Financial Hardship Policy

Financial hardship can happen to anyone. If you are having trouble paying your LCorp IT bill because of circumstances such as loss of income, illness, injury, business downturn, natural disaster, family breakdown, or domestic or family violence, we want to help you stay connected. This policy explains what we offer and how to ask for it. Applying for financial hardship assistance is free and will not affect your credit rating.

• Email: [email protected] with "Financial hardship" in the subject line
• Phone: 07 5662 5995
• Post: LCorp IT, PO Box 430, Oxenford QLD 4210

You can contact us yourself or through an authorised representative, financial counsellor or advocate. You do not need to use the words "financial hardship". If you tell us you are having difficulty paying, we will treat that as a request for assistance under this policy.

Prompt response. We will acknowledge your request within 2 working days.

Assessment. We will assess your request within 5 working days of receiving the information we need. We will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary to understand your situation. In most cases a short conversation about your circumstances is enough. If we do need supporting documents, we will tell you why, and we will not ask for more than is reasonable.

No credit action during assessment. While we are assessing your request, and while an arrangement is in place and you are keeping to it, we will not suspend or disconnect your service for non-payment, charge late payment interest or fees, refer your account to a debt collector, or list a default with a credit reporting body.

A written arrangement. If we agree on an arrangement, we will confirm it in writing within 2 working days, including what you need to pay, when, and what happens if circumstances change.

Depending on your circumstances, we can offer one or more of the following:

• A temporary postponement of payments
• A payment plan that spreads the amount owing over a longer period
• Waiving late payment interest and fees
• Removing or reducing non-essential services or features to lower your bill
• Moving to a lower-cost plan without early termination charges
• A temporary suspension of the service, without charges, while you get back on track
• Applying credits or discounts where appropriate
• Referral to a free financial counselling service

We will discuss the options with you and agree on what is suitable. You can ask to review or change the arrangement at any time if your circumstances change.

Free, independent financial counselling is available through the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or ndh.org.au. For small businesses, the Small Business Debt Helpline is on 1800 413 828 or sbdh.org.au. We can refer you, but you do not need a referral to contact them.

If we decline your request or you disagree with the arrangement offered, you can make a complaint under our Complaints Handling Policy, and you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058 or at tio.com.au.

Information you give us about your financial situation is used only to assess and manage your hardship arrangement and is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We will not share it with third parties except as required by law or with your consent.