Financial Hardship Policy
We’ll work with you to keep your service on — life happens
1. What is financial hardship?
Financial hardship means you’re willing to pay for your Centrefit service but temporarily can’t — due to unemployment, illness, family emergencies, natural disasters, family and domestic violence, reduced income, or any similar circumstance. This policy covers all Centrefit residential and small-business telecommunications services.
This policy is issued under clause 6 of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code C628:2019, which sets out the minimum standards telcos must meet when assisting customers in hardship.
2. How to let us know
You don’t need to wait until an invoice is overdue. Contact us as soon as you know you’re going to have trouble paying:
- Phone: (07) 3188 5115 — ask for the Accounts team and mention you’d like to discuss financial hardship.
- Email: support@centrefit.com.au with “Financial Hardship Assistance” in the subject line.
- Post: Unit 1, 25 Paisley Drive, Lawnton QLD 4501.
You can ask a family member, advocate, or financial counsellor to speak with us on your behalf — we just need your written authorisation.
3. What happens next
Within 5 business days of your request, we will:
- Acknowledge your request in writing.
- Pause collection activity on the account while we work with you.
- Ask a few questions to understand your situation — for example, whether the hardship is short-term (≤ 3 months) or long-term.
- Offer options and agree a tailored arrangement with you.
We will not ask for detailed financial proof in the first instance. For long-term arrangements we may ask for supporting documentation — for example, a financial counsellor’s statement or evidence of a Centrelink payment. Anything you share is confidential and handled under our Privacy Policy.
4. Assistance options
We can offer one or more of the following, depending on your situation:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Temporary payment deferral | Skip one or two months of billing; the amount is added to subsequent bills over an agreed period. |
| Payment plan | Pay off an overdue amount in smaller weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments, typically over 3–12 months. |
| Spend-control restriction | Temporarily block add-on services (e.g. paid calls, international dialling) so bills don’t increase while you catch up. |
| Move to a lower-cost plan | Swap you to a lower-priced plan with no downgrade fee. You can move back up at any time. |
| Concession on late fees | Waive dishonour fees and late-payment charges while the hardship arrangement is in place. |
| Service restriction instead of disconnection | Reduce your service to a basic level (e.g. voice calls only, for VoIP) rather than disconnecting entirely. |
| Debt waiver | In cases of severe long-term hardship supported by a financial counsellor, we may agree to partial or full debt forgiveness. |
5. What we won’t do
While you’re in a hardship arrangement with us, we will not:
- Refer your account to a debt-collection agency.
- Report a default on your credit file (where the hardship is recognised and you’re making agreed payments).
- Charge disconnection or reconnection fees when moving you between plans or service-restriction levels.
- Require you to pay in full before restoring a restricted service that was affected by non-payment covered in the arrangement.
6. If something changes
If your circumstances change — for better or worse — let us know and we’ll adjust the arrangement. If you miss a payment under the plan we agreed, we’ll get in touch to discuss options before taking any further action.
7. External support
Help is also available at no charge from:
- National Debt Helpline — free, confidential financial counselling. 1800 007 007 or ndh.org.au.
- Services Australia — advance payments and hardship support for Centrelink customers. servicesaustralia.gov.au.
- 1800RESPECT — national family, domestic and sexual violence counselling. 1800 737 732.
- Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support. 13 11 14.
8. Not happy with our response?
You can escalate under our Complaints Handling Policy. If we still can’t resolve it together, contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman — free to you, and independent of us.
Phone: 1800 062 058
Online: tio.com.au