Complain about phone, internet and TV

There are rules that telecommunication providers must follow to treat you fairly before, during, and after you sign up to a service. Telecommunications services include phone, internet and TV.

If things go wrong, first complain directly to the service provider. If you are not satisfied with their response, you can complain to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).

ComReg is a statutory body that regulates the electronic communications sector (ECS) and the postal sector in Ireland. ECS includes telecommunications, radio communications, broadcasting transmission and premium rate services.

If you are not happy with the service you are getting, first contact your service provider to complain. It is important to act quickly as there can be very tight timeframes within which complaints can be made.

You should follow the complaint process set out in the provider's Code of Practice - see ‘How your complaint will be dealt with’ below.

It is a good idea to keep notes of:

• What happened, including dates and times of conversations
• The name of the person you spoke to
• What was agreed

Make a formal complaint

If you are unable to resolve the problem informally or you are not happy with the response you get, you should make a formal complaint in writing (for example by letter or email).

Check your bill or the customer care section of the website for contact details and information about how complaints are dealt with. You can get more advice about how to make a complaint.

ECS service providers must have a code of practice for handling complaints. It must be available on the home page of their website and it must be easy to find.

Providers must have:

• A freephone number, landline, mobile number or a number that is free to all consumers
• An electronic way to contact them, for example an email address or an online complaint form
• A postal address you can write to

Under the Code providers must:

• Only transfer you to another section if the call will cost no more than the cost of a call to a landline number or mobile number
• Acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and include a link to the code of practice
• Give you a unique reference number for your complaint
• Respond or resolve your complaint within 10 working days
• Tell you the timeframe it will be resolved by, if it’s not possible to meet the 10-day deadline
• Give you information on how you can escalate the complaint
• Have a process in place to record and track your complaint
• Give you details about how you can get a refund (if applicable)

If the problem is not resolved, or you are not happy with the response from the provider, you can contact ComReg’s Consumer Care team for more advice.

The Consumer Care Team can help you with queries about service or contract issues. If needed, they may be able to escalate the complaint for you to your service provider.

There is no charge for making a complaint to ComReg.

ComReg’s complaint handling service

ComReg can only help with your complaint after you have gone through the normal complaints handling process with your service provider.

There are time limits on when you can make a complaint to ComReg:

• Telecommunications issues: complain within 9 months of your problem happening
• Premium rate services: complain within 3 months of your problem happening

ComReg will need:

• Your contact details
• The account name and account number (if applicable)
• Details of the complaint, including the complaint reference number
• Details of previous dealings with the service provider
• A clear statement of how you want the problem to be fixed

Tell ComReg if there are any details you don’t want them to send to the service provider.

ComReg investigation

Once ComReg receives your complaint, it will review the issue. It will

• Tell you of the service provider’s obligations and your rights
• Escalate your complaint on your behalf to the service provider
• Give you a realistic idea of the likely outcome

If ComReg refers your complaint to your service provider, the service provider will contact you directly to resolve the complaint.

ComReg will monitor your complaint and follow up with the service provider if they don’t contact you.

When the complaint has been resolved, the service provider will send a response to you and to ComReg. ComReg will examine the final response to make sure all your issues have been dealt with.

Formal dispute resolution

If you have raised a complaint with ComReg and the service provider has not resolved it within 40 working days, you may be able to use ComReg’s formal dispute resolution procedures.

You can apply to ComReg to adjudicate on your complaint for a fee of €15.

ComReg has more information about queries and complaints.

ComReg has more information on complaining about broadband, home phone, mobile phone, premium rate services and postal services (pdf).

You can read about the regulation of phone, internet and TV.

You can also find out about phone contracts and internet contracts.