Carson arranges payment plan to avoid Telstra service cancellation
Carson fell behind on bill payments for his Telstra mobile and internet services. Now that he had secured a full-time job, he was motivated to settle his debts. He reached out to Telstra to arrange a payment extension which Telstra wasn’t able to offer. Carson turned to Ajust to help resolve the deadlock with Telstra.
Bills unpaid and overdue
Like many, Carson had gone through a tough time for reasons outside of his control. He was feeling pretty down about his situation, especially given his inability to pay his Telstra bills. Carson ultimately found himself with $2,000 in overdue payments for his Telstra phone and internet.
After a few months of being fit and healthy, Carson again tested positive to COVID-19. The self isolation requirement further restricted his ability to earn income. Around the same time, severe and prolonged rain resulted in flooding which wiped out any remaining financial security.
After spending hours upon hours browsing job advertisements and interviewing for various positions, Carson was ecstatic when he received a job offer. He was set to join the local bakery known for the best croissants in the region. The job was full-time and the income would help Carson get back on top of his financial situation.
Payment extension not granted
Now that he had the financial security of a new job, Carson reached out to Telstra to arrange a 6 week payment extension. 6 weeks, he calculated, would allow enough time for him to repay the outstanding $2,000.
When Carson spoke to the Telstra customer service representative and explained his situation, he was surprised to hear that Telstra wouldn’t be able to grant the extension unless he closed his account and transferred his services to prepaid.
Determined to repay the debt
Carson was disheartened when Telstra refused his request for a payment extension. He didn’t understand why Telstra insisted he close his account and transfer the services to prepaid. From Carson’s point of view, he was doing the right thing - he was proposing a solution that would settle the debt with Telstra. The income from his new job would allow him to pay off the outstanding amount over a 6 week period.
Carson was also unsettled by the suggestion of moving his services to prepaid. That change would mean he’d be giving up his existing plans which perfectly suited his needs.
Carson was feeling very positive about getting his life back on track, so it was important to him that he forged on to find a solution. He decided that instead of allowing himself to be frustrated, he would do some research to see if there was another way he could resolve the issue.
The Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code includes rules around financial hardship that telcos such as Telstra must follow.
All telcos must have an easily accessible financial hardship policy to help consumers who are having trouble paying their bills.
Aside from the financial hardship policy, the telco must also provide contact details for consumers looking to discuss the financial hardship policy.
For relevant information for your telco, try searching online. For example, if your telco provider is Telstra you’d search ‘Telstra financial hardship policy’
Telstra agrees to payment plan
When Carson went searching for another way to resolve his issue, he came across Ajust’s resolution platform. He was excited by all of the glowing reviews about Ajust, so he decided to give it a go himself.
Ajust prompted Carson to share the details of his issue so that the complaint could be sent to Telstra. Alongside the details of his service and issue, Carson wrote about his situation as well as his concerns about Telstra’s response to his initial request.
He also pointed out that he wanted to find a solution that worked for both parties. He didn’t want to close his account and move to prepaid.
After just 1 day, Telstra had reached out to Carson and together, they agreed to a solution. Telstra acknowledged Carson’s concerns and proposed a payment plan of $500 per fortnight as well as a one-off payment of $275. This arrangement would ensure that the overdue payment was cleared over 6 weeks.
Carson said that Ajust was “very easy to use and the end result was excellent.”
At Ajust, we always love hearing the positive stories after consumers use our platform to resolve a complaint. The icing on the cake is when the provider and consumer are able to resolve the issue so quickly, like they did here.
We’re pleased that both Carson and Telstra have achieved such a good outcome.
Editor’s note: We’re always excited to share the experiences of consumers that have used Ajust. This Consumer Story is based on a real complaint made through our platform. But we’ve changed some details to protect the consumer's personal information and make the story more enjoyable for our readers.
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