Payment support
& financial hardship
We support customers experiencing financial hardship.
We know that life doesn't always go to plan. If you're finding it hard to keep up with payments right now - whether that's because of something short-term like an unexpected bill, or something longer-term like a change in your circumstances - we want you to know that we're here to help.
If you’re struggling to pay
The most important thing you can do is get in touch with us early. The sooner you let us know what's going on, the more options we have available to help. You don't need to use any formal language or know exactly what to ask for - just reach out and tell us what's happening. You can contact us by phone, email, post, or through our online contact form.
Financial difficulty can look different for everyone. It might be a temporary cash-flow problem, or it might be connected to something bigger like illness, bereavement, job loss, or a family breakdown. Whatever the situation, we'll treat you fairly and with understanding.
What we’ll do to help
Once you've been in touch, we'll take the time to understand your situation properly. Depending on what works best for you, we may be able to:
Give you more time to pay - if you just need a little breathing room, we can look at adjusting your payment date or giving you a short extension
Set up a payment arrangement - we can agree on a realistic plan to pay off any balance at a pace that's manageable for you
Review your package - if a cheaper tariff would make things more affordable, we're happy to have that conversation
Pause or waive certain charges - in appropriate circumstances, we may be able to hold off on late fees, admin charges, or further collection action while we work things out together
Connect you with free, independent debt advice - if your situation is more complex, there are specialist organisations that offer free, confidential support, and we'll point you in the right direction
Restrictions and disconnections
We will always try to avoid restricting or disconnecting your service if you're engaging with us and making an effort to resolve things. Cutting off someone's communications, especially if they depend on it for work, health, or staying in touch with family, is something we take very seriously, and it's always a last resort.
Before we consider any action like that, we'll check that we've properly understood your circumstances, that we've offered you support, and that there's genuinely no workable arrangement available.
If you’re going through something difficult
Financial difficulty sometimes goes hand in hand with other challenges. If your situation involves health problems, bereavement, disability, or anything else that might mean you need a bit of extra care from us, please let us know. We have a separate Vulnerable Customer Policy, and in many cases we'd look to apply both policies together to make sure you're getting the right level of support.
Free and independent support
If you'd like advice from someone outside of Teleauora, there are free services available that can help with debt, budgeting, and financial planning. We're happy to share details of those when you get in touch.
Keeping this policy current
We review this policy regularly to make sure it stays fair, practical, and in line with what our customers might need. If you have feedback on how we handled your situation, we'd genuinely like to hear it.