VicTrack’s Payment Assistance Policy applies to the following customers acquiring telecommunications products from VicTrack:
- individuals
- not-for-profit organisations and
- businesses with an annual spend with VicTrack of no greater than $40,000.
As part of the Payment Assistance Policy, VicTrack offers assistance to those applicable customers facing financial hardship.
VicTrack’s goal is to prioritise keeping customers experiencing financial hardship connected.
What is financial hardship?
Financial hardship means a situation where a change in a customer’s circumstances leads to an inability to pay for services.
Whatever the circumstance, VicTrack will work with its applicable customers facing financial hardship to provide financial hardship assistance.
All VicTrack’s applicable customers have a right to apply for financial hardship assistance.
What financial hardship assistance is available?
VicTrack offers both long term and short term assistance options for those applicable customers facing financial hardship, including:
- temporarily postponing, extending or deferring the time for paying a bill
- discounting a bill charge
- applying a credit to the customer’s account
- waiving a debt
- payment plans which are tailored to meet a customer’s ability to pay
- adjusting internal threshold limits so that the customer is not disconnected
- any other tailored support depending on the circumstances and financial hardship being experienced by the customer.
How to get in touch with us
If you are an applicable customer facing financial hardship you can make an application for financial hardship assistance by:
- calling on 03 9619 8088 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm
- sending an email at telco.billing@victrack.com.au; or
- contacting any VicTrack representative you have previously dealt with in relation to your telecommunications services.
What is available to you if you are unhappy with our assistance?
If you have a complaint in relation to VicTrack’s application process or the outcome of any application for financial hardship assistance, you can make a complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).
A complaint can be made to the TIO by:
- calling the TIO on 1800 062 058
- filling out the TIO online application form
- emailing a completed complaints form to tio@tio.com.au
- faxing a completed complaints form to 1800 630 614
- posting a completed complaints form to PO Box 276, Collins Street West, VIC 8007
A customer may also apply to VicTrack for an internal review of VicTrack’s application process or the outcome of any application for financial hardship assistance.
What other resources are available for further help?
If customers need help with financial support, the National Debt Helpline has financial counsellors available free of charge, which can be accessed online at www.ndh.org.au or by calling 1800 007 007 during weekdays from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Other community organisations also have free financial support available, such as:
- the Salvation Army’s Moneycare, contactable on 1800 722 363
- St Vincent De Paul’s financial advice program, contactable on 13 18 12