Assessing capacity to pay
Your provider should listen to what you say and understand your situation before you agree to a payment plan.
TIPS
How you can work with your provider on what you can afford
Tell your provider what you can really afford to pay
Ask your provider about options you can afford
If your situation changes, tell your provider
Keep a record of when you asked and what your provider said
EXPECTATIONS
What we expect your provider to do
If you ask for financial help, your provider should:
Check what you can afford
Listen to what you say and understand your situation before you agree to a payment plan.
Make it easy
Your provider should offer you a range of options.
Set a realistic plan
Your provider should offer plans that you can really afford.
Review it
Your provider should check the plan still suits if your situation changes.
Ready to make a complaint?
10-20 minutes
OUR CONSIDERATIONS
We look at what you told your provider and if the plan suits your situation.
What your provider understood about your situation
If your provider checked what you could afford
If the plan suited what you can pay
If your provider reviewed the plan when things changed
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Depending on your issue, we may ask your provider to...
Reassess your plan
Agree with you on an amount you can afford.
Prevent harm
Not ask you for money you can’t afford to pay.
Offer options
Help you find ways to minimise your telco spend.
How we've helped others
- Financial hardship
- Billing or debt
Charlotte lost her job during the pandemic and asked SmileTel for help
A consumer lost her job and could not pay her phone bill. We found the telco did not clearly explain its financial hardship options and unfairly disconnected her service.