What are your rights?

Network outage? No service? Call failure?

• If you have been disadvantaged or lost money due to a phone or internet outage, you might be able to claim compensation.
• Compensation should make up for your loss.
• For example, if your internet is out for one week you could ask for your money back for that week. You may be able to claim for costs incurred, like getting your internet fixed or using extra mobile data.

How can I claim compensation?

1. Work out how much money you or your business has lost because of the outage, including any costs for an interim service. Keep documents such as bills and receipts as evidence, record when the outages happened, and how long they lasted.
2. Contact your service provider to explain the problem, and to ask for compensation.
3. Give your service provider the evidence you have collected.
   
   

Should I pay my bill?

You must pay any bill that is reasonable. If you think that the bill is too high, let your service provider know why. If you cannot reach an agreement with them, contact the TIO for help.

Tip: If you pay for more than one service on the same bill, and one service stops working, you must still pay the bills for your other services.

Can I cancel my service?

Yes, but only if it has a major problem, or a minor problem that cannot be fixed in a reasonable time.

What if my service provider does not compensate me?

You can take your complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

Contact details: www.tio.com.au or 1800 062 058.

Consumer guarantees

When you buy services, they come with guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law. For information on guarantees go to: accan.org.au/guarantees

Download: Telecommunications compensation - What are your rights? brochure41.39 KB

Download: Telecommunications compensation - what are your rights? brochure2.9 MB

This tip sheet is part of our Top Tips for Phone and Internet Pack