Power companies and telcos: What they’re doing during the lockdown

We’ve asked companies to step up and help customers who are struggling financially at this time. We’ve called on them to:

• drop late-payment fees
• put debt collection on hold
• stop disconnections.

Here's what the big five power companies and three major telcos told us they’re doing.

Power companies

Contact

• Charging late-payment fees? No, provided customers get in touch before the payment due date. But customers on plans with “prompt-payment discounts” may lose the “discount” if they don’t pay by the due date.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? No.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? Not during level 4.

Genesis

• Charging late-payment fees? No. But customers on plans with “prompt-payment discounts” may lose the “discount” (5 to 15%) if they don’t pay by the due date.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? No.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? No.

Mercury

• Charging late-payment fees? Waived if customers let Mercury know they’re financially affected by Covid-19. But customers on plans with “prompt-payment discounts” may lose the “discount” (10%) if they don’t pay by the due date.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? Not if customers let Mercury know they’re financially affected by Covid-19.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? Not if customers let Mercury know they’re financially affected by Covid-19.

Meridian

• Charging late-payment fees? No.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? No.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? Meridian will work with customers to ensure power isn’t unfairly disconnected because of unpaid bills.

Trustpower

• Charging late-payment fees? No. But customers may lose the 15% “prompt-payment” discount if they don’t pay by the due date.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? No.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? No.

Telcos

Spark

• Charging late-payment fees? No, waived for 60 days from 23 March 2020.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? Yes, if all other avenues have been exhausted.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? No, customers experiencing hardship during the pandemic won’t be disconnected.
  

Spark is waiving overage charges for customers on capped broadband plans.

Vodafone

• Charging late-payment fees? Only waived if customer applies and is approved for hardship relief. Waiver is for 6 months from March 2020.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? Only stopped if customer applies and is approved for hardship relief. Period is for 6 months from March 2020.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? Only stopped if customer applies and is approved for hardship relief. Period is for 6 months from March 2020.

Vodafone has removed caps from capped broadband plans until the end of June 2020.

2degrees

• Charging late payment fees? No. Fees are being waived until the end of June 2020.
• Sending debts to debt collectors? Yes, if all other options have been exhausted.
• Disconnecting customers for non-payment? 2degrees says it “will do what we can to help [customers] stay connected”.

2degrees is providing unlimited data until June 2020 to any customer on a limited data plan.