Complaining about broadband, landline or mobile
Which Ofcom ADR scheme covers your provider, how long you have to wait before you can escalate, and the law that applies. Checked against Ofcom.
The short answer
- You can escalate after
- 6 weeks from your first complaint
- Or sooner, if
- they send you a deadlock letter — a final response saying they will do no more. That removes the waiting period completely.
- Who decides it
- CISAS or Communications Ombudsman
- Deadline
- within 12 months of the deadlock letter
Which scheme covers your provider
These two are not interchangeable. Sending your complaint to the wrong one wastes the weeks you have just spent waiting, so check the list.
CISAS
- now
- now broadband
- now tv
- o2
- sky
- smarty
- talktalk
- three
- virgin media
- vodafone
- voxi
Communications Ombudsman
- bt
- ee
- giffgaff
- id mobile
- lebara
- plusnet
- tesco mobile
- utility warehouse
- lyca mobile
Not on either list? This provider is not on either of Ofcom’s published lists, so Pester will not guess which scheme it belongs to. Ofcom’s own instruction is to ask the two schemes which one covers your provider. Naming the wrong one wastes your six weeks. Check here.
The law on your side
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.49 (service to be performed with reasonable care and skill)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.50 (information about the trader or service to be binding)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.52 (service to be performed within a reasonable time)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.54 (consumer’s rights to enforce terms about services)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.56 (right to price reduction)
- Ofcom General Conditions of Entitlement (condition C4, complaints handling) and its approved complaints code
Checked against the source on 16 September 2026. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
What to do first
Complain to the company in writing, and make it a formal complaint in those words — that is what starts the clock. Say what happened with dates, what you want, and give them 14 days. Keep every reply.
If they go quiet or fob you off, the clock above is what you are counting down.
Or have it written for you
Pester writes the complaint citing the right law, and drafting one is free — copy it and send it yourself. For £9 it sends it in your name, chases every three working days, and builds the ombudsman pack when they stall.
Draft my complaint free