Our process
When things go wrong with your communications provider, we’re here to help. We’ll aim to fairly and impartially resolve your dispute.
*Before raising your dispute with us, please allow your provider 6 weeks to put things right (unless you receive a deadlock letter from them sooner).
**In some cases, suppliers may acknowledge fault and try to resolve your dispute with an offer before we start our investigation. This is called a Facilitated Complaint Resolution (FCR).
Raise the issue with your provider
Before you contact us, you'll need to make a complaint to your provider and follow their complaints process. You should be able to complain to them via their website, email, post or over the phone. You should be able to find their contact details and their complaints processes on their website, on your bills or in their Terms & Conditions.
If you raise the dispute to us, we’ll ask you about the dates of your complaint so the following will be helpful:
- If you complain by phone, ask for a reference number and write down the date and time of the call, along with the name of the person you spoke to.
- If you complain by email, keep copies of all the emails you send and receive about the complaint.
- If you complain by post, ask the Post Office for proof that you sent the letter and the date it was sent.
Citizens Advice provide some templates that might help you write a complaint letter or email to your provider: Consumer template letters [Citizens Advice]
Registering your dispute
Once you've raised a complaint with your provider, they have 6 weeks to resolve your complaint. If you receive a “final decision” or “deadlock letter, , or 6 weeks have passed and your complaint hasn’t been resolved, you can register your dispute with us - for free - via the website, post, email or telephone.
If you need additional support raising your dispute with us, let us know. We can connect you to interpreters to support with translation, a BSL service to help with phone calls and we can also work with an advocate or third party such as a family member if you'd like them to help you.
Facilitated Complaints Resolution
In some cases, when you raise a dispute with us, your provider may acknowledge fault and try to resolve this before we need to start our investigation. This is called Facilitated Complaints Resolution (FCR). If offered a resolution at this stage you're welcome to accept, skipping to stage 6 in this process.
Sending your information
If you don’t receive a Facilitated Complaints Resolution offer, or you receive one and don’t wish to accept it, you’ll have up to 14 days to get all your supporting information (also known as evidence) to us. This could include:
- Evidence of the contact you’ve had with the provider, such as copies of emails or letters, details of phone calls you’ve had with dates, times and names of people you’ve spoken to
- Bills
- Bank statements
Your provider will also have the chance to provide evidence.
Reviewing your case
We’ll review your dispute based on the evidence submitted by both parties before making a fair and impartial decision. We look at the supporting information, the law, any relevant regulation and what is accepted as good industry practice. You should expect to receive a decision from us within 6 weeks.
If you choose to decline our decision, you're free to pursue your dispute with your provider in court.
It’s important to understand what the possible outcomes could be from our decisions; we simply work to resolve disputes, not to punish providers.
In more complex cases, our assessment can take longer than the average 6 weeks. You can speed up the process by making sure you give us all the information and details as soon as possible.
Delivering the remedy
When you accept our decision, your provider is required to implement any proposed remedies within 28 days. If these remain outstanding after 28 days, we will contact the provider to understand why and will keep you informed until it has been completed.
Once you accept our decision and the remedy is finalised, your provider is legally bound to implement it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to accept your decision?
expand_moreWe understand that there may be times when consumers do not agree with a decision we have made or remedy we have proposed. If this is the case, consumers are free to reject our decision and pursue their complaint via any other route open to them.
There are a small number of circumstances in which we would accept a request for a review of our decision, this includes if a consumer thinks there is a factual error that makes a material difference to the decision reached, or there is new evidence available (that wasn’t previously available) that makes a material difference to the decision reached.
For a full guide to our request for a review process, please click here.
Why do I have to wait 6 weeks?
expand_moreYour provider has 6 weeks to resolve your dispute. This is to give them enough time to assess the situation and the evidence to find an appropriate resolution.
Prior to 8 April 2026, providers had 8 weeks to put things right before consumers could register a dispute with our service. Ofcom have now reduced this to 6 weeks. Click here for more information.
If your provider has not resolved your complaint after 6 weeks, you can choose to wait and see if your provider resolves the issue or you can raise your dispute to us.
What is a deadlock letter?
expand_moreIf your provider can’t do anything else to resolve with your dispute, you may receive a letter or email from them stating this. This is called a ‘deadlock letter’. The letter will tell you that you can now contact the Communications Ombudsman and will include our contact details. You must escalate your dispute within 12 months of receiving the letter.
What evidence will I need to provide?
expand_moreAny evidence of the contact you’ve had with the provider, such as copies of emails or letters, details of phone calls you’ve had with dates, times and names of people you’ve spoken to.
You also need to provide any evidence you may have that shows the issues you've been experiencing. This may include documentation such as bills, bank statements, etc.
Should I still pay my bill if I'm complaining about my provider?
expand_moreWe would not recommend cancelling any direct debits or refusing to pay bills whilst the dispute is under investigation. This is to avoid any further issues developing. For example, default on your credit file.
What sort of financial offer should I expect from my provider?
expand_moreAs well as telling your provider to put things right for you we might ask them to make a financial award. A typical financial award ranges between £50-100. Find out more on What to expect.
How do you make sure providers carry out your decision?
expand_moreProviders have 28 days to implement the legally binding decision we have communicated. After this time you are free to pursue the resolution legally outside of our service in court.
Ready to raise your dispute with us?