Telstra and Optus have both announced help for people in NSW who have had their lives disrupted by the rain and floods.
Optus Customers
Optus Managing Director, Marketing & Revenue Matt Williams said: “We have all seen the frightening images of rising flood waters and pounding rain across parts of the mid north coast of NSW and greater Sydney.”
“In these times, we understand the importance of providing the support and peace of mind in the communities we operate in while keeping family, friends and loved ones connected.”
“Today, Optus has a clear message for customers – we are here to help and when you need us, let us know what support we can provide you.”
According to Mr Williams, different customers require different support at times like these.
“Whether a customer needs a bonus data boost, call diversions, service suspension, free prepaid credit or a bill waiver, we have a range of support options depending on individual needs.”
“Importantly they may not immediately know what support they need, so for Optus, providing flexibility and the reassurance that we are here to help is the best thing we can do right now.”
Optus has established a dedicated contact number for Flood and Storm affected customers.
“We also have a world class messenger service via the My Optus App that allows customers to connect with us, let us know what they need and then leave it with us to create the best solutions.”
Alternately, Mr Williams recommended connecting digitally online at optus.com.au, and through the online peer support network Optus Yes Crowd. For the latest updates click here.
Customers requiring urgent support should contact Optus on 1800 507 581 between 8am – 8pm AEDT (Mon-Fri) and 9am – 5pm AEDT (Sat).
Telstra Customers
Telstra spokesperson Campbell Simpson said:
As wild weather lashes the NSW mid-north coast and surrounding areas, we’ve organised an assistance package for our residential and small business customers in affected areas who have been evacuated or who have lost services due to the impact of this strong weather.
Heavy rain and storms have caused flooding and extensive damage across the mid-north coast of New South Wales. The strong weather is expected to continue to affect a large part of the state in coming days, and we’ve already seen evacuation orders in some areas reported due to rising floodwaters.
We know that when you’re doing it tough, it’s more important than ever to reach out to family and friends. We’ve activated an assistance package that gives our customers both short- and long-term measures to help out; that assistance can range from extra data on your mobile and free call diversions to a one-off credit to help cover the cost of getting a fixed phone service back up and running.
Our assistance package gives Telstra customers access to free and interim services during short-term impacts from this damaging weather, with long-term measures also available for customers who have suffered severe damage or loss of their homes and businesses.
Customers impacted by the recent strong weather conditions include those in the postcodes and suburbs listed here.
If you’re a Telstra customer living in one of the areas we’ve listed, we’ll send you an SMS with a link to request a disaster assistance package. You can also find out more about our disaster assistance packages here.
If you need a temporary diversion for a landline phone to an alternate number, or for other long-term assistance, please contact us. If you’re in a disaster-impacted area, give us a call on 1800 888 888 to speak with our disaster assistance team.
Further information on disaster assistance from the Federal Government is available on the Disaster Assist website, and from the State Government at Service NSW’s Disaster Assistance Finder website.
Our assistance packages for affected customers can include the following:
Short term measures (for Telstra customers who have suffered a short-term impact, evacuation or fault):
● Free use of Telstra public payphones 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
● 25GB data pack for post-paid mobile customers (30 day expiry, not transferrable to another service)
● 25GB data and free calls for pre-paid mobile customers (30 day expiry, not transferrable to another service)
Long-term measures (for Telstra customers who have suffered severe damage to or loss of their premises):
● 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 .
● In addition, Telstra will apply a one-off credit up 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
