Customer Care Policy

At 2degrees, we constantly strive to offer you our best levels of service and resolution. In addition to the high standards we set for ourselves, we also maintain regular compliance with our obligations as a signatory to the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF) Customer Care Code.

This page outlines all the information on our obligations as your provider, and your rights as our customer. If you want to dive even further, you can read the full TCF Customer Care Code.

Our minimum standards of practice

These are the minimum standards of practice set out in the TCF Customer Care Code that we continually aim to adhere to. However, our goal is to exceed these expectations wherever possible in our attempt to offer the best customer service experience we can provide.

As a customer of 2degrees, we commit to:

• Treating you with respect and in a fair and courteous manner at all times
• Working in a collaborative and constructive manner when engaging with you
• If authorised by you, working with your support person and/or agent, such as a financial mentor, cooperatively and constructively
• Making available relevant terms and conditions for the provision of a service that set out the key rights and obligations of both of us as the Provider and you as the customer
• Providing service information that is accurate, up-to-date and easily understandable including (as relevant):
  1. Plan pricing information
  2. Any additional relevant fees/charges relating to a service
  3. Any limitations to a service, taking into account the limitations that are likely to be important to you (if relevant), such as limitations in the event of a power outage; and
  4. Principal factors that may affect the performance of a service
• Providing services to the service standard that is advertised and described in our contracts with you

Communicating changes to your service

• Any changes to our terms and conditions, price of service, service specification or discontinuation of service will be communicated by email
• Where changes will disadvantage customers, we will give the customer a minimum of 10 working days, and wherever possible 30 days, notice of these changes
• If we are unable to give affected customers a minimum of 10 days’ notice because the change is outside of our control, then we will communicate the changes as soon as possible
• We will always act in good faith and be fair when deciding if a change will disadvantage you

Invoicing

• We commit to providing accurate invoices
• In the event that an error occurs, we will use all reasonable efforts to correct the inaccuracies in a timely manner
• You may query or dispute your bill with us
• During this process, we will not claim the payment for the disputed part of the bill while we investigate and confirm whether or not an error has occurred

Faults

• We will fix and/or repair network faults in our network at no charge to you, except in instances where you have caused or contributed to the fault
• Financial implications under this scenario will be set out in our terms

Suspension or disconnection

Suspensions and disconnections are means we resort to as a last recourse. However, in the event that we need to suspend or disconnect your telecommunication service with us, here is how we approach those steps fairly.

Disconnections for non-payment & reconnections

There are many ways we can help you pay for your telecommunication service. This includes checking to make sure your telecommunication service plan is right for you, offering different billing periods, multiple ways to pay and custom repayment plans.

Even if you have had payment issues with us in the past, contact us so we can make a new repayment plan that works best for you and your current circumstances.

We can refer you to support services in your community such as Citizens Advice Bureau and financial mentoring services such as Money Talks, if you are not comfortable talking to us directly.

If you do not pay a bill on its due date, we will attempt to communicate with you directly or through the alternative contact you have provided as your first point of contact. Please engage with us so we can support you.

What communications you can expect from us

We want you to know what is happening with your account, so we will attempt to communicate with you a number of times about an unpaid bill. Our aim is to let you know about your rights and obligations and support you to continue using our telecommunication service.

We will attempt to communicate with you using more than one method and using your alternative contact if you have provided us with one. We will also contact you at different times of the day to try to make it easier for you.

If we contact you, please respond so we can make payment arrangements and avoid proceeding to disconnection. You can expect the following communications from us regarding an unpaid bill:

1. An invoice that tells you the amount due and the due date
2. A reminder notice a week later if the due date is missed
3. Three follow-up attempts over more than a week
4. A further notice that will specify the date on which we will disconnect your telecommunication service
5. A final notice of disconnection

Note: If we attempt to contact you by phone, we may not leave a voicemail, and we may ring you multiple times to speak with you. We do not use a blocked number.

Disconnecting your telecommunication service for non-payment

If you do not respond to the communications we send (listed above) and your telecommunication service bills remain unpaid, we may disconnect your service.

Note: Disconnections may not happen in person, so a representative from our company will not necessarily visit your house. You must contact us in response to our reminder notices or disconnection notices to make sure your telecommunication service remains connected.

To reconnect your telecommunication service, please contact us on 0800 898 244.

Force Majeure

Where a force majeure event occurs when an event outside of our reasonable control prevents us from being able to provide you with services (e.g. a cyclone, earthquake, or other such event). While we will endeavour to get services back up and running as soon as it is safe and practical to do so our response will be in a case-by-case basis depending on the nature and extent of the force majeure event. A localised force majeure event compared to a force majeure event that encompassed the entire network would require very different responses and may include making judgement calls in consultation with relevant agencies as to what areas/services to prioritise after 111 emergency calling services are restored.

We will not be liable for any delay or failure to provide the Services or any other delay or failure in meeting our obligations under the TCF Customer Care Code to the extent that such delay or failure is caused by any event outside of our reasonable control.

Information Disclosure

We collect personal information about individuals (such as yourself) who interact (or might interact) with our business. This includes:

• Our customers (and other end users), including current, prospective, and past customers. We may also collect personal information about associates of our customers, such as family members, employees, or agents. For example, we may collect personal information about nominated or authorised representatives, the holder of a credit card that is used to pay a customer’s account, a person who acts as a secondary account holder, a person who acts as guarantor for a contract, the landlord of a tenanted property or the nominated contact on a business account
• Our suppliers, service providers and business partners, including their staff, agents, and affiliates
• Our staff, including staff of our related companies
• Visitors to our websites, social media pages and premises

If you supply us with personal information about another individual, you must have their consent to do so and should refer that person to this policy.

Disclosing and using information in accordance the Privacy Act 2020 and the Telecommunications Information Privacy Code 2020 (TIPC):

• Information relating to a complaint you make will always be kept confidential by all parties involved as set out in this clause or required by law. Information provided as part of the complaint can only be used or disclosed for the purpose of complaint resolution and will not be used for any other purpose. Us, or any third-party that receives any type of information relating to your complaint may only disclose such information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the TIPC.

Credit Management Policy and Processes

• You can pay your bills monthly or on the due date
• If relevant, we will inform you of the credit processes and checks that we will undertake before a product or service can be purchased
• We will provide appropriate support when you anticipate or are having payment difficulties or are in arrears
• You can also contact us on 0800 898 244 to discuss your payment options
• We can also help you set up a payment plan which works best with your budget. This way, you know when and how your telecommunication service bills are getting paid
• Similarly, if you have an outstanding balance on your account, we can help you set up repayment plan that suits you
• We will not change your payment plan without telling you first
• We will monitor your payments to check your repayment plan is working well. We may contact you if we think there is a better way for you to set it up
• We will not disconnect your services if you are on a payment plan and making the agreed payments
• We can help you if your family or household needs a bit of extra support
• We have relationships with different people and organisations in your community that offer financial mentoring and money advice. They can help you work out how best to pay your bills as well as supporting you with other issues your family or household might have
• If you agree, we can connect you with one of these support people who will help you
• Once contact is made, we will give you some time to talk to the agency and receive help without disconnecting your telecommunication service if you are having trouble paying your bills
• We will work with you and your support organisation as a partnership, making sure we all use agreed ways of communicating with each other
• As required under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003, we will issue a disclosure statement detailing important information to debtors before we start debt collection processes
• We will inform you that on occasion, we are required and may be forced to temporarily suspend or permanently disconnect your Telecommunications Service due to concerns around your ability to meet ongoing financial commitments. In most cases, it is in both yours and our best interests for these actions to occur

Handling process for customer complaints

As part of your right to raise a complaint with us, we at 2degrees will:

• Recognise, promote, and protect your right to raise a complaint
• Engage with you in good faith to provide an efficient, fair, accessible, and timely process for handling of complaints
• Publish information in a clear and accessible manner on how you can raise an issue or lodge a complaint
• Inform you about ours and your obligations within the complaints handling process
• Enable you to submit a complaint via multiple channels e.g., verbally, email, written letter, or online platforms
• Ensure complaints management is non-discriminatory and provides consistent treatment of all customers
• Ensure our complaints handling function is adequately resourced and our staff are trained on how to identify a potential complaint or dispute in accordance with the TCF Customer Care Code
• Raise awareness of Further Recourse options by informing you of the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR) Scheme when a complaint is first made and when deadlock is reached
• Exercise caution not to dismiss a complaint as frivolous or vexatious without due consideration. Where we deem the complaint to be frivolous or vexatious, we will:
  1. Inform you of the reasons for the decision not to investigate; and/or Inform you of Further Recourse options (e.g. the TDR Scheme)
  2. During the complaint handling process, we will keep you informed of progress and the reasons for delay if this occurs
• Acknowledge a complaint as soon as practicable within three working days of receiving the complaint. This acknowledgement may be made to you verbally or in writing and we must record that acknowledgement has been provided. A complaint received verbally is deemed to have been acknowledged when it is received
• If the advised timeframe for complaint resolution will be exceeded due to the complexity of the issue, we will inform you within 10 working days of becoming aware of the reason for the delay and provide an indicative revised timeframe
• We should endeavour to resolve the complaint within 20 working days from the date of receipt, except for where:
  1. An alternative process and/or timeframe is defined in a TCF Code, for example the TCF Broadband Marketing Code for Complaints relating to broadband performance; or
  2. A complaint involves a Third-party. In those cases, we will endeavour to resolve complaints within 30 working days from the date of receipt
• We will advise you of the outcome of any investigation and resolution in relation to your complaint. If requested by you, this will be provided in writing

Escalating complaints to the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR) Scheme

• You may refer a complaint that is not resolved with us to the TDR scheme or make other means of further recourse
• • Each Party to a dispute that is referred to the TDR Scheme will comply with the TDR Scheme’s Terms of Reference

Other information about monitoring, charges and third-party customer complaints

We will keep records of complaints. The records will include the nature of the complaint, the resolution and, if applicable, any undertakings that are made by us to you

We will analyse complaints to identify recurring and systemic problems and trends to address the underlying causes of complaints

We will improve our complaint handling process as soon as practicable when areas requiring attention are identified through complaint analysis

Complaint Charges, Fees, and Dispute Amounts

Both 2degrees and third parties will not impose complaint handling charges:

• Where you request information relating to your complaint and us, or the third party can demonstrate that to retrieve and analyse the archived information will incur significant cost, a reasonable charge to retrieve that information can be levied. This charge must be consulted with you before any activity is commenced. You must then confirm to us or the third party one of the following directions:
  1. Pursue the complaint and pay the charge
  2. Pursue the complaint without the information requested; or
  3. Discontinue the complaint
• Where the outcome of a complaint is upheld in favour of you, we or the third party will refund any fees paid by you under clause 15.2 of the TCF Customer Care Code within 10 working days of the complaint being resolved or as agreed with you
• If a complaint relates to a disputed amount, we will not demand payment or take any debt recovery action related to the disputed amount while the complaint is being investigated
• If you pay for the Telecommunications Service in advance, we are under no obligation to credit or refund you while the complaint is being investigated
• Where your complaint is upheld, we will credit any charges and/or fees that we owe you within 10 working days of the complaint being resolved or as agreed with you

Third party customer complaints

Referring a complaint to a third party

• We (as the provider making the referral) will liaise at the earliest practicable opportunity with the Third-party involved in the complaint to support a timely resolution
• If seeking assistance from a third party, we will:
  1. Request reasonable assistance (having regard to the nature of the complaint and the extent of the third party’s responsibility for the complaint) through the appropriate channel and include a summary of the complaint drawn from the information available at that time
  2. Make the request within three working days of identifying that the complaint involves a third party
  3. Describe the Telecommunications Service provided by the third party that is directly relevant to the complaint
• The third party will advise us (including a reason) within two Working Days of receiving the request, if the request is not relevant to the Telecommunications Service it provides. If that is the case, then section G of the TCF Customer Care Code does not apply
• Upon receipt of our request in accordance with clause 17.2 of the TCF Customer Care Code, the third party will:
  1. Advise us on the complexity of the investigation and the timeframe for providing assistance within five working days of the date of the request; and
  2. Advise us, as soon as practicable, if the third-party considers that the complexity and/or nature of the Complaint is such that it will be unable to assist us within 10 working days from the request being sent and advise a proposed date for providing the assistance and what that assistance entails
• We will work together in good faith and keep each other informed
• Before we respond to the customer, we will consult with the third party to finalise its response to its customer. In particular, we will take into account any proposed resolution suggested by the third party
• We will advise the third party of the outcome of the complaint, i.e., if the complaint has been resolved or if the complaint remains unresolved and is now being escalated through the TDR Scheme

Complaint made directly to a third party

• A third-party will have a Complaint handling process and provide information on their website about:
  1. How a complaint can be raised with a third party; and
  2. Whether they are a TDR Scheme member
• A third party that receives a complaint directly from a customer (in respect to the relevant Telecommunications Service) will:
  1. Advise the customer to contact their Provider in relation to the Complaint, noting the Provider may seek assistance from the Third-party as necessary in accordance with clause 17.2 of the TCF Customer Care Code; and
  2. Explain any relevant operation of the TCF Customer Care Code, including that their provider will be able to seek assistance from the Third-party
• A third party that receives a complaint directly from a consumer (who is not a customer in respect to the relevant Telecommunications Service) will:
  1. Have a complaints handling process enabling the third party to respond to and process a complaint; and
  2. Align their complaints handling process with the timeframes that apply to Providers, where practicable, in clause 13 of the TCF Customer Care Code