Optus Cooling Off Period – (Your Cooling Off Rights)

If you want to learn more about the Optus cooling off period, then this guide will help you out!

The Australian Consumer Law sets the cooling-off period, and Optus complies with the service in its subscriptions and purchases.

Whether you’re eligible to cancel your service and get your refund is based on how the contract was made and whether the cooling-off period has passed.

The Optus cooling-off period is 10 days after signing the contract, during which you can cancel your service at any time if you’re eligible.

If it’s unclear, let’s unwrap!

Optus Cooling Off Period – Everything in One Place

The cooling-off period only applies whenever the Optus customer has been approved via phone or by a salesman at the door.

If a contract has been signed this way, a cool-off period will apply, allowing the user to cancel, return and refund the contract without any early termination fees.

However, there is no cooling-off period if you’ve gone to an official Optus office or requested a contract via phone.

Put simply, they must contact you and talk you into signing to get a cool-off period, so if you’ve requested a service on-site or via phone, the period won’t apply to you. 

How Long is the Cooling-Off Period:

Optus’s cooling-off period is 10 days long, starting at the exact time of signing the contract, whether it’s during a face-to-face meeting or you’ve received the papers via post.

So, during these 10 days, you can request a cancellation anytime and get a refund for any purchases.

Important: The cooling-off period does not apply for agreements under $100!

Optus Cooling-Off Period Example:

Optus’s cooling-off period is most helpful in protecting elderly people who close deals and offers without fully understanding the service.

Hence, if your grandparents were contacted by Optus and signed a contract that they don’t benefit from, the cooling-off period should apply.

Some examples would be the inability to use the contracted device or a mobile or broadband plan that won’t be used (human limitations).

This could potentially prevent the customer from utilising the services from the new contract.

Note: Typically, Optus contacts its users via phone to offer a new product or service or visit your doorstep for a face-to-face contracting conversation.

When Does Optus’s Cooling Off Period Apply?

As mentioned, the cooling-off period only applies when Optus has approached you and, as a result of your call/meeting, you signed a contract.

The Australian Consumer Law calls those contracts “Unsolicited Agreements,” and Optus’s cooling-off period applies to any of them.

We’ve prepared a couple of examples when the cooling-off period is active:

• When an Optus salesperson approaches the customer in a shopping area or near an official office to sell them services or products.
• When an Optus salesperson calls the consumer via phone to offer a product or service and, as a result, a contract has been signed.
• When the consumer shares his contact details for one purpose but later receives a call to sell a product/service.
• When the consumer responds to an unsuccessful call attempt by the salesman and then signs a contract based on a follow-up offer.

In those cases, Optus’s cooling-off period is active, and during the 10-day duration, you can contact Optus and request a cancellation.

If the cooling-off period is active, the cancellation will not be obligated with fees, taxes or expenses.

Let’s next learn a situation where the cooling-off period does not apply!

When Does Optus’s Cooling Off Period Not Apply?

The Optus’s cooling-off period does not apply when you’ve (yourself) requested a service from Optus and signed a contract.

The same applies if you’ve visited an official Optus office or you called them to request a device or service.

Let’s take a look at some examples in which the cooling-off period won’t apply:

• When the consumer has visited an official Optus (without them approaching you) and requested a contracting service or a device.
• When the consumer has called or messaged Optus (without them calling first) and requested a service or device under contract.
• When the customer approaches an Optus salesman in public places, such as in front of an official Optus office or trade centre.

Optus’s cooling-off period will only apply when the consumer has signed a contract due to Optus contacting them and not vice versa.

Based on that information, you can immediately tell whether the cooling-off period applies to your situation, and if yes, let’s learn how to cancel the service.

Optus’s Cooling-Off Period Services Eligibility?

The cooling-off period applies to any service Optus provides, whether it’s a broadband or mobile contract.

So, let’s take a quick look at the Optus services and how the cool-off period will work!

Optus Cooling Off Period Mobile Contract

If you’ve closed a deal with Optus about a mobile contract and received a device or a SIM plan as a result of Optus contacting you, you are eligible for the cooling-off period.

If you decide that the service, device or plan is not suitable for you, you have 10 days to request the cancellation.

Even if you’ve already used the device or made calls on the new SIM, you can cancel at any given time during the period.

Optus will cancel the plan, deactivate the SIM, and get the device, but you’ll pay no fees.

Optus Cooling Off Period Broadband

You can cancel if you’ve signed a broadband (internet) contract from Optus and got a modem under the cooling-off period.

Of course, you will need to return the received modem and get a refund for any purchases you’ve made, but you’ll not be charged the early termination fee.

Warranty Replacement?

So, if your device is manufactured incorrectly and is faulty, preventing the usage of the product, you shouldn’t be seeking the cooling-off period

This is a manufacturer’s warranty, which you can use independently of the cool-off period, so you will need to contact Optus or the merchant for a replacement.

Let’s learn a bit better how to request the Optus’s cooling-off period cancellation:

How to Claim a Cooling-Off Cancellation/Refund?

You need to contact Optus directly!

Sadly, there is no online portal or way to request a cooling-off cancellation from the web, so you must reach out to Optus.

There are numerous ways to contact Optus, so go to their Contacts Page and call the “Sales” or “Customer Service” number.

You will most likely get bounced from one representative to another, but after verifying your eligibility for cooling off, they will initiate the procedure. 

Even if the customer has used the product, they can immediately cancel, and the seller (Optus) must refund any purchases.

However, the consumer is obligated to take responsible care of the product/service and return the device with no significant damages or functionality malfunctions.

Note: You may be required to provide details about the Optus account, so we recommend only the actual account owner contact them.

When is the Optus Cooling-Off Period Extended?

There are situations in which the cooling-off period will be extended, especially when the salesperson responsible for the offer has violated the rules.

The cooling-off period can be extended to 3 months, or even 6 months, based on the weight of the violation, so let’s see:

When the Cooling-Off Period is 3 Months Long?

The cooling-off period is extended to 3 months when the Optus salesmen break the following rules about door-to-door sales or telemarketing:

• Doorstep visits or phone calls outside the allowed hours.
• If the salesman doesn’t identify (name, address, company).
• If the salesman doesn’t say why they are visiting or calling.

When the Cooling-Off Period is 6 Months Long?

• When the customer is not informed about the cool-off period.
• When the salesman doesn’t provide a written agreement copy.
• If the salesman doesn’t provide the required deal documents.

If you detect any rules broken by the salesman you’ve signed the deal with, you can inform Optus and extend the cooling-off period.

Then, you can request a cancellation, entirely free of charge, during the extended period.

Note: If you want to learn more about the cooling-off period by the Australian Consumer Law, click here. 

Quick Recap:

Hence, the Optus cooling-off period applies when you’ve been approached by a salesman via phone or face-to-face conversation.

If you (yourself) requested a service from the Optus office, or via phone, your contract is not under the cooling-off period.

We hope this guide helped you understand the Optus cooling-off period!