit your complaint via email to [email protected], including all necessary details as outlined above.
2. Acknowledgment: Our team will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 business days. This acknowledgment will confirm that we have received your message and provide you with a unique complaint reference number for your records.
3. Initial Assessment: A dedicated member of our customer support team will review your complaint to understand the core issues and identify any immediate actions required.
4. Investigation & Information Gathering: We will conduct a thorough investigation, which may involve reviewing service records, communicating with the service provider involved, and gathering any additional relevant information. This step is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
5. Internal Discussion & Analysis: Our team will discuss the findings of the investigation to determine the root cause of the problem and evaluate potential solutions or corrective measures.
6. Proposed Resolution: We will formulate a proposed resolution based on our investigation and communicate it to you, explaining our findings and the actions we intend to take.
7. Customer Review & Feedback: You will have the opportunity to review our proposed resolution and provide any further feedback or questions you may have.
8. Final Resolution & Closure: Once a mutually agreeable resolution is reached, or if we have taken all reasonable steps to address your complaint, we will formally close the complaint and document the outcome.

Response Timeframes

We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly. Our targeted response times are as follows:

• Acknowledgment: You will receive an acknowledgment of your complaint within 2 business days of submission.
• Resolution Target: We aim to provide a full resolution or a substantive update on your complaint within 10 business days. If the investigation requires more time due to its complexity or the need to gather information from third parties, we will inform you of the delay and provide an updated timeframe.

Our goal is to ensure a fair and efficient process, keeping you informed at every stage.

Escalation Process

Should you remain unsatisfied with the resolution or the handling of your complaint after following our initial process, you have the option to escalate your concern. To do so, please send a separate email to [email protected] with the subject line "Complaint Escalation".

In your escalation email, please include:

• Your original complaint reference number.
• A summary of why you are unsatisfied with the initial resolution or process.
• Any additional information or context you believe is relevant.

Upon receiving an escalation request, a senior member of our team will review your case independently. They will re-examine all aspects of the complaint and the previous resolution, aiming to provide a fresh perspective and a final determination. We commit to addressing escalated complaints with the utmost priority and care.

What Is Outside the Scope of Complaints

While we strive to address all legitimate concerns, certain matters fall outside the scope of our formal complaint handling process. These typically include:

• General Inquiries: Questions about our services, pricing, or how our platform works should be directed to our general contact channels, not the complaints process.
• Feedback or Suggestions: While highly valued, general feedback or suggestions for improvement are typically handled through different internal channels than formal complaints.
• Issues with Third-Party Services Not Coordinated by DriveAssist Portal: Our complaint process specifically covers services facilitated through our platform. If you experienced an issue with a roadside assistance provider not connected via DriveAssist Portal, you would need to contact that provider directly.
• Matters Already Resolved: If a complaint has already been thoroughly investigated and a resolution accepted by you, further re-opening without new, significant information may be declined.
• Unreasonable Demands: Complaints that involve unreasonable demands, harassment, or threats will not be processed under this policy.

For general inquiries or feedback, please use our contact page or the general email [email protected] without specifying "Complaint" or "Escalation" in the subject.

Service Area Nuances in Austria

Austria's diverse geography presents unique challenges and considerations for roadside assistance, which can sometimes influence service delivery times and types. DriveAssist Portal coordinates services across all Austrian provinces, and understanding these regional nuances is important:

• Alpine Roads in Tyrol and Vorarlberg: In mountainous regions like Tyrol and Vorarlberg, particularly during winter months, access to remote areas can be challenging due to snow, ice, or narrow, winding roads. This might impact response times for specialized recovery equipment.
• Motorway Network Around Vienna: The high traffic density on motorways surrounding Vienna (A1, A2, A4, A21) means that while service providers are numerous, congestion can sometimes delay arrival. However, the availability of resources is generally high.
• Winter Conditions in Vorarlberg and Salzburg: Heavy snowfall and icy conditions are common in these western provinces, especially at higher altitudes. This necessitates specialized winter equipment for recovery and can affect the speed of travel for assistance vehicles.
• Brenner Corridor (Tyrol): The Brenner motorway (A13) is a vital transit route, often experiencing high volumes of truck traffic. Incidents here can lead to significant delays, and recovery operations may require specific coordination due to the international nature of the traffic.
• Tauern Tunnel Area (Salzburg/Carinthia): This area, including the A10 motorway and the Tauern and Katschberg Tunnels, is a critical alpine crossing. Roadside assistance here often requires adherence to specific tunnel safety regulations and can involve longer waits for appropriate heavy-duty recovery vehicles.
• Rural Areas Across Austria: In more sparsely populated regions, such as parts of Styria, Carinthia, or Upper Austria, service provider density might be lower compared to urban centers. This can lead to slightly longer estimated arrival times, especially for highly specialized services.
• Seasonal Tourism Impact: During peak tourist seasons (winter sports, summer holidays), popular routes and destinations can experience increased traffic, potentially affecting response times due to road congestion or high demand for services.

Our network of providers is aware of these regional specificities and strives to offer the most efficient service possible given the prevailing conditions. When you request assistance, our system considers these factors to connect you with the most suitable available provider.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)