Financial Hardship Policy

1. Our commitment

Phones, internet and mobiles are essential, for your business and for you. If you’re having trouble paying, our priority is to keep you connected while we work out a way through together.

• You have a right to apply for financial hardship assistance.
• Applying, being assessed and receiving assistance are free. We never charge a fee to apply, to set up an arrangement or to manage one.
• We will only ever use disconnection as a last resort.
• We’ll treat you fairly and respectfully, and focus on what you need and can realistically manage.

2. Who this policy is for

This policy applies to TelcoCentric customers who are:

• individuals and households;
• not-for-profit organisations; and
• small businesses that spend (or expect to spend) no more than $40,000 a year with us, and that signed up on our standard terms.

It also covers former customers who still owe us money. If your business is larger and you’re struggling, please talk to us anyway. We’d much rather find a way through with you.

3. What financial hardship means

You’re in financial hardship if you can’t pay what you owe us because of circumstances such as:

• illness, for you or someone in your household;
• losing your job, or a drop in business income;
• low or insufficient income, or less access to income;
• domestic or family violence;
• a death in the family;
• a change in your personal or family circumstances;
• a natural disaster, such as a bushfire or flood;
• another unexpected event that has affected what you earn or spend; or
• any other reasonable cause,

and you believe you could pay if we agree an arrangement that suits you. You don’t need to use the words “financial hardship”. If you tell us you’re struggling, having trouble paying or under money pressure, we’ll offer you this help.

4. How to ask for help

You can ask for help in any of the ways you normally contact us. There’s no form to complete. Just tell us you need help with your bill, and we’ll take it from there.

A representative can apply for you, such as a financial counsellor, family member, friend or community worker. Let us know who they are and that you’re happy for them to act for you.

Keeping track of your request

When you ask for help, we’ll give you a reference number and tell you how long we expect the assessment to take. You can check on it any time by calling or emailing us with your account number or reference.

5. How we assess your request

You’re eligible for assistance if your situation fits the meaning of financial hardship in section 3 and you’d like to use one of the options in section 6. We’ll:

1. talk with you about your situation and what you can realistically pay;
2. only ask for information if the rules below allow it;
3. assess your request and agree the right option with you; and
4. confirm the arrangement in writing.

When we won’t ask for evidence

We won’t ask you for information or documents to prove your hardship if:

• you’re asking for short-term help (up to 3 billing cycles); or
• you may be experiencing domestic or family violence.

When we may ask for information

We may ask for information only if you need long-term help (more than 3 billing cycles) and at least one of these applies:

• the amount to be repaid is more than $1,000;
• you’ve been our customer for less than 2 months; or
• we reasonably believe there’s a possibility of fraud.

Even then, we’ll only ask for what’s strictly necessary and relevant, such as a recent Centrelink statement, a payslip, business trading figures or a letter from your financial counsellor. We’ll never ask for something unreasonably hard to get. If we do ask:

• we’ll tell you in writing (or another way that suits you) what we need, why, and who to talk to about it: our accounts team, on 1300 718 857 or at accounts@telcocentric.com.au;
• you can give it to us by email, through our website, in person at 231 Morphett Street, or another way that suits your needs;
• you can show us documents rather than hand over copies, and an authorised team member will sight them;
• we’ll tell you how we’ll use the information, what else we may consider, and that we may not be able to finish the assessment without it; and
• we’ll only keep it for as long as the assessment takes, then securely destroy it.

We’ll give you enough time to find the information. Giving false or misleading information may mean we cancel the assessment.

How long it takes

“Business days” means Monday to Friday, excluding South Australian public holidays.

6. The help we can offer

We’ll work with you to choose options that are realistic, suit your circumstances and match what you can afford. Depending on your situation, we can:

• give you more time to pay, by postponing or extending the due date of a bill;
• set up a payment plan tailored to what you can afford, for example weekly or fortnightly instalments;
• discount a bill charge, or apply a credit to your account;
• in exceptional circumstances, waive some or all of a debt;
• add spend controls so charges can’t build up, for example barring international, premium or roaming calls;
• restrict a service (for example, to incoming calls only) instead of suspending it, so you stay reachable;
• remove non-essential features or add-ons at no cost;
• move you to a plan or service that better suits your circumstances; and
• let you pay by a free, non-automatic method such as bank transfer, instead of direct debit.

If you’re experiencing domestic or family violence, we’ll also consider options that keep your payments and account safe and manageable for you.

7. When we agree an arrangement

Your arrangement starts as soon as you tell us you agree to it. Within 2 business days we’ll send you written confirmation setting out:

• the details of your arrangement and how long it lasts;
• your rights and obligations under it;
• that you need to tell us within 14 days if your situation changes;
• the circumstances in which we may take credit management action; and
• that you can ask us to review the arrangement if your situation changes.

8. While you’re getting help

We won’t take any credit management action while you’re discussing options with us, while your request is being assessed, or while you’re keeping to an agreed arrangement. That means no restriction, suspension or disconnection of your services for non-payment, and no sending your debt to a collection agency. We’ll never sell a debt while you’re in these situations.

If your situation changes

Let us know, within 14 days if you can. We’ll review your arrangement within 5 business days of hearing from you.

If a payment is missed

If it looks like the arrangement isn’t working, we’ll contact you promptly to talk it through and offer to review it. We’ll only consider credit management action if the arrangement hasn’t been kept, we’ve offered to review it, and one of these applies:

• we’ve tried to reach you to discuss payment options: at least 3 times, on separate business days, over no more than 10 calendar days, in at least 2 different ways (one of them in writing);
• we genuinely believe you’re unable or unwilling to pay, and we need to stop the debt growing; or
• you agree the arrangement can’t be completed.

When we contact you in writing about this, we’ll say clearly that we’re proposing credit management action, which may include restriction, suspension or disconnection.

Suspension and disconnection are a last resort

If we do need to act, we’ll give you at least 10 business days’ written notice saying what we’ll do and when, why we’ve decided to act, the charges that may apply, how it affects any other services you have with us, and how to contact us, the TIO and a financial counsellor. While a voice service is suspended you can still call Triple Zero (000).

9. If you’re not happy

If you’re unhappy with a decision about your request or arrangement, you can ask us to review it or make a complaint.

• Email admin@telcocentric.com.au, or
• call 1300 718 857 and tell us you’d like to make a complaint.

We’ll acknowledge your complaint, tell you who is handling it, keep you informed while we look into it, and give you our decision and the reasons for it. Tell us at any point if you’d like the decision reviewed by someone else.

If you’re still not satisfied, you can complain to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, a free and independent dispute resolution service: 1800 062 058, tio.com.au.

Making a complaint to us or the TIO doesn’t stop you agreeing an arrangement with us.

10. Free support services

11. Accessibility and languages

• Other formats. Ask us for this policy in large print, read aloud over the phone, or another format that works for you.
• Interpreters. Call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to call us on 1300 718 857. It’s free.
• Hearing or speech impairment. Contact us through the National Relay Service. See accesshub.gov.au for your call options, or call the NRS Helpdesk on 1800 555 660.
• If you have a disability or other needs that make any step in this policy hard, tell us and we’ll help you through it, including helping you make your request.

12. Your privacy and our records

We handle your personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 and our Privacy Policy. We keep records of your request, our communications and any arrangement for at least 2 years after the arrangement ends, as the law requires, and we store them securely. Documents you show us to support a request are kept only as long as the assessment takes, then securely destroyed.

13. About this policy

This policy meets the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024. It is approved by our Director, who is responsible for how it works in practice. We review it at least once a year to keep it fit for purpose, and train our team on it every year.