Call the council? We’ll do it and text you the answer
Having to call the council is a small job that somehow takes a whole morning. There is a menu, a queue, a transfer to another department and a second queue. All to find out which week the green bin goes out.
Give that job to us. Tell us which council and what you want to know. A real person rings, waits, gets passed around on your behalf, and texts you the answer along with the name of the department that gave it.
The problem
Why ringing the council takes so long
The queue
Council phone lines are busiest exactly when you are free to ring: first thing, lunchtime and late afternoon. You sit through the recorded message about the website, twice, before a person finally picks up the phone.
The transfer
The person who answers is rarely the person who knows. Waste, parks, rangers and planning are all different desks. You explain your question, get transferred, and explain it again. Sometimes the line drops on the way and you start from the top.
The website almost answers it
Somewhere on the council site there is a page about bulk rubbish collections. It tells you everything except whether your street is this month or next. For that, the page says, please ring customer service.
It is never urgent enough
A missed bin or a question about hiring the hall is not an emergency, so it keeps sliding. Then the collection passes, or the date you wanted is booked by someone who rang last week.
The fix
What you get when we ring for you
We do the waiting
The queue and the hold music are ours. You send the question once and carry on with your day. If the line is hopeless at one time of day, we try again at another.
We find the right desk
If the first person can’t answer, we follow the transfers until we reach the one who can. Our text tells you what they said and which department said it, in case you need to follow up.
A straight answer in writing
Dates, opening hours, what the tip will and will not take, how to register the dog. It arrives as a plain text message, which is easier to find again than something you half remember from a call.
An example
What it looks like
You tell us
Can you ring Redgum Shire Council and ask when the next bulk rubbish collection is for Mallee Street, and whether they take old mattresses? Also what days the tip is open.
We text you back
Spoke to waste services at Redgum Shire Council. The next bulk rubbish collection for Mallee Street is the week starting the 14th. Items go out no earlier than the weekend before. Mattresses are not taken at the kerb, but the tip accepts them for a fee. The tip is open Wednesday to Sunday, 8 am to 4 pm.
An example only, with made-up names, to show the kind of answer you get.
Three steps
How it works
- 1
Tell us who to call
The business or person, and what you want to ask, book or find out. Thirty seconds on the form below.
- 2
We ring them
A real person makes the call and says they are ringing on your behalf. No answer? We try again until there is one.
- 3
We text you the result
What they said, in plain words, sent to your mobile. The recording and a written transcript too, if you asked for them.
Good to know
This is for general questions anyone could ask. We can’t discuss your rates account, fines, infringements or applications, because the council needs to confirm it is talking to you. For those, we can find out which department handles it, the best number or time to ring, and what they will need from you, so your own call is a short one.
Free while we’re getting started
Who do you want us to ring?
Give us the who and the what. We make the call, keep trying if nobody answers, and text you what they said.
- A real person makes the call, not a robot
- We say we’re ringing on your behalf
- No answer? We try again, and again
- The answer lands on your phone as a text
Leave it with us.
We’ll make the call and text you what they said. Now go and do something better with your day.
Questions people ask
What sort of council questions can you ask?
Bin days and what to do about a missed bin, bulk or verge collection dates, tip hours and what it accepts, whether a hall or park can be hired on a certain date, how to register a dog, and who to talk to about a street tree.
Can you report a problem for me?
We can ask how to report it and pass on general details, like a missed bin in your street. If the council wants to log it against your name and address, they may need to hear from you. We tell you exactly what they asked for.
Do you say who you are calling for?
Yes. We say we are calling on your behalf and give your first name. We never pretend to be you, which is also why anything tied to your identity, like a rates account, has to stay with you.