Telstra assistance package announced

Wednesday 11 September 2019:  Telstra today announced an assistance package for its residential and small business customers who have lost services due to fire.

Telstra Regional General Manager May Boisen said bushfires were affecting a number of Telstra services, with the assistance package designed to provide customers with access to free and interim services during the recovery period.

Customers in the following areas are eligible for assistance; Stanthorpe, Ballandean, Applethorpe, Pozieres, Amiens, Mingoola, Goldfields, Eukey, Broadwater, Pikedale, Severnlea, Cottonvale, The Summit, Glen Aplin, Canungra, Beechmont, Binna Burra, Sarabah, Peregian Springs, Peregian Beach, Marcus Beach, Yaroomba, Coolum Beach, Point Arkwright and Point Coolum.

“We understand how important it is to reach out to friends and family during these situations and we want to do what we can to help our customers connect,” Ms Boisen said.

“The assistance package is designed to provide customers with a range of interim services in addition to providing the wider community with free calls and free Telstra Air Wi-Fi through local payphones.

“Our teams are also working to restore impacted services as quickly as possible. In some cases, adverse conditions are preventing us from reaching some areas but we will attend as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

Customers who have had to evacuate their home or have lost their home are encouraged to call Telstra on 132 203 (then enter their full home phone number including area code when prompted) to report a fault and register for the assistance package.

Telstra's relief packages can include the following:

Short term measures

(for Telstra customers who have a short term impact – temporary evacuation of premises or temporary fault):

• Free use of Telstra public payphones in the affected areas
• Free use of Telstra Air payphone hotspots in the affected areas
• Free call diversion from an affected fixed home or business phone service to another fixed or mobile service of the customer's choice, regardless of the carrier
• Customers who use the free call diversion to divert their affected fixed home or business phone to their Telstra mobile service, can also make local and STD® calls on their mobile at fixed line rates, in accordance with their selected plan (limited to one designated Telstra mobile per affected household or business)
• Affected Telstra mobile customers who do not have a Telstra home phone can receive a one-off credit to the value of $100 inc. GST (limited to one mobile phone per Telstra mobile account).

The above offers are applicable until network damage in the area due to fire is repaired, or while customers remain evacuated, for a maximum period of three months from the date of the fires.

Long term measures

(for Telstra customers who have suffered severe damage to or loss of their premises):

Fixed services

• Free call diversion from the customer’s Telstra fixed phone service to another Australian fixed or mobile service of their choice, regardless of the carrier. This offer is applicable for a maximum period of 6 months from the date of the fire.
• In addition, Telstra will apply a one off credit to the value of $500 inc. GST to the customer’s Telstra fixed phone account to help cover the costs of the following, if required:
• Connection of a Telstra fixed phone service at one temporary residence
• Re-connection of a Telstra fixed phone service at the customer’s original permanent premises

Media contact: Danita Goodwin, Queensland Media Manager
M: +61 439 88 66 52
E: media@team.telstra.com
Reference number: 092/2019