AUMessageMedia Financial Hardship Policy
| Authorised by | Chief Financial Officer |
|---|---|
| Effective Date | 1 September 2021 |
| Internal/External | External |
MessageMedia is committed to helping customers facing financial hardship maintain their messaging needs. We will work with you to find a sustainable solution having regard to your individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Financial hardship can arise in a number of ways, including due to natural disasters, reduced business income or other change in circumstances.
How we can assist you?
Our aim is to find solutions to get you back in control of your bills. Depending on your circumstances, a range of payment and service options are available.
To assess your application for financial hardship assistance and identify a suitable solution for you we may need to ask you some questions about your situation, your financial circumstances, and the telecommunications services you need. In some cases, for example, where financial hardship is long term, we may also require supporting documentation. If this is the case, we’ll let you know. We’ll only ask for information that is relevant to your application and treat it as strictly confidential.
If you would like to contact us to discuss your situation and our Financial Hardship Policy please call us on 1800 155 228 and say “financial hardship” (Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm).
Payment options may include but are not limited to:
· Flexible payment arrangements over a period of time, so that you don’t have to pay the entire amount at once
· Waiver of late payment and/or cancellation fees
Service options to assist you to control the amount of your future bills may include but are not limited to:
· Restriction of services
· Transfer to a pre-paid service
· Transfer to an alternate plan/contract which includes hard caps
We will work with you to find a sustainable solution to assist you to stay connected and enable you to manage your current and future MessageMedia bills. Although we attempt to assess and make contact with you as soon as possible, please allow up to 5 business days.
Where can I get further assistance?
If you are facing financial difficulty, you may wish to obtain advice from a community financial counsellor. You can talk to a financial counsellor from anywhere in Australia by calling 1800 007 007 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 4:30pm). This number will automatically switch through to the service in the State or Territory closest to you, or you can visit the National Debt Helpline www.ndh.org.au.
Want a review of your application?
Your feedback is important to us. If you’re not happy with the assistance we have provided to keep you connected while you are experiencing financial difficulty you can call us on 1800 155 228 and say “complaint” or visit us at www.messagemedia.com.au.
