1. Who this policy applies to
This policy applies to PCONNECT's direct retail customers who hold a consumer contract with us, including residential, small business, and not-for-profit customers. It covers customers who are experiencing financial hardship, whether short-term or longer-term.
This policy applies to all telecommunications services PCONNECT supplies directly — including mobile, voice, and internet services. It applies regardless of which service a payment relates to. Where services are supplied through a wholesale partner who on-sells to its own end customers, that partner is responsible for payment assistance to its own customers under its own policy.
2. What financial hardship means
You are experiencing financial hardship if you are unable to pay amounts you owe PCONNECT because of reasonably unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances, but you reasonably expect to be able to pay us under an agreed payment assistance arrangement.
Circumstances that can lead to financial hardship include (but are not limited to):
- Loss of income or employment
- Illness, injury, or a death in the family or business
- Family or domestic violence
- A natural disaster
- Unexpected events or changes that significantly affect your ability to pay
- Other reasonable causes of financial difficulty
You do not need to prove a particular cause to ask for help. If you tell us you are having trouble paying, we will work with you.
3. How to ask for help
You can request payment assistance at any time through any of the following:
- Email: hardship@pconnect.com.au
- Phone: 1300 049 211 (ask for the Accounts Team)
- Accounts Team: request to speak with our Accounts Team, who manage payment assistance directly
You can ask for someone to support you in dealing with us — for example, a financial counsellor, family member, or other authorised representative. With your permission, we will deal with them on your behalf.
If you need help in a language other than English, or you have accessibility needs, let us know and we will make reasonable arrangements to assist.
4. How we identify customers who may need help
In addition to responding whenever you contact us, we take reasonable steps to identify customers who may be experiencing financial hardship, so we can let you know that assistance is available. This may include reviewing payment and account indicators that can suggest a customer is having difficulty paying.
Where our processes indicate you may be experiencing financial difficulty, we may contact you to make you aware of the payment assistance options in this policy. Any such contact is to offer help — you are under no obligation to accept, and you can apply for assistance at any time regardless of whether we have contacted you.
5. What happens when you apply
- Acknowledgement. We will acknowledge your request for payment assistance within 7 business days of receiving it.
- Assessment. We assess each request individually and in good faith, based on your circumstances and ability to pay. We may ask you for relevant information to help us understand your situation and tailor an arrangement. We will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary.
- Decision and offer. We will make a decision and, where you qualify, offer you one or more payment assistance options within 21 business days of receiving your request (or of receiving any further information we reasonably need).
- Outcome in writing. We will confirm the outcome and the details of any arrangement to you. If we are unable to offer assistance, we will explain why and tell you how to have that decision reviewed, including your right to complain (see Section 9).
While your application is being assessed, and while an agreed arrangement is in place and being met, we will take reasonable steps to keep your service connected (see Section 7).
6. Payment assistance options
Where you qualify for payment assistance, we will work with you to agree an arrangement suited to your circumstances and ability to pay. We offer a range of options, including at least the following:
- A tailored payment plan — paying an outstanding amount in instalments over time, matched to what you can afford.
- Postponing, extending, or deferring the time for payment of a bill.
- A temporary reduction or change of service or plan — for example, moving to a lower-cost plan or service that better suits your current circumstances while keeping you connected.
- Spend controls or usage limits — measures to help you manage or cap usage and avoid further charges.
- Waiving or reducing certain fees or charges — for example, late payment fees, in appropriate cases.
- A temporary hold on credit management or debt recovery action — pausing relevant action while we work with you on an arrangement.
These options can be combined where appropriate. We will explain how each option works, including any effect on your service, before you agree to it. Any arrangement we agree will be confirmed to you, and you can ask to vary it if your circumstances change.
7. Keeping you connected
We prioritise keeping you connected while you are receiving payment assistance. Specifically:
- We will not disconnect your service while your payment assistance application is being assessed.
- We will not disconnect your service while you are meeting the terms of an agreed payment assistance arrangement.
- We will not sell or assign a debt to a third party while you have an active payment assistance arrangement, or while you are actively engaging with us about payment assistance.
- If you stop meeting an agreed arrangement, we will contact you before taking further credit management action, and give you a reasonable opportunity to get back on track.
8. Your privacy
Any information you give us in connection with payment assistance is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and our Privacy Policy. We collect and use this information only to assess and manage your payment assistance, and we will not use it for unrelated purposes without your consent.
9. If you're not happy — complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your request for payment assistance, you can make a complaint:
- Email: complaints@pconnect.com.au
- Phone: 1300 049 211
We will handle your complaint under our complaints handling process. If you have exhausted PCONNECT's internal process and remain unsatisfied, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), an independent service that handles complaints about telecommunications services, including matters relating to financial hardship:
- Phone: 1800 062 058
- Web: tio.com.au/contact-us
10. Free financial counselling
Free, independent, and confidential financial counselling is available through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or at ndh.org.au. A financial counsellor can help you understand your options and deal with your debts.
11. Contact and review
PCONNECT PTY LTD — ABN: 63 637 479 871
Payment Assistance: hardship@pconnect.com.au | 1300 049 211 (Accounts Team)
Support Desk hours: 7am to 7pm (AEST & AEDT), Monday – Friday. Not open public holidays.
This policy is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains current and compliant with the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024.