If your phone lines or internet service are not provided on the appointed day, or if there is a delay of more than a few days in repairing a fault, then it is likely that you will be entitled to compensation from your telecommunications service provider.
The compensation is usually available indirectly from BT Openreach who are the underlying provider for most services that are associated with your local telephone exchange.
BT Openreach are responsible for the telephone cables from the exchange to your premises and for terminating these on the telephone and broadband equipment in the exchange. The equipment in the exchange is owned and operated by companies such as BT Wholesale, TalkTalk, Sky and Cable & Wireless who will in turn have contracts with BT Openreach and your service provider.
Despite this apparent complexity your telecommunications service provider has clearly defined access to a compensation process that is set down by the telecommunications regulator Ofcom.
For example, if there is a delay in providing a phone line after you have been given an appointment date there is a compensation entitlement from BT Openreach of 1 months service charge for each day of delay. This should be paid automatically to your service provider.
For example, if there is a 20 x day delay in the provision of a phone line that has a line rental of £15 per month then you would be entitled to compensation of £300.
Premitel recently assisted a customer who suffered a delay of 47 days on the installation of an ISDN2 line which has a rental of £31 per month. The customer received compensation of £1,457 plus additional compensation for lost business, additional costs and inconvenience.
However, some service providers are not as scrupulous as others in passing on compensation received from BT Openreach and other underlying providers. We have heard of situations where a service provider has not advised a customer that they are entitled to compensation and have not passed this on to the customer when it has been received automatically from BT Openreach.
It is also known that some service providers retain part of the compensation received as a handling fee for processing the complaint. Service providers can do this because the underlying provider’s contract (ie BT Openreach) is with the service provider rather than the end-user.
It is important therefore that customers are aware of Ofcom compensation regulations and BT Openreach’s compensation policies and that they choose a reputable telecommunications service provider.
Please get in touch using our Contact Form if you are a business and you would like Premitel to assist with a compensation claim against your telecommunications service provider.
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