We recognize that many of your business customers have had to temporarily stop trading now that we are in lockdown and this is fuelling demand for the temporary disconnection of business services.

As previously communicated, we have introduced a specific temporary disconnection process for your business customers so that you can support their needs and provide them with certainty that service can be easily reinstated, without driving any additional cost.

Following the Government announcement on 20 April, we revised the Covid-19 Temporary Business Disconnection Offer period to align with the level 3 lockdown, so that it may best support you and your customers. We may make further revisions depending on how the lockdown progresses. We will communicate as further decisions are made.

Here are the full details of our COVID-19 temporary business disconnection offer:

1. Suspending business re-connection fees

Products related - NGA Business (BS3/3a), Evolve SME (BS2 SME) and Small Business Fibre

How it works - this offer provides you with the flexibility of easily switching your Chorus services off and then back on again, so that you can support the needs of your business customers and provide them with certainty that service can be easily reinstated, without driving any additional cost.

For business customers on NGA Business (BS3/3a), Evolve SME (BS2 SME) and Small Business Fibre, here’s the information you need:

1. To switch the service off, please submit a “Disconnect Primary” order through the Chorus Portal as normal.
2. When the time comes to reconnect, please submit a “Connect Primary” intact order (with no CSE) through the Chorus Portal as normal.
3. We will waive the intact connection fee of $23.62 (valid for reconnections submitted up to four weeks after the level 3 lockdown period ends, currently 8 June).
4. Intact connection fees will be waived for reconnections that are Service Given between Monday 20 April and four weeks after the level 3 lockdown period ends (currently 8 June).
5. The $23.62 intact connection charge will still appear on your current month’s bill. You will subsequently receive a credit for $23.62 on the follow month’s bill.
6. All our billing is pro-rated, so you only pay for the period the service has been connected.
7. Both the disconnection and reconnection are fully automated by Chorus, which means we can have everything back up and running remotely at the soonest (typically within 4 hours).

We recognise that there are still businesses out there for whom ADSL or VDSL is their best option. For businesses still on ADSL or VDSL, here’s the information you need:

1. To switch the service off, please submit a “Broadband Disconnection” order through Wireline as normal.
2. When the time comes to reconnect, please submit a “Broadband New Connection Only” order through Wireline as normal.
3. We will waive the remote connection fee of $7.40 (valid for reconnections submitted up to four weeks after the level 3 lockdown period ends, currently 8 June).
4. Remote connection fees will be waived for reconnections that are Service Given between Monday 20 April and four weeks after the level 3 lockdown period ends (currently 8 June).
5. All our billing is pro-rated, so you only pay for the period the service has been connected.
6. The $7.40 intact connection charge will still appear on your current month’s bill. You will subsequently receive a credit for $7.40 on the follow month’s bill.
7. Both the disconnection and reconnection are fully automated by Chorus, which means we can have everything back up and running remotely at the soonest (typically within 4 hours).

Offer availability - this offer is available to you effective immediately for the products mentioned above.

Offer expiry - this offer will expire four weeks after the COVID-19 level 3 lockdown ends. We may extend or review the dates referred to above, depending on how lockdown progresses and the plans for rolling back lockdown across the country and across different services. We will communicate as further decisions are made.

2. Suspending business disconnection credit refunds

Products related - NGA Business (Bitstream 3/3a), NGA Evolve (Bitstream 2 SME), Small Business Fibre

How it works - we recognize that many of your business customers have had to temporarily stop trading now that we are in lockdown and this is fuelling demand for the temporary disconnection of business services. You normally need to refund any credit we pay to you on a pro-rated basis for a connection that disconnects or downgrades within 12 months of being service given.

To support you and your customers during this time, we are suspending all credit refunds for business disconnections, for the duration of the COVID-19 level 4 and level 3 lockdown:

1. This applies to disconnection orders received for the following products: NGA Business (Bitstream 3/3a), NGA Evolve (Bitstream 2 SME), Small Business Fibre
2. Refunds are suspended for credits received under the following offers: Better on Business, Enterprise Connect, Mix It Up (Bitstream 2 SME only)
3. The temporary disconnection process for HSNS, NGA Business Premium (Enhanced Bitstream 4) and DFAS will not result in any credit refunds being charged.

Offer availability - this offer is effective immediately for the products and credit refunds mentioned above.

Offer expiry - this offer will expire at the end of the COVID-19 level 3 lockdown. We may extend or review the dates referred to above, depending on how lockdown progresses and the plans for rolling back lockdown across the country and across different services. We will communicate as further decisions are made.

3. Temporary business disconnection

Products related - HSNS, NGA Business Premium (Enhanced Bitstream 4), DFAS

How it works - the normal relinquishment process for HSNS, NGA Business Premium (Enhanced Bitstream 4) or DFAS involves changes to the physical network setup as well as the removal of all relevant manual configuration. As the current process would have made it very difficult to ensure that we can easily reinstate the service, we developed a bespoke manual process.

For business customers on HSNS, NGA Business Premium (Enhanced Bitstream 4) or DFAS plans, here’s the information you need:

1. To request temporary disconnection, please fill out this short template and e-mail it through to us at tempdisconnect@chorus.co.nz
2. Once we process your request, the service will be suspended, and the recurring monthly charges will be ceased based on the following criteria:
   1. For requests received by COB on Thursday 09 April, we will cease recurring charges from the beginning of the COVID-19 level 4 lockdown period (Thursday 26 March)
   2. For requests received after COB on Thursday 09 April, we will cease recurring charges from the day we have received the temporary disconnection request.
3. You will receive an e-mail reply from us to confirm that your request has been processed.
4. All existing network configuration and physical setup will remain intact, to facilitate an easy reconnection at the end of the level 4 or level 3 lockdown.
5. We will only be able to action requests where the e-mail template has been completed with all the required information. If there are any errors or missing information, we will send you an e-mail reply asking for clarification.

Offer availability - this offer is effective immediately for the products mentioned above.

Offer expiry – this offer will expire at the end of the COVID-19 level 3 lockdown. Services disconnected under this temporary process will be reinstated automatically, and billing resumed on the first working day after the COVID-19 level 4 or level 3 lockdown ends, with no order or email request required. However, if the customer doesn’t wish to re-connect, then we would require an order form to permanently disconnect the service.

We may extend or review the dates referred to above, depending on how lockdown progresses and the plans for rolling back lockdown across the country and across different services. We will communicate as further decisions are made.