Financial Hardship
The Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code C628:2019 defines Financial Hardship as a situation where a customer is unable to discharge of the financial obligations in relation to our services due to a reasonable temporary or ongoing cause but where the customer expects to be able to do so over time if payment arrangements are changed.
Statement of intention:
We are here to help.
Voipex is committed to providing you with flexibility when it comes to paying your bills because we recognise that sometimes unforeseen events in your life may affect your ability to pay us for services you have used. Any help we can give will depend on your individual circumstances, and we provide help on a case-by-case basis.
To be eligible for assistance you must be temporarily experiencing genuine financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances. Customers who are only seeking to defer payment will not be eligible.
In order to assess applications for assistance we may require you to provide things like medical certificates, evidence of termination of employment or evidence of new employment and potential future income. We accept all supporting documentation by the following methods:
Postal Address
Voipex Accounts
5 Brunker Road
Broadmeadow NSW 2292
Email: accounts@voipex.com.au
We may not be able to make an assessment of your circumstances if you do not provide us with the requested information. We may use the information you provide as well as other information available to us.
Once we received all required information, we will let you know within 7 working days whether you are eligible for assistance under our Financial Hardship Policy.
If you are eligible, will work with you to come to an arrangement that allows you to pay your outstanding charges in a way that does not worsen your financial position. Where appropriate we will discuss means with you how to limit your spend (this may include barring some service features) during the time of our arrangement and thereafter.
Once we come to an agreement we will put this in writing via letter or email to you. You must inform us if your circumstances change (for better or for worse) during our arrangement.
We will not charge you for assessing your Financial Hardship circumstances or for administering the matter.
Some options available to you to reduce the financial burden and to keep you connected are:
- Spend Controls where we limit or restrict service options that would normally add to the cost of your monthly bill. This may include restricting calls to destinations that are not included in your monthly bill.
- Transferring your plan to a pre-paid plan with included usage and a hard cap.
- Changing your plan to one with lower ongoing costs.
However, if you can no longer afford the services some options we provide are:
- Suspending the service so that you no longer incur fees, however the service will not be usable until the suspension is lifted.
- Waiving any early termination or contract cancellation fees.
- Discounting or waiving any debts.
If you are facing financial difficulty, you may wish to consider obtaining advice from a community financial counsellor in your area.
You can talk to a phone financial counsellor from anywhere in Australia by ringing the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 (minimum opening hours are 9.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Friday). This number will automatically switch through to the service in the State or Territory closest to you.
Alternatively, you can find the financial counselling service nearest to you by visiting https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/managing-debts/financial-counselling
Information on the Complaints Handling Process:
You may wish to make a complaint and request a review if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Financial Hardship application. Pursuant to the Australian Communications Media Authority (‘ACMA’) Complaints Standard, a complaint does not include an initial call to request information or support or to report a fault or service difficulty unless you advise us that you want that call treated as a complaint and does not include an issue that is the subject of legal action. You can also make a complaint in writing by email or post.
We are required to acknowledge all complaints within two working days, use our best efforts to resolve the complaint on first contact and otherwise resolve the complaint within 15 working days. As an additional safeguard to ensure that your complaint is properly handled, any complaints data that we receive will be provided to the ACMA to allow it to monitor our complaints-handling process in line with the ACMA Record-keeping Rules.