Broadband
Broadband Down? Automatic Compensation and How It Works
If your broadband or landline is not fixed within two full working days, an engineer misses an appointment, or a new connection starts late, most large providers pay compensation automatically. Report the problem; you do not need to claim.
- Report it: the clock starts
- Paid within 30 days of the fix
- Home broadband and landline only
Keeps the provider, the price and the contract end date on record.
A broadband fault
- Reported
- Reference kept
- Fixed after two working days?
- Compensation due
- Paid
- Within 30 days of the fix
Example. Your own details appear once you add them.
When the broadband goes down
Straight away
Report it
To your provider, keeping the reference, the date and the time.
After two full working days
Compensation starts
For each day until the fault is fixed, if your provider is in the scheme.
Within 30 days of the fix
Check it arrived
As a credit on your bill or a payment.
If it has not
Complain
To the provider first; after eight weeks, to its ombudsman or dispute scheme.
The full guide
If your broadband or landline stops working and is not fixed within two full working days, an engineer misses an appointment, or a new connection starts late, most large providers pay you compensation automatically. It comes from a scheme run by Ofcom, the regulator. You need to report the problem, but you do not need to claim.
When it applies
| What happened | What you get |
|---|---|
| A fault is not fixed after two full working days | An amount for each day until it is fixed |
| An engineer misses an appointment, or cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice | A set amount for each missed visit |
| A new service starts later than promised | An amount for each day of delay |
The amounts are set by the scheme and rise with inflation each April; Ofcom publishes the current figures.
Who is covered
Home customers of the providers that have joined the scheme, which include BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media; Ofcom lists them all. Business customers and mobile services are not covered. If your provider is not in the scheme, its own terms and complaints process apply.
What to do
- Report the fault to your provider straight away; the clock starts when it knows.
- Keep the reference, the date and the time.
- Check that the compensation reaches you within 30 days of the fault being fixed, as a credit or a payment.
- If it does not, complain to the provider. After eight weeks, or with a deadlock letter, you can go to its ombudsman or alternative dispute resolution scheme.
If it keeps happening
Your contract and your provider’s complaints process say what applies to repeated faults. Slow broadband: what to do covers the checks to make first.
How Wisemium helps
Add your broadband to Wisemium with its provider, price and contract end date, so they are to hand when you report a fault or decide to move. Wisemium does not report faults or claim compensation; your provider pays it under the scheme.
Keeps the provider, the price and the contract end date on record.
Common questions
Do I have to claim broadband compensation?
Not with a provider in Ofcom’s scheme. Report the fault; the compensation is paid automatically within 30 days of the fix.
How long before compensation starts for a fault?
When a fault is not fixed after two full working days from when you reported it.
Does it cover mobile signal?
No. The scheme covers home broadband and landline only.
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