CUSTOMER CARE POLICY
Our Commitment to You
We value the relationship we have with our customers and want to make sure your experience with Lightwire is a positive one. We do our best to provide an excellent service, but if something’s not right, we want to know so we can fix it quickly.
This policy explains your rights as a customer and our responsibilities as your service provider. It outlines what you can expect from us, how we’re committed to supporting you, and what steps you can take if something isn’t right.
We’re a signatory to the Telecommunications Forum (TCF) Customer Care Code, which helps to set the standards we follow. You can read the full TCF Customer Care Code here: https://www.tcf.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Documents-Customer-Care-Code.pdf
Our Minimum Standards of Practice
The TCF Customer Care Code sets out the minimum standards that all providers must follow. We aim to exceed those standards by delivering the best possible customer experience. At the very least, you can expect us to:
- Treat you with respect and in a fair and courteous manner at all times.
- Work collaboratively and constructively when engaging with you.
- If authorised by you, work cooperatively and constructively with your support person and/or agent, such as a financial mentor.
- Provide relevant terms and conditions for the provision of a service that set out the key rights and obligations of both us, the provider, and you, the customer.
- Plan pricing information.
- Any additional relevant fees/charges relating to a service.
- Any limitations to a service, taking into account the limitations that are likely to be important to you (if relevant), such as limitations in the event of a power outage.
- Principal factors that may affect the performance of a service.
- Provide services to the service standards advertised and described in our contracts with you.
- Define the situations covered under Force Majeure clauses and explain how we will respond in such circumstances.
How we communicate changes to your service
- We'll let you know in advance if we need to change your terms and conditions, service details, or pricing or if we’re discontinuing a service.
- If the change could negatively impact you, we’ll give you at least 10 working days’ notice, and where possible, we will aim for 30 days or more. If something unexpected happens outside our control and we can’t give that much notice, we’ll still contact you as soon as possible.
- We'll be fair and act in good faith when deciding whether a change may disadvantage you.
Billing & Invoices
- We strive to ensure the accuracy of our invoices at all times.
- If something’s not right, we’ll do everything we can to fix it as quickly as possible.
- You’re always welcome to get in touch if you want to query or dispute a charge.
- While investigating any billing disputes, we won’t expect payment for the part of the bill that’s under investigation.
Faults & Resolutions
- We will fix and/or repair faults that occur in our network at no extra charge to you, except in instances where you have caused or contributed to the fault. Any financial implications under this scenario will be set out in our terms.
Force Majeure
Occasionally, events outside our control may impact our ability to deliver services. These are known as Force Majeure events. These include, but are not limited to:
- Natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes, floods, severe storms)
- Wildfires
- Widespread network or utility outages caused by third parties
When a force majeure event occurs:
- We will take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact on your service.
- We will keep you informed of the situation and any expected timeframes.
- We may be temporarily unable to meet our standard service levels or commitments, such as fault restoration times or scheduled installations.
- Our usual obligations under the Customer Care Policy or service agreements may be suspended during the event.
Credit Management
Suspension or Disconnection of Service
There may be times when we need to suspend or disconnect your service, but that’s always a last resort. These situations are outlined in our general Terms and Conditions, which can be viewed here.
If we need to suspend your services because of an unpaid bill, we’ll let you know by email. We’ll also explain what that means and what you can do to avoid any further steps.
If things still aren’t sorted and we have to disconnect your service, we’ll send another email warning of service disconnection. That email will outline what could happen next, including referral to a debt collection agency, possible credit impacts, and any extra costs that may be added to your outstanding balance.
Financial Hardship
We understand things can change quickly, and keeping up with bills can become difficult. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, whether due to illness, loss of income, a natural disaster, or another unexpected situation, we’re here to help.
What we can do:
- Work with you to create a temporary payment plan.
- Review your current plan or services to help reduce costs.
What we won’t do:
- We will not change your payment plan without consulting with you first.
- We will not disconnect your service if you are making the agreed payments as part of your payment plan.
What we ask from you:
- Get in touch with us as early as possible. The sooner we know, the more we can do to try to help.
- Be honest about your situation so we can find the right support option together.
We treat all discussions of financial hardship with confidentiality, care, and compassion. We aim to help you stay connected while getting things back on track.
If you need to talk to us about financial hardship, get in touch with our team by emailing sales@lightwire.co.nz or calling us on 0800 12 13 14 or 1300 016 678
Contacting Us
We treat all discussions of financial hardship with confidentiality, care, and compassion. We aim to help you stay connected while getting things back on track.
While we always aim to provide the best service possible, we understand that sometimes things don’t go to plan. If something’s not quite right, we’re here to help and keen to get it sorted quickly, ideally before it becomes a bigger issue for you.
Please get in touch with us using one of the following options:
By Phone:
- 0800 12 13 14 or +64 7 974 9970 from overseas
By Email:
- Residential: sales@lightwire.co.nz
- Business: sales@lightwirebusiness.com
Live Chat:
- Residential: https://www.lightwire.co.nz/contact/
Handling Customer Feedback or Complaints
We know how important it is to be heard when something’s not right. That’s why we have a clear complaints process to make it easy for you to raise any concerns. Whether it’s about our service, a product, or your overall experience, we’re here to listen and work with you to find a fair resolution.
By Phone:
- 0800 12 13 14 or +64 7 974 9970 from overseas
By Email:
- Residential: complaints@lightwire.co.nz
- Business: complaints@lightwirebusiness.com
By Mail:
- Feedback and Complaints: Lightwire Limited PO BOX 9361 Hamilton 3240
Our commitment to you:
- We will acknowledge the receipt of your complaint within 3 business days, either verbally or in writing.
- We will always do our best to resolve your issue straight away. If we need to investigate further, we will provide you with a reference number so you can easily follow up on its progress.
- We will keep you updated on the progress of your complaint and let you know if there are any delays and why they’re happening. Our aim is to resolve complaints within 20 business days, though some cases, like those involving third parties (such as fibre providers like Chorus), may take a little longer.
- If there’s a delay, we’ll keep you in the loop and provide an updated timeframe within 10 business days of identifying the cause.
- We will not charge you for raising a complaint with us.
- We will pause any collections activity on a disputed charge while investigating your complaint. This includes late payment fees, collections notices, or referrals to a debt collection agency. If you’ve paid in advance, we won’t issue a credit or refund while the complaint is open.
- If we owe you any charges once your complaint is resolved, we will apply the credit within 10 working days or as otherwise stated.
- We will let you know the outcome of your complaint, and you’re welcome to ask for a copy in writing if you’d like it.
What we ask in return:
- You should treat our staff with courtesy and respect.
- We work together to reach a fair and reasonable resolution.
Handling Customer Feedback or Complaints
We’re proud to support the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR) scheme, which provides a free and independent service if disputes cannot be resolved directly with us.
Once you’ve submitted your enquiry to the TDR, they will try to resolve your complaint with us and reach a mutually acceptable arrangement.
You can learn more about the scheme by visiting www.tdr.org.nz, emailing contact@tdr.org.nz or by calling 0808 989 898.
Please note that all parties that are referred to the TDR Scheme will comply with the TDR Scheme’s Terms of Reference
