June 10, 2019

Ofcom says that it has developed the commitments to strengthen how companies treat their customers. They aim to help ensure people are always treated fairly by their provider, whether they are signing up to a new deal, trying to fix a problem or switching to a new company.

All of the UK’s biggest providers have signed up to the commitments including: BT; EE; Giffgaff; O2; Plusnet; Post Office; Sky; TalkTalk; Tesco Mobile; Three; Virgin Media and Vodafone. This covers the vast majority of broadband, mobile, pay-TV and home phone customers.

The commitments include:

• customers will get a fair deal, which is right for their needs;
• customers will get the support they need when their circumstances make them vulnerable;
• customers will be supported to make well-informed decisions with clear information about their options before, during, and at the end of their contract;
• customers’ services will work as promised, reliably over time. If things go wrong providers will give a prompt response to fix problems and take appropriate action to help their customers, which may include providing compensation where relevant;
• customers can sign up to, change and leave their services quickly and smoothly; and
• customers can be confident that fair treatment is a central part of their provider’s culture.

Ofcom says that it will publish a progress report next year, reviewing whether companies are delivering what they have promised. To read Ofcom’s news release in full, click here.