Bad broadband service to be automatically compensated under Ofcom plan
Landline and broadband customers suffering from slow repairs, missed deadlines and cancelled appointments would soon be seeing automatic reprieve under proposed rules announced by Ofcom on Friday.
The telecoms regulator said it wanted providers to pay automatic compensation of either a cash payment of a bill credit to customer suffering from certain incidents of “poor service”.
It said customers would be entitled to - and would receive - compensation automatically, without needing to go through any lengthy or difficult claims process.
The circumstances in which automatic compensation would be required included when a landline or broadband connection was not repaired fast enough after it failed, when a new connection was not up and running on the day promised by the provider, or when an engineer did not turn up to an appointment as scheduled.
Ofcom estimated the plans would result in up to 2.6 million customers receiving up to £185m in new compensation payments each year.
“When a customer’s landline or broadband goes wrong, that is frustrating enough without having to fight tooth and nail to get fair compensation from the provider,” said Ofcom consumer group director Lindsey Fussell.
“So we’re proposing new rules to force providers to pay money back to customers automatically, whenever repairs or installations don’t happen on time, or when people wait in for an engineer who doesn’t turn up.”
Fussell said that would mean customers were properly compensated, while providers would want to work harder to improve their service.
The levels of compensation would be set by Ofcom, and designed to reflect the degree of harm suffered by consumers.
A delayed repair following a loss of service would result in compensation of £10 per day that the service was not repaired, delays at the start of a service period would attract compensation of £6 per day, and a missed engineer appointment would see £30 given back to the customer.
“This proposal will act as a powerful motivator to ensure broadband and landline providers fix problems efficiently and keep their promises,” said Cable.co.uk consumer telecoms expert Dan Howdle.
He believed it would ensure that investment in prompt maintenance and customer support became a “preferable option” to letting customers down.
“Broadband and fixed line providers need to take responsibility for the costs incurred in both time and frustration to customers without vital services.
“This proposal means that taking a day off work to wait in for an engineer who doesn't show up, or being without this essential utility for extended periods comes at a cost to the provider.”