How to complain to your internet provider: Everything you need to know to get results

Reliable, affordable broadband is virtually a human right in modern society. We rely so much on the internet for daily life, work and entertainment that when the connection goes down things fall apart quickly.

Unfortunately, even the best broadband providers aren’t magicians. Technology can (and will) go wrong from time to time, and when that happens it’s time to approach your ISP (Internet Service Provider) through the appropriate channels to get your problems sorted. We’ll briefly discuss when it’s the right time to complain about your connection, and then go over the process for five of the best broadband providers in the UK so you can get a feel for how things work regardless of your current provider.

Obviously if your bill shoots up out of the blue, you should contact your ISP, though you may have reached the end of your minimum contract and if so, your provider will have sent you an email or letter in advance (you may have missed) warning of the increased charges. It’s always good practice to renew your contract a few months before it expires to avoid this scenario and take advantage of the latest deals – luckily some ISPs like Plusnet make this very simple.

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What to do before lodging a complaint

Modern broadband is more reliable than ever, and most people will likely only encounter a few hiccups in the grand scheme of things. Most of the time, any issues you’re encountering will resolve themselves, especially if they don’t just affect you. Knowing the difference between when it’s necessary to lodge a complaint or not, will save you the time and trouble of going through the complaints procedure when you could either have done nothing or resolved the issue yourself.

Before you get your ISP involved, here are a few quick things you can do to make sure you’re not lodging a ticket for no reason:

• Turn your router off, wait a few minutes, then turn it on again.
• Try the connection from other devices to make sure it’s your broadband and not your device at fault.
• Try moving closer to your Wi-Fi router.
• See if a direct Ethernet connection to the router helps.
• Request a connection reset from your ISP. This is sometimes possible through self-service, such as on your account dashboard.
• Check your ISP’s website or social media accounts as well as Downdetector (downdetector.co.uk) for known issues, outages or scheduled maintenance that you may have missed.
• Do a speed-test while directly connected to the router by Ethernet or close by over Wi-Fi, and check if your speeds are below the minimum guaranteed speeds outlined in your contract documents.

If you’ve done this basic due diligence and your slow or non-functional connection isn’t at least explained if not immediately resolved, it’s time to get in touch with your ISP. Here we’re looking at how the complaints process works for the five ISPs we think are the best.

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Zen Internet

Zen Internet offers a three-step process to file complaints. That doesn’t mean you need to go through all three steps, since your problem may be resolved at any of the phases.

In the first phase, you’ll head over to the Zen Internet contact page and look for the relevant department for your issue. If your line is giving you trouble, then technical support is the obvious port of call.

You can use the provided telephone number, or click the “Email Form” button to get in touch.
If you aren’t getting the help you need from this first line of support, then you can send an email to complaints@zen.co.uk or send snail mail to: Customer Complaints Team, Zen Internet, Sandbrook Park, OL11 1RY.

In the worst case scenario where your problem is unresolved eight weeks after lodging the complaint or you’re deadlocked with your ISP, you can resort to the third phase known as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

This is handled by CISAS, which is an Ofcom-certified independent adjudicator which can be reached at: CISAS, International Dispute Resolution Centre, 1 Paternoster Lane, St. Paul’s, London, EC4M 7BQ.

Read our full Zen Internet review

Hyperoptic

If you have issues with your Hyperoptic service, you can contact their customer service team at support@hyperoptic.com or call them on 0333 332 1111. You can also use their live chat facility on the Hyperoptic contact page.

Hyperoptic promises to try and resolve your issue within 48 working hours of the complaint. Like Zen Internet, if you aren’t happy with that resolution, you can escalate the complaint at complaints@hyperoptic.com and should get a response within 10 working days.

If that doesn’t resolve things, you’ll receive a “deadlock” letter after eight weeks or if Hyperoptic decides they can’t do anything further to help you. With that letter, you can get in touch with the Communications Ombudsman. You can contact the ombudsman by telephone on 0330 440 1614, by email at enquiry@commsombudsman.org or through its website, www.commsombudsman.org.

Read our full Hyperoptic broadband review

Three

As a mobile provider, the complaints process and the types of complaints you may have can be different from those of fibre broadband providers.

Knowing where to send your complaint is easy, all of the relevant information is listed on Three’s aptly-named How to Complain page. Here you’ll find the live chat button as well as numerous contact numbers and their postal address. Alternatively, you can use that same page to fill in an online complaint form.

If you have special needs, we like that Three has a special Accessibility page you can use to contact them.

As with other ISPs mentioned so far, you can go to the Communications Ombudsman if the normal complaint process didn’t resolve your issue. Three uses the same ombudsman as Hyperoptic, so the contact details in the above section apply.

Read our full Three broadband review

Plusnet

Plusnet offers three main ways to lodge a complaint. The company recommends calling 0800 432 0200, 8am-8pm on weekdays, to get the fastest response. If your issue isn’t time-sensitive, you can also use their online ticket system, but the turnaround for these can be as long as five working days. Finally, you can use snail mail by sending a letter to: Plusnet plc, The Balance, 2 Pinfold Street, Sheffield, S1 2GU.

If Plusnet can’t resolve your issue, then you should get in touch with the ombudsman via email on enquiry@ombudsman-services.org or by calling 0330 440 1614; with more contact info available at www.commsombudsman.org/how-we-can-help.

Read our full Plusnet broadband review