Who can I speak to if I need financial assistance with financial hardship?
We understand that anyone can experience financial difficulty through unexpected life events such as illness, changes in income or relationships, or emergency events such as natural disasters. We are here to help and have a process designed to assist our customers in times of need. We will work with you to assess your individual circumstances and requirements with a view to achieving a suitable solution. If you wish to discuss an overdue account, or to discuss assistance with financial hardship, please contact us on 1300 731 211 or email us at financialassistance@mercedes-benz.com.
There are also a number of other independent resources which you may find helpful:
• Financial Counselling Australia - https://www.financialcounsellingaustralia.org.au/
• ASIC Money Smart - https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/
• National Debt Helpline - https://www.ndh.org.au/
How will I know the outcome of my request for financial assistance?
• You will know once you have successfully deferred repayments once you have signed a Variation agreement, if you haven’t, it may still be pending and reach out to the team if you are ever unsure
• We will contact you at the final stage of your application to advise that your Variation Agreement is ready to sign, or at any time during the process when required for additional information.
• Please ensure to promptly response to the team, to ensure your application is not delayed or declined.
• Any status prior to this will have your application in a Pending stage.
What kind of documents will be required throughout the financial assistance request?
As a lender, we're committed to meeting all regulatory requirements. To best assist customers experiencing financial hardship, we may need to request additional information. We would appreciate your willingness to work with us during these times. Such information may include, but not limited to, providing supporting documents such as medical certificates, PAYG summaries, or employment letters within a reasonable timeframe set by us.
Will my Comprehensive Credit Reporting be affected?
Comprehensive credit reporting (CCR) means that it is important to pay on time to ensure that your repayment history information is presented favourably on your credit report.
Please note that if your contract becomes overdue, your missed payment may reflect on your consumer credit file as monthly account information is being shared. If we have agreed to a financial hardship arrangement and reporting is applicable, this may reflect on your consumer credit file.
You may not be able to see this information immediately on your credit report, as it will depend on when your payments are due, when your contract commences and closes, and when the information is sent to the credit reporting body. For further information, please review your individual report or refer to https://www.creditsmart.org.au
If you would like to view your credit report, please get in touch with Equifax or Illion who will be able to assist:
• https://www.equifax.com.au/contact
• https://www.illion.com.au/contact-us/