Financial Hardship Policy

Tesla Telecoms Financial Hardship Policy

At Tesla Telecom, we recognize that unforeseen financial challenges may impact your ability to pay for the services you’ve utilized. Rest assured, we are fully committed to offering our support during such difficult times.

We are dedicated to assisting you in addressing financial difficulties, whether they are temporary or long-term. Our pledge is to aid customers encountering financial hardship by ensuring they maintain access to telecommunications services and by collaborating with them to discover sustainable solutions. The assistance we provide is tailored to your unique circumstances, and we handle each case individually.

Understanding Financial Hardship

We acknowledge that financial hardship is characterized by an inability to meet financial obligations, rather than an unwillingness to do so. It can stem from various situations, either short-lived or enduring.

According to the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code, financial hardship is defined as a situation where you cannot fulfill your financial responsibilities related to our services due to reasons such as illness, unemployment, being a victim of domestic or family violence, or other valid temporary or ongoing causes. Additionally, you must believe that changing payment arrangements or service supply arrangements would enable you to meet these obligations.

We offer a range of payment and service alternatives to assist you during these challenging times. If you’re struggling to pay your bill or wish to explore options to reduce your bill, please call us at 1300 780 187. Our customer service is available from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays and from 08:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekends and public holidays (AEST). You can find all our contact information on our website: https://teslatelecom.au/contact-us/. Remember, the sooner you reach out to us, the better. Openly discussing your concerns allows us to assist you in managing your bills effectively.

Our Dedicated Team

We firmly believe that everyone should have access to understanding and supportive assistance during times of financial hardship. To achieve this, we invest in training our staff to identify customers facing financial challenges and respond with empathy and compassion. Our team will collaborate with you to establish reasonable payment arrangements that consider your individual circumstances.

Negotiating a Financial Agreement

A financial arrangement is typically structured as a payment plan designed to facilitate the repayment of your debt at a rate that suits your financial capacity. When we agree to a financial arrangement, we ensure that the repayments cover expected future service usage while gradually reducing the debt to prevent further financial strain.

To assess your situation, we may need to ask you some questions about your financial hardship. Additionally, we may request supporting documentation. Such documents could include a medical certificate if your hardship is due to illness, a letter from a recognized financial counselor confirming your consultation, a severance letter from your most recent employer, or a statement of your financial status. If we require supporting documents, we will inform you during our discussion.

We aim to review financial hardship requests within five business days of receiving all necessary information. Failure to provide requested information may result in an assessment delay. After evaluating your application, supporting documents, and available information, we will notify you of the outcome. If your application is successful, we will collaborate with you to establish a payment plan or explore alternative financial arrangements. Once an agreement is reached, we will provide written confirmation via letter or email. You have the right to request these details in writing.

It is essential to inform us of any changes in your circumstances, whether they improve or worsen, during the arrangement period. Rest assured, we do not charge fees for assessing your Financial Hardship circumstances or for administering the process.

Options to Keep You Connected

We understand that each instance of financial hardship is unique, requiring us to adapt solutions to your specific needs. These solutions may evolve as your situation changes over time.

In addition to financial arrangements and payment plans, we may discuss various options to ensure your continued connectivity with us, such as:

• Implementing restrictions on specific services
• Transferring you to a pre-paid service
• Offering low-cost interim solutions until you can resume regular payments

Exploring Suitable Financial Arrangements

While we explore various options to assist you, common strategies we may consider include:

• Temporarily postponing or deferring payments
• Negotiating alternative arrangement plans
• Offering discounts or waiving specific administrative fees and charges

If you fail to comply with the terms of our arrangement, we will make reasonable efforts to contact you before taking further action. While service suspension or disconnection is a last resort, we will make every effort to collaborate with you to prevent this outcome.

Financial Counseling

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may wish to seek guidance from a financial counselor. You can contact a financial counselor anywhere in Australia by calling the National Debt Helpline at 1800 007 007. This free hotline is available from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays.

Our Complaints Handling Process

Remember, we are here to support you. If you have any complaints or concerns that you would like to address with us, our dedicated complaints handling team is available to assist you. For more information on this process and how to get in touch with them, please refer to our complaints handling policy.

 

(Information approved as of 01.07.2023)