They said this… · Telecoms & broadband

“We sent the terms after the call, so that is enough”

Generally incorrect

For residential telecom contracts, Ofcom’s rules require the contract summary before consent and the detailed contract information before the customer is bound; sending everything only after agreement does not normally answer that requirement.

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Why this answer

What actually matters

  • Ask exactly what was supplied before consent.
  • Check the timestamp of summary dispatch and consent.
  • Distinguish the later order confirmation from pre-contract information.

Important nuance

When the statement may have a point

  • The provider may have supplied the required summary during the call by email, text/link or another written method, with the later order confirmation merely repeating it. Check the actual timestamps before assuming everything arrived afterwards.
  • The modern Ofcom contract-summary rules apply from June 2022; older transactions need to be assessed under the rules that applied at the time.

What you could say

Keep the response tied to the actual rule.

Evidence

What to have beside you

  • Contract/order summary and price information
  • Bills and payment history
  • Fault reports, outage records and engineer visits
  • Complaint start date, final response/deadlock and ADR scheme details

If they still refuse

Move the dispute forward.

  1. Use the provider’s formal complaint route and preserve the complaint start date.
  2. Telecom ADR can normally become available after deadlock or once the applicable waiting period has elapsed.
  3. Ofcom is the sector regulator but is not normally the body that awards individual redress.

Read the full rules

Go deeper before escalating.

Primary guideRead the detailed ConsumerWise guidance.Telecom complaintsRead the full guide.Billing disputesRead the full guide.Deadlock & ADRRead the full guide.