Faults / Service provision

Ofcom works to ensure everyone gets the very best from their communications.

Our role is to look at how issues affect UK consumers as a whole.

We cannot handle individual complaints.

However, we fully understand how frustrating it can be when things go wrong.

That’s why we have improved the way phone and broadband providers deal with your complaints.

To get help with your individual problems, follow these steps:

• Contact your provider’s customer services department and explain your problem.
• If this doesn’t resolve the issue, make a formal complaint to the company. You should find details of how to do this on the back of your bill, on their website or ask their customer services.
• If your provider is unable to resolve your complaint, ask for a deadlock letter. This enables you to take your complaint to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

ADRs act as an independent middleman and will examine the case from both sides and reach a decision they think fair. If eight weeks have passed since you first formally complained you can contact the ADR directly.

There are two ADR schemes – Ombudsman Services: Communications, and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS). All service providers must belong to one of the schemes.

Your provider will tell you which scheme it is a member of, or you can use our ADR checker.

Further advice

Maximising mobile coverage

Broadband speeds

ParentPort: Working together for media standards