MSD - 24122018 - QLD ECP Southeast Coast QLD and Northern Rivers NSW RUNL

CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVICE FROM OPTUS

Delay due to severe weather events in parts of the Southeast Coast District of Queensland and Northern Rivers District of New South Wales.

Parts of the Southeast Coast District of Queensland and Northern Rivers District of New South Wales were impacted by severe weather on or about Friday 21 December through to Sunday 23 December 2018.

An interruption to Optus normal operations has occurred leading to delays in installation and repair activities. As many as 555 Optus services are impacted in the area bounded by and including, but not limited to, the area starting at Mermaid Beach following the coastline south past Currumbin, crossing the NSW border past Tweed Heads and Byron Bay to South Ballina. At South Ballina, the area turns northwest to Tullera, north to Nightcap, northwest to Cougal, crossing the QLD/NSW border the area turns northwest to East Haldon. At East Haldon, the area heads northeast to Willowbank, southeast to Yarrabilba, northeast to Bahrs Scrub, and southeast to Ormeau. From Ormeau the area heads south to Mount Nathan, then southeast past Highland Park before returning to Mermaid Beach. All suburbs and towns, off shore islands and coastal areas serviced by Optus within these boundaries are encompassed in this exemption.

How will this affect you?

Unfortunately, your service may be affected and we may take longer than normal to fix telephone services or complete connections. Services in the area mentioned above with phone numbers in the following number ranges may have been affected:

We anticipate that the majority of services will be restored by 28 January 2019. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this delay may cause but we can assure you we are working hard to get things back on track.

What else do you need to know?

Information as to the nature of these severe weather events can be sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Damaging winds and large hailstones are referred to in the BOM Severe Weather Warning issued for 21 December 2018 initially at 5:58pm, Friday 21 December 2018, reference number IDQ21033; all of which were widely reported in the news media after the events.

Due to this event, we’re claiming an exemption under section 21 of the Telecommunications (Customer Service Guarantee) Standard 2011, including an exemption from the payment of compensation between 24 December 2018 to 28 January 2019 inclusive for any delays in fixing or connecting services, and the keeping of appointments relating to these activities in the impacted area.

Need more information?

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for a CSG payment under this notice, or wish to have us reconsider whether the circumstances were a proper basis for claiming an exemption, you can contact Optus on 13 39 37– quoting CSG exemption reference number 24122018-QLD-E-C-P-SOUTHEAST COAST QLD AND NORTHERN RIVERS NSW_RUNL

You can also view a copy of this notice on our Internet site www.optus.com.au/msd If, after calling Optus on the above number, you remain unsatisfied with our response to your query, you have the option of raising the matter with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). Information on the TIO and contact details are available on the Internet (www.tio.com.au) and in the White Pages® telephone directory.