A significant change to broadband compensation rules has been announced by Ofcom, affecting customers of 10 major UK providers. Under the updated regulations, households will receive higher automatic payments if their service experiences disruptions.
Higher Daily Compensation for Service Outages
From now on, customers are entitled to compensation if their broadband or landline service stops working and is not repaired within two working days. The daily rate for delayed repairs has increased to £10.34, up from the previous £8. This adjustment aims to better reflect the inconvenience caused by prolonged outages.
Increased Payments for Missed Appointments and Delays
Missed or last-minute cancelled engineer appointments will now attract a compensation of £32.31, compared to the earlier £25. Additionally, households facing delayed service starts will receive £6.46 per day, an increase from £5. These rates will be reviewed annually in line with Consumer Price Index inflation, as confirmed by Ofcom.
Which Providers Are Covered?
The updated scheme applies to the following 10 broadband providers: BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, EE, Plusnet, Vodafone, Hyperoptic, Utility Warehouse, and Zen Internet. Smaller providers, such as Community Fibre, Giffgaff, and Gigaclear, are not included in the mandatory scheme.
How to Claim Compensation
Customers are advised to report any loss of service to their provider immediately. Broadband firms have systems in place to trigger automatic compensation payments once the issue is reported. For each of the three scenarios—delayed repairs, missed appointments, or delayed start—compensation should be credited within 30 days if the issue is not resolved within the specified timeframe.
If Compensation Is Not Received
If customers believe they are entitled to compensation but have not received it within 30 days, they can escalate the complaint to Ofcom for free. The compensation is typically paid as a credit on the customer's bill, unless the provider specifies otherwise.
