Our Commitment

We are here to help. This Policy provides details of the assistance available to those currently experiencing, or at the risk of experiencing, financial hardship.

We will work with you to help you respond to financial difficulty, whether temporary or long-term. We are committed to helping customers facing financial hardship or who require payment assistance, to maintain telecommunications access and working with you to find a sustainable solution. Our focus is on keeping you connected, and we see disconnection as a last resort. Any help we can give will depend on your individual circumstances, and we provide help on a case-by-case basis.

All customers have the right to apply for financial hardship/payment assistance and there’s no charge for making an application or entering into any Financial Hardship Arrangement.

The Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code C628:2015 defines Financial Hardship as a situation where a customer is unable to meet their financial obligations in relation to our services but where the customer expects to be able to do so over time if their payment arrangements are changed.

Types of Assistance

We understand that there may be instances where it is difficult to keep up with payments for services. Where eligible and depending on your circumstances we may offer some of the arrangements to assist:

·       Reviewing your usage and exploring alternative plans available

·       Transferring from postpaid to prepaid billing

·       Suggesting a change in payment frequency to make payments more manageable

·       Granting a temporary hold on services

·       Waiving late payment fees or cancellation fees

·       Lower cost interim options until you can continue with your original plan

See our website for plan pricing and inclusions or contact us to discuss further payment options.

Getting Assistance

We encourage you to contact us if you experience any difficulties paying for services we provide you. You can do so by using our Contact Us page, via email support@gofax.com.au. or by calling 1300 928 872 if you would like to discuss any Financial Hardship matters with us. You can do so from 8:00am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday during business days, AEST.

Accessibility

If a Customer or visitor experiences difficulty with any content on the GoFax website, or if assistance is required with any part of our site, please contact GoFax support during normal business hours for assistance.

Information we may require

We may use the information you provide as well as other information available to us, strictly to conduct an assessment of financial hardship eligibility and will only retain this information for the period that it is required to complete its assessment. Once we receive all the required information, we will let you know within 7 working days whether you are eligible for assistance under our Payment Assistance Policy.

Customers seeking short term assistance or who are a victim survivor of domestic or family violence are not required to provide evidence to support their application.

Arrangement process

You can contact our team to apply for a financial hardship arrangement to be made, or to discuss payment assistance options with us.

If you are eligible, we 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 spending (this may include pausing some service features) during the time of our arrangement and thereafter.

Once we come to an agreement, we will put this in writing via email to you and keep you updated on the progress of your application via email. You must inform us if your circumstances change (for better or for worse) during our arrangement within 14 days of the change in your situation.

In the event that you default on the financial hardship arrangement with us and fail to make contact, or cannot be reached anymore, we reserve the right to cancel the financial hardship arrangement.

Additional support

Additional support is available via a community financial counsellor or consumer advocate who specialises in financial difficulty matters. Some options available include:

·       talking to a financial counsellor from anywhere in Australia by ringing the National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007 (opening hours are 9.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Friday).

·       searching for the nearest financial counselling service by visiting Financial Counselling – National Debt Helpline.

·       visiting MoneySmart for free, independent guidance so you can make most of your money. Visit: https://www.moneysmart.gov.au.

Review of application

If you’re not happy with the outcome of your application for financial hardship assistance, you can provide feedback by lodging a complaint with us. A complaint can be lodged by contacting us.  If we’re unable to agree on a resolution, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) for support and advice.

Compliance

The Payment Assistance Policy is subject to periodic review to compliance with relevant regulatory requirements.