MSD - 27112017 - VIC SCP Bendigo and Surrounding Districts

27 November 2017, 09:00 AM

CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVICE FROM OPTUS

Delay due to severe weather in Bendigo and parts of the surrounding Northern Country, North Central and Central Districts of Victoria.

Parts of the Northern Country, North Central and Central Districts of Victoria were impacted by severe weather on or about Friday 24 November 2017 through to Sunday 26 November 2017. This event resulted in extensive damage to the telecommunications network.

An interruption to Optus normal operations has occurred leading to delays in installation and repair activities. As many as 120 Optus services are impacted in the area bounded by and including, but not limited to, the area starting at Jungaburra heading southeast to Knowsley, southwest to Sutton Grange then southeast to Pipers Creek. From Pipers Creek the area heads southwest to Blackwood, northwest to Amphitheatre and north to Wychitella then northeast back to Jungaburra. All suburbs and towns 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:

0343000000 to 0343009999 | 0344650000 to 0344650999

0343011000 to 0343011999 | 0353216000 to 0353216999

0343430000 to 0343438999 | 0353400000 to 0353400999

0344001000 to 0344001999 | 0353436000 to 0353489999

0344324000 to 0344324999 | 0354210000 to 0354962999

We anticipate that the majority of services will be restored by 10 December 2017. 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 Early Warning Network at http://www.ewn.com.au/alerts/. Large hail, heavy rainfall and damaging winds are referred to within this site for Friday 24 November 2017 through to Sunday 26 November 2017; all of which were 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 27 November 2017 to 10 December 2017 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 27112017-VIC-S-C-P-BENDIGO AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS_RUL

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.