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Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
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Difficulty paying bills

Family violence can put real pressure on you and your money, including debt that isn’t yours. Your provider should support your financial situation, no matter what your situation is.

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Your safety comes first

If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, call 000.

For confidential domestic and family violence support, contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Their trained counsellors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact 1800RESPECT

If you are not ready to seek support right now, you can continue reading this page and come back to these services whenever you need them.

TIPS

How you can work with your provider with your financial difficulties

  1. Tell your provider you’re having trouble paying. You can say it’s family violence, or that you’re in financial hardship

  2. Ask how your provider’s financial hardship policy can help you

  3. Tell your provider what you can afford for bills now

  4. Ask your provider to keep you connected or suspend debt collection

EXPECTATIONS

What we expect your provider to do

If you tell your provider you’re in financial hardship, it should:

  • Offer you hardship help

    Your provider should share its financial hardship policy and work through options with you.

  • Keep you connected

    Your provider should keep your service connected while you agree on a plan.

  • Be flexible

    Your provider should offer options like a payment plan, spend controls, a cheaper plan or waive fees.

  • Handle debt fairly

    If a debt belongs to the person using abuse, your provider shouldn’t make you pay it.

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OUR CONSIDERATIONS

We look at what you told your provider, how it responded, and whether it treated you fairly.

  • What your provider did when you asked for help

  • If your provider offered options that suit your situation

  • If your provider kept your service connected

  • If the debt actually belongs to you

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

Depending on your issue, we may ask your provider to...

  • Set up a payment plan

    Agree to a plan that suits what you can pay now.

  • Reduce or waive charges

    Return or cancel charges that any unsuitable plans caused.

  • Keep you connected

    Keep your service on or reconnect you.

  • Sort out debt

    Remove debt that belongs to an abuser from your account.

How we've helped others