Overview - payments, payment plans and payment extensions – Foxtel

Contents

1. Payment options
2. Direct debit
3. Manual payments
4. Missing and failed payments
5. Payment plans
6. Payment extensions
7. Financial hardship

1. Payment options
Payment options are shown at the bottom of the customer’s bill. We accept payments made by the following methods:

direct debit from a bank account or a debit/credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express)
manual payment online or over the phone from a debit/credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express)
BPAY
Australia Post.

Note:

If the customer asks how a direct debit/credit card payment will appear on their bank statement, the description is as follows:

- Credit Cards: Foxtel Management Pty North Ryde Au
- Bank Account Direct Debit: Foxtel Management xxxxxxxx (where xxx represents the customer’s Foxtel Account)

Payments made via BPAY or Australia Post can take up to three business days to be received on your account.

Payment options via SMS
We will send customers with an overdue balance a 2-way SMS option to:

make a payment using the credit or debit card on their account
make a payment using a different card
set up a payment plan.

If the customer is signed up to pay by credit card direct debit, they will receive a 2-way SMS where they can reply 'Y' for payment to be taken from their nominated credit card. For those on other payment methods, the SMS will include a link they can click on to make payment by credit card.

SMS 1
The first SMS will be sent when the payment is overdue (the first collection event) but before a banner message is displayed on the customer's TV screen. This SMS will advise of the overdue balance, potential late fees and provide options to pay by credit card.

SMS 2 and 3
Further SMSs will be sent to customers before they go on RSP and when they go on NPS. These SMS will provide customers with the option to make a payment or set up a payment plan if they qualify.
Note: To qualify for a payment plan, the customer must not have signed up to a payment plan through the automated system within the past 3 months.

SMS 4
A final SMS will be sent at the final notice collections event. This SMS will include a pay now option, as well as a flexible extended payment plan option, allowing the customer to pay the balance owing over 6 weeks, and avoid referral to an external collection agency and potential default listing.
Note: The customer's service will not be resumed if they enter a payment plan at this point.

SMS timeframe
The links to pay and reply 'Y' to make a payment options are only valid for 14 days from the date the SMS was sent.

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2. Direct debit

2.1 About direct debit
2.2 Pre-authorisation check
2.3 Direct debit draw date - TV
2.4 Direct debit draw date - bundled accounts
2.5 Direct debit declines

2.1 About direct debit
A customer can opt to pay their Foxtel bills via direct debit, which means that any bill payments will be automatically processed each month using the direct debit details provided. The direct debit will only draw once per month on the bill run/due date.
The payment methods available for direct debit are:

bank account (cheque or savings account)

Note: If the debit date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the account will be debited the following business day.

credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express).

2.2 Pre-authorisation check
When adding a new credit card for direct debit, we automatically conduct a pre-authorisation check with the customer's bank to validate the card. The bank will withhold $1 from the customer's available credit which is usually reversed immediately once payment is processed and shouldn't appear on the customer's bank statement. In some cases, the bank will withhold $1 from the customer's available credit and return it within 5 business days.
Important: You must read the following pre-authorisation scripting when adding credit card details: 'To validate this credit card a pre-authorisation check is conducted with the bank. A holding fee of $1 is processed, which will be released back to the credit card within 5 business days. Is that okay to proceed?'

2.3 Direct debit draw date - TV
The direct debit draw date is the date that the total amount owing will be automatically drawn from the customer's nominated account. This draw date is generally on, or around, the customer's bill cycle start date.

Bill cycle (day of the month)	Direct debit draw date / Invoice create date (day of the month)
30, 31, 1, 2	2
3, 4	5
5, 6	6
7, 8, 9	9
10, 11, 12	13
13, 14	14
15, 16, 17	17
18, 19, 20	20
21	21
22, 23, 24	24
25, 26	27
27, 28	28
29	29

2.4 Direct debit draw date - bundled accounts
Bundled customers (customers with broadband and/or home phone on their account) have an 11 business day gap between their bill cycle date (when their bill is generated and available to view) and their due date (when they are direct debited). The bill is generated on the bill cycle date as it is a legal requirement that we give the customer time to look over the charges before they are debited.

2.5 Direct debit declines
If the direct debit payment is declined:

the customer will be notified via SMS or email
Foxtel will not automatically attempt to debit the payment again in that month and the customer must make a manual payment
TV only customers have 14 days from the bill cycle date to make a manual payment before the amount is considered overdue
for bundled customers, the amount is considered overdue the next business day after the direct debit is declined.

Direct debit failure
If a direct debit payment fails, an SMS will be sent to the customer advising them that the payment failed. Foxtel do not automatically attempt to take the payment again, so a manual payment is required.

1st direct debit decline SMS copy:

“We've been unable to draw payment of $@@Balance@@ using your nominated direct debit details for account @@Account@@. To avoid a late fee and/or interruption to your service make payment at http://www.foxtel.com.au/pay-my-bill.html. If your payment details have changed, these can be updated at www.foxtel.com.au/index.html. To find out about our Financial Hardship Policy & more visit foxtel.com.au/about/legal-stuff/financial-hardship-policy.html. Need help? https://www.foxtel.com.au/about/contact.html”.

2nd direct debit decline email copy:

After 2 consecutive declines, the direct debit details will be automatically removed from the account. The customer will need to manually add the direct debit details back on to the account if they wish to continue with direct debit in the future.
Note: Unlike credit/debit cards, bank account direct debit payments are not processed in real-time. Foxtel must wait for the bank to confirm the payment, which can take up to 5 business days.
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3. Manual payments

3.1 About manual payments
3.2 Manual payment options
3.3 Payment processing fees

3.1 About manual payments
If customers are not on direct debit and receive their bill via the statement method, they will need to make manual payments for their Foxtel service.

A manual payment may also be required for customers:

making pre-payments (may be required before a service can be installed and/or activated
paying overdue amounts
following direct debit failure.

Note: Manual payments can be made by the credit card used for direct debit, but we are unable to draw from a bank account outside of the direct debit draw date.

3.2 Manual payment options
Customers can use the following methods to make manual payments:

credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express):
- online via Pay My Bill or My Account
- by phone by calling 1300 008 987 to pay via the IVR
- by agent
BPAY
Australia Post.

Important: Payments made by a credit/debit card online or over the phone will be applied to the account immediately, however BPAY and Australia Post payments can take up to 3 business days to be received on the account.

Bank accounts (e.g. a cheque or savings account using a BSB and account number) cannot be used for manual payments. These details can only be used to establish an ongoing direct debit.
Note: Always encourage customers to make credit card payment via self-serve options (IVR or online), rather than calling to speak with an agent. If making a payment with an agent, this will be completed via Secure Mode in Zendesk, with the customer using the keypad on their phone to enter their details.

3.3 Payment processing fees
Payment processing fees apply to all manual payments, including manual payments made outside of direct debit draw dates by direct debit customers.

Type of payment	Payment processing fee
Credit card	0.25% of transaction value
BPAY	0.7% of transaction value
Cash or payment in person at Australia Post	$2 per payment

Note: Payment processing fees do not apply to:

pre-payments
disconnected accounts.

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4. Missing and failed payments

4.1 Missing payments
4.2 Failed payments

4.1 Missing payments

If the customer advises that they have made a payment, but the payment cannot be located in CORE, we may be able to track the payment depending on the payment type.

BPAY
If the customer made the payment by BPAY, then the customer must contact their bank to track the missing payment. Foxtel cannot track BPAY payments.

Unfortunately BPAY doesn't provide Foxtel with any information as to where the payment originated from and the bank also does not provide us with the payee name or bank account details. This means we cannot trace a missing payment. To locate a missing payment made via BPAY, you can contact the BPAY support area of your financial institution who will arrange the investigation for you.

Payments from a bank account
If a customer is advising that there are unauthorised Foxtel payments coming out of their bank account, you must:

search CORE for customer's name, phone number or account number (if they have one)
investigate if anyone else in the household has a Foxtel account.

If you're unable to find the source of these payments, refer the customer to their bank to place a stop on further payments and raise any chargeback requests for them.

Credit card
To track credit card missing payments:

Ensure the customer has access to the credit card used for the payment (Payments Processing will require the first 6 and last 3 digits of the credit card to be able to run a trace).
Confirm the payment date.
Confirm the payment amount.
Confirm the receipt number. If the credit card used to make the payment is different to the credit card on the account, confirm the customer's contact details.
Confirm the customer's account number.
Contact Payments Processing with the above information (for transfer information, see FoxPages directory - Foxtel departments).
Advise the customer you will contact them within 2 business days once you have received the outcome from Payments Processing.

Australia Post
To track Australia Post missing payments:

Confirm the name of the Post office where the payment was made (e.g. Broadbeach Post Office) and if was made in person.
Confirm the 7-digit receipt number (the receipt number appears at the bottom of the receipt – format xx/xxxxx).
Confirm the exact amount paid.
Confirm the post office location (address, suburb and street address).
Confirm the payment date.
Confirm the method of payment (e.g. credit card or cash).
Confirm the customer's account number.
Contact Payments Processing with the above information (for transfer information, see FoxPages directory - Foxtel departments).
Advise the customer you will contact them within 2 business days once you have received the outcome from Payments Processing.

4.2 Failed payments
One-off credit card payment failure
If a customer calls to make a payment using a credit or debit card and the payment declines, an error message will display. The payment may decline due to:

insufficient funds on the card
incorrect card details
issues with the customer's bank.

If the customer would like to try again, re-confirm the card details and re-process the payment. If the payment declines again, advise the customer to contact their bank.

Direct debit failure
If a direct debit payment fails, an SMS will be sent to the customer advising them that the payment failed. Foxtel do not automatically attempt to take the payment again, so a manual payment is required.

After 2 consecutive declines, the direct debit details will be automatically removed from the account. The customer will need to manually add the direct debit details back on to the account if they wish to continue with direct debit in the future.
Note: Unlike credit/debit cards, bank account direct debit payments are not processed in real-time. Foxtel must wait for the bank to confirm the payment, which can take up to 5 business days.

Dishonoured payment fees
If the direct debit is drawn from an account that does not have sufficient funds, then the customer's bank may charge Foxtel a dishonour fee.

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5. Payment plans

5.1 About payment plans
5.2 How to set up a payment plan
5.3 Payment plans in My Account
5.4 Payment plan SMS
5.5 Set up a payment plan via the Collections Payment Portal
5.6 Make payments on a payment plan via Collections SMS

5.1 About payment plans
Authorised users are able to enter a payment plan on behalf of the customer

Foxtel may offer a payment plan if the customer has an overdue balance or is on RSP (Reduced Service Package). To be eligible, the customer must:

be able to pay a minimum of 50% of the overdue balance owing on the call
pay the remaining balance within 2 weeks
not had a payment plan within the last 3 months

If the customer is on NPS (Non-Pay Suspension), Foxtel may offer the customer an extended payment plan, which will give the customer 6 weeks to pay the outstanding balance and avoid further collection activity. However, the service will not be restored on an extended payment plan.

Netflix billed by Foxtel
Payment plans do not extend to Netflix billed by Foxtel. This means that if payment for a customer's Netflix is outstanding, their Netflix may be disconnected while on a Foxtel payment plan.

Payment plan results
If a customer enters into a payment plan and makes payments as per the agreement, then the customers service will remain active and the collections events will be extended to allow for the specified payments.

For Foxtel TV customers, if payment plans are not kept, or if the customer has broken the payment plan, then the customer's service will be reduced and collection events will continue.

For Broadband and Home phone customers, if payment plans are not kept, or if the customer has broken the payment plan, Foxtel will provide at least 5 business days notification in writing, then the customer's Broadband and/or Home phone service will be restricted or disconnected, and collection events will continue.

5.2 How to set up a payment plan
Eligible customers can set up a payment plan:

Online through My Account
Via the Collections SMS
With an agent - Payment plans can only be entered for customers using the Zendesk billing flow or online using their MyAccount. Do not enter manually using Sharepoint or any other means. Any time where a customer does not qualify or is unable to make the upfront payment, they should be offered assistance under our financial hardship policy. If a customer is wanting a payment extension and can pay prior to the next collection event occurring no further action is required. If the customer needs more time to pay or cannot make the upfront payment you should have the conversation with them that they do not qualify for a plan/extension but may qualify for assistance under our financial hardship policy. "Would you like me to send a request for someone from our financial hardship team to contact you to discuss this further?

5.3 Payment plans in My Account
Eligible customers can login to My Account to organise a Payment Plan.

Directing customers to My Account
If speaking with an eligible customer (who doesn’t want to or cannot organise a payment plan on the call) agents should can invite the customer to organise the payment plan in My Account.

To invite the customer to My Account:

Messaging agents	Direct the customer to My Account via this link http://fox.tl/paymentplan
Voice agents	Send the self-service invitation via the Set up via self-service section of the Flexible Payment Arrangement flow in Zendesk.

To set up the payment plan via MyAccount, the customer must:

Login to their My Account
Under Billing & Payments, click Payment Options
Click ‘Create a Payment Plan.
Enter the upfront payment amount
Enter payment details, confirm and pay.

Important: If the customer would prefer the payment plan be set up for them, continue to do so via the Flexible Payment Arrangement flow in Zendesk.

Important: Customers must complete payment plan requests via Zendesk, no other methods are available for standard process completion.

5.4 Payment plan SMS
Eligible customers will be sent an SMS if their account is overdue, in RSP or NPS to provide them with the option of a payment plan. For more information, see Set up a payment plan via the Collections Payment Portal below.

If a customer has not received this SMS or requests a payment plan, see Procedure - Set up a payment plan in Zendesk.

Note: Payment plans can only be offered by Collections agents.

5.5 Set up a payment plan via the Collections Payment Portal
If a customer's account remains overdue after the first SMS has been sent, they will be sent another SMS which may include the option to set up a payment plan via the Collections Payment Portal (if they qualify). You can check the CIT notes if the customer was sent a payment plan option:

CIT note with payment plan option
- Collection reminder SMS 2 and RSP warning sent (1 way) with payment plan option
CIT note with no payment plan option
- Collection reminder SMS 2 and RSP warning sent (1 way).

Note: The customer will be sent this SMS a further 2 times if the account remains overdue (after NPS and the final notice).

Payment plan on SMS 2 or SMS 3
To set up a payment plan from SMS 2 or SMS 3, the customer will need to make an upfront payment of 50% towards the overdue balance and set up the frequency and amount of their repayments in the collections payment portal. The customer's service will be resumed once the 50% is paid. Payments will then be automatically deduced from the customer's chosen credit card on the agreed dates.

Note: The customer will need to pay the balance within 2 weeks.

Payment plan on SMS 4
If the customer sets up a payment plan from SMS 4, they will need to make an upfront payment of at least 5% of the overdue balance. They will then have 6 weeks to pay the remaining balance. Customers will not have the service resumed until the final payment is made, however collection activity will be held to ensure that they are not referred to an external collection agency while on the payment plan.

5.6 Make payments on a payment plan via Collections SMS
For customers who set up a payment plan via Collections SMS, the payments will be automatically deducted from their nominated credit card on their chosen date. The customer will also receive the following messages throughout the payment plan.

Before payment
The customer will receive an SMS the day before their payment is due to be drawn to advise them that the payment will be drawn the next day or to give them the option to cancel.
If the customer chooses to cancel the payment plan, they will automatically go back into the collections process.

Note: If the customer wants to cancel their payment plan and it's more than 48 hours before their next payment is due, see Procedure - cancel an automated payment plan created via Collections SMS.

Payment result
The customer will be advised via SMS if the payment is successful or unsuccessful.

For Foxtel TV customers, if the payment is unsuccessful, the payment plan will be cancelled and the customer will automatically go back into the collections process.

For Broadband and Home phone customers, if the payment is unsuccessful, Foxtel will provide at least 5 business days notification in writing, then the payment plan will be cancelled, the Broadband and/or Home phone service will be restricted or disconnected and the customer will automatically go back into the collections process.

Completion of payment plan
The customer will be advised via SMS when the payment plan is complete.

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6. Payment extensions
Authorised users are able to negotiable a payment extension on behalf of the customer

Payment Extension by contacting the contact centre

All customers can be offered a payment extension if they meet the eligibility requirements below. Payment extensions can extend the date that payment is required by up to 14 days from the due date.

A maximum of 2 extensions can be offered to customers within a 6 month period (Team Leader approval is required for any additional extensions).

Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for a payment extension, the customer must:

request the extension
have had less than 2 payment extensions in the last 6 months
have the ability to make a payment within 14 days from the due date
not currently be on an RSP.

If the customer meets these eligibility requirements, follow Procedure - Request a flexible payment arrangement in Zendesk.

Payment Extension via the IVR

Eligible TV only customers have the option of payment extension via the IVR. Only customers who meet the eligibility requirements will be offered the option of a payment extension.

TV only customers who successfully apply for payment extension via the IVR, will have the following CIT note on the account in CORE:

Note: Eligible Broadband and Home Phone customers will only be offered the option of receiving an SMS with a link to My Account via the IVR.

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7. Financial hardship

7.1 About financial hardship
7.2 Eligibility
7.3 Submit a financial hardship request
7.4 Existing financial hardship applications

7.1 About financial hardship
Foxtel's definition of financial hardship is when a customer is unable to pay what they owe due to illness, unemployment or some other reasonable cause or unforeseen event and the customer believes that they would be able to pay for the supply of Foxtel services if relevant payment arrangements were changed.

7.2 Eligibility
To be eligible for financial hardship, the customer must submit a formal application. Once the customer is supplied with an application, they have 7 days to return it.

Note: Foxtel will reschedule any collections events for a period of 7 days to give the customer time to submit their formal application.

If the customer is approved for financial hardship, Foxtel will:

suspend the customer's collections events
send the customer written confirmation with details of the arrangement
continue to charge for services that are not suspended.

Important: If the customer misses an agreed financial hardship payment, then standard collections events may resume.

7.3 Submit a financial hardship request
Discuss the reason for the financial hardship request (E.g. illness, unemployment or some other reasonable cause or unforeseen event.) with the customer.
Note: If the customer can pay the amount owing within 21 days, this can be managed with a payment plan rather than a financial hardship request. For more information, see Procedure - Set up a payment plan in Zendesk.

Advise the customer that as part of the financial hardship agreement, they may need to reduce their package to reduce ongoing costs.
Confirm the overdue balance on the account.
Remove the direct debit details (see Procedure - change payment details) from the account.
Create a Hardship ticket in Zendesk (see Procedure - Raise a financial hardship case in Zendesk).
Advise the customer that they will be contacted by the Financial Hardship team within 5 business days.
Add a CI (Customer Interaction) note to the account advising that you have submitted the customer's request for financial hardship.

7.4 Existing financial hardship applications
If a customer wants to discuss an existing financial hardship agreement, contact the Escalated Billing Team. See FoxPages directory - Foxtel departments for transfer information.
Note: All financial hardship transactions are completed in Zendesk. For examples of the notes that will be added to Zendesk, see Escalated Billing account notes.

7.5 Financial Hardship scripting

The below payment assistance scripting available in Zendesk (available in the account summary screen) will need to be read or copied verbatim to the customers who have a Broadband or Home Phone service with an overdue balance or advise the following:

The customer has mentioned anything related to needing payment support, payment extensions, struggling to pay their bills
Uses wording such as natural disaster, difficulty, struggling, issues, problems, low income, cost of livings pressures.

Payment assistance scripting available in Zendesk:

"I would like to make your aware of our payment assistance policy. I can see you have Broadband/Home phone services with us. We understand that these are essential services, therefore have this policy in place to ensure our customers facing financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances have access to tailored options to assist keeping telecommunications services connected. Assistance under this policy will vary depending on your individual situation and may include options such as tailored and extended payment plans, temporarily postponing or extending the time for paying a bill, looking at how we can reduce ongoing costs, or offering a free non-automatic payment method. If you are wanting to find out more or wish to apply for assistance, I can send you a link to the policy to review, along with an application form and an email address and phone number for our team, who can assist with hardship-related matters and discuss any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can view the policy and apply online via http://www.foxtel.com.au/hardship, email us at hardship@foxtel.com.au, call us on 1300 730 135 or I can submit an application on your behalf. Once you apply for assistance, we will assess your application within 5 business days and inform you of the outcome within 2 business days of the assessment being completed."

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