Search
Search
Published: November 10, 2017 | Source: Ofcom | Author: Mark Campbell

New Ofcom rules will force UK ISPs to give automatic refunds to users when things go wrong

The UK's major ISPs will now provide users with automatic refunds when services are delayed or go down

New Ofcom rules will force UK ISPs to give automatic refunds to users when things go wrong

Since March of this year, Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator and competition authority for telecommunications, has been working to improve the way that ISPs give users refunds, be it for missed appointments, delays in starting new services or delays in fixing online services and other faults. 

Now Ofcom has created new industry regulations that will force ISPs to deliver automatic refunds, without users even having to ask for it, with BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet all agreeing to the new guidelines. These providers cover 90% of the industry, which means that this new agreement will be of benefit for the majority of those who use online services in the UK.     

Right now, Ofcom says that “around one in seven” customers who suffer from slow repairs, delayed installations or missed engineer appointments get any form of compensation and even then the payouts are minuscule. These new rules will set out how much consumers are owed as compensation and force ISPs to pay-out automatically. 

These new automatic compensation scheme will have a 15-month implementation period before these new rules come into effect, which will help to ensure a smooth transition over to these new rules. These rules will force ISPs to improve their quality of service, which will undoubtedly help consumers in the long term. 

 

 

We know how frustrating it can be when you’re without broadband. Waiting too long for a fault to be fixed, or a service to be installed, is not acceptable.

If this happens to you, we think your telecoms provider should give you compensation. And you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get it.

So Ofcom set out plans to ensure broadband and landline providers automatically pay out when things go wrong. Now, the major telecoms firms have agreed.

This means millions of broadband and landline customers will get money back, when:
· a problem isn’t fixed quickly enough
· an engineer doesn’t turn up
· or a new service isn’t ready on time

This is one of the ways Ofcom is acting on behalf of telephone and broadband customers.

 

  

The UK's major ISPs will now provide users with automatic refunds when services are delayed or go down

 

These new rules will be of huge benefit to those who utilise online services for both work and relaxation, with these rules being especially helpful to small or medium-sized businesses who utilise residential, rather than enterprise broadband services. If ISPs are forced to pay out when users experience issues, you can count on ISPs working harder to ensure that no issues happen in the first place.    

You can join the discussion on Ofcom’s new automatic refunds scheme on the OC3D Forums. 

The UK's major ISPs will now provide users with automatic refunds when services are delayed or go down

New Ofcom rules will force UK ISPs to give automatic refunds to users when things go wrong

Since March of this year, Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator and competition authority for telecommunications, has been working to improve the way that ISPs give users refunds, be it for missed appointments, delays in starting new services or delays in fixing online services and other faults. 

Now Ofcom has created new industry regulations that will force ISPs to deliver automatic refunds, without users even having to ask for it, with BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet all agreeing to the new guidelines. These providers cover 90% of the industry, which means that this new agreement will be of benefit for the majority of those who use online services in the UK.     

Right now, Ofcom says that “around one in seven” customers who suffer from slow repairs, delayed installations or missed engineer appointments get any form of compensation and even then the payouts are minuscule. These new rules will set out how much consumers are owed as compensation and force ISPs to pay-out automatically. 

These new automatic compensation scheme will have a 15-month implementation period before these new rules come into effect, which will help to ensure a smooth transition over to these new rules. These rules will force ISPs to improve their quality of service, which will undoubtedly help consumers in the long term. 

 

 

We know how frustrating it can be when you’re without broadband. Waiting too long for a fault to be fixed, or a service to be installed, is not acceptable.

If this happens to you, we think your telecoms provider should give you compensation. And you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get it.

So Ofcom set out plans to ensure broadband and landline providers automatically pay out when things go wrong. Now, the major telecoms firms have agreed.

This means millions of broadband and landline customers will get money back, when:
· a problem isn’t fixed quickly enough
· an engineer doesn’t turn up
· or a new service isn’t ready on time

This is one of the ways Ofcom is acting on behalf of telephone and broadband customers.

 

  

The UK's major ISPs will now provide users with automatic refunds when services are delayed or go down

 

These new rules will be of huge benefit to those who utilise online services for both work and relaxation, with these rules being especially helpful to small or medium-sized businesses who utilise residential, rather than enterprise broadband services. If ISPs are forced to pay out when users experience issues, you can count on ISPs working harder to ensure that no issues happen in the first place.    

You can join the discussion on Ofcom’s new automatic refunds scheme on the OC3D Forums. 

Latest News