MSD - 09012020 WA SCP TROPICAL CYCLONE BLAKE RN

Delay due to extreme weather events in parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara Districts of Western Australia.

Parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara Districts of Western Australia were impacted by extreme weather caused by Tropical Cyclone Blake on or about Sunday 5 January 2020 through to Thursday 9 January 2020.

An interruption to Optus normal operations has occurred leading to delays in installation and repair activities. As many as 60 Optus services are impacted in the area bounded by and including, but not limited to, the area starting at Walcott Inlet heading southwest to the northeast corner of the King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park. The area turns south to Fitzroy Crossing, southwest past the Karlamilyi National Park to Newman then northwest to Karijini. From Karijini the area heads north to the Mungaroona Range Nature Reserve, then northwest to Millstream. The area turns north to the WA coastline and follows the coastline northeast past Port Hedland, Broome and Derby back to Walcott Inlet. 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: 

0891268000 to 0891955999 

We anticipate that the majority of services will be restored by 9 February 2020. 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 extreme weather events can be sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Heavy rainfall and gales are referred to in the BOM Severe Weather Warning issued for 5 January 2020 initially at 2:58 pm WST on Sunday 5 January 2020, reference number IDW24100; 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 9 January 2020 to 9 February 2020 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 09012020-WA-S-C-P-TROPICAL CYCLONE BLAKE_RN

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.