At OntheNet, we recognise that life’s challenges can sometimes unexpectedly affect your financial stability. If you find yourself facing financial hardship, we are committed to providing tailored support to help you maintain your connections and manage your services effectively.
Financial hardship occurs when a customer, due to illness, unemployment, or other reasonable causes, cannot meet their financial obligations under their contract with OntheNet but expects to fulfil these obligations if payment and service arrangements are modified. It’s important to note that this involves a genuine inability to pay, not an unwillingness.
Keeping you connected to essential telecommunication services is our top priority. Depending on your unique circumstances, OntheNet can offer various solutions to assist, including:
- Temporary extension of a payment.
- Transferring you to a product better suited to your circumstances.
- Controls on how you can incur charges on your account with us, including spend controls.
- Restricting access to features of your service to keep you connected.
- Payment plans which are tailored to meet your ability to pay.
In addition to these options, you can contact OntheNet anytime to receive general assistance in managing your payment obligations and any associated debts.
To discuss your options or apply for financial hardship assistance, contact our Accounts Team at 07 5553 9222 or via email at accounts@onthenet.com.au. The Accounts Team is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM AEST.
OntheNet will work with you to agree on an arrangement for assistance that is realistic and appropriate to your situation.
Please note that depending on the circumstances, we may require you to provide supporting documentation.
All conversations and information received will be confidential in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and OntheNet’s Privacy Statement.
Upon receiving your application, OntheNet will estimate the time needed to complete our assessment, typically within five (5) business days.
If your application is successful, we will advise you as soon as possible or within two (2) business days of completing the assessment. However, our team will inform you immediately if you are ineligible for financial hardship assistance.
You must contact us within 14 days if your circumstances change.
Independent financial advice, counselling and support are available from various external organisations, including the National Debt Helpline and Small Business Debt Hotline.
OntheNet takes complaints very seriously. If you wish to seek a review of the outcome of your financial hardship application or make a complaint, please refer to our comprehensive Complaint Handling Handling Process.
If you are dissatisfied with how we handle your complaint, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) for free external dispute resolution.
Absolutely. Please download our Financial Hardship Policy PDF for more information.
If you have trouble viewing the PDF file, you may need to install Adobe Reader on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Please get in touch with our Accounts Team for further assistance.