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Neil was not offered a reasonable payment arrangement when he was unable to work

The complaint
Neil was not offered a reasonable payment arrangement when he was unable to work
The outcome
After we referred Neil’s complaint to Pebble Telco’s escalated complaints team, Pebble Telco agreed Neil could pay off his debt over several months, at a monthly rate he could afford.

The issue

Neil has several services with Pebble Telco. Last year, he became seriously ill and was not able to work. This significantly reduced the income available to Neil’s family each week. Because of this, he was not able to keep up with his monthly payments and a large debt built up on his account.

Neil contacted Pebble Telco to ask for help. Pebble Telco gave Neil an extension on the due date for his charges, but when the extension ran out he was not able to pay off the full amount. Neil contacted Pebble Telco again, but it refused to consider setting up a payment arrangement unless he paid $350 within the following fortnight.

Neil could not afford this, so he contacted our office.

The investigation

After we referred Neil’s complaint to Pebble Telco’s escalated complaints team, they came to an agreement about how Neil would pay off his debt.

The outcome

Neil agreed to cancel some of his services to reduce his ongoing monthly charges. Pebble Telco agreed Neil could pay off his debt over several months, at a monthly rate he could afford.

*Names of all parties have been changed.

How we've helped other customers

Complaint
Conall was sold more than $15,000 worth of mobiles and accessories while on a government pension by CurbTel.
Outcome
CurbTel agreed to waive the cancellation fees out of goodwill to Conall. It let him keep his mobile handsets.
Complaint
Telco E sells technical support to customers who do not understand or need it
Outcome
Telco E retrained its staff about the service. It also gave customers who were signed up to the service the option to cancel without a cancellation fee