BT
Communications provider. Products & services: Broadband, Landline, Mobile.
Updated: 2 August 2026
Company Overview
- Industry
- Telecoms (broadband, landline, mobile, TV)
- Parent company
- BT Group plc
- Regulator
- Ofcom
- Ombudsman
- Communications Ombudsman
- Founded
- 1984 (incorporated 1 April 1984)
- Legal entity
- British Telecommunications Limited (company no. 01800000)
- 7Broadband complaints per 100,000 customers
What customers complain about
Customers complaining to BT most often raise faults and loss of service, billing and contract charges, and how complaints themselves are handled. Ofcom's quarterly data puts BT slightly above the industry average for broadband and landline complaints. BT's own process is to try to fix the issue immediately, then escalate on request through a final review, before issuing a 'deadlock' letter. Recent Ofcom enforcement has centred on a £17.5m fine for an emergency-999 call outage and a £2.8m fine (with £18m later refunded) for failing to give EE and Plusnet customers clear contract information. If BT cannot resolve a complaint within six weeks, or issues a deadlock letter, customers can take it free of charge to the Communications Ombudsman. Complaints about a product rented from BT instead go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Complaint categories
- 1Faults, loss of service and outages
Total loss of service, slow or dropped broadband and line faults are a recurring source of BT complaints, and major outages have drawn regulatory action.
Ofcom fined BT £17.5m over a 25 June 2023 emergency-call outage in which nearly 14,000 999 call attempts failed; a separate 24-25 July 2025 software fault on BT's EE network disrupted mobile calls including 999 access, which Ofcom is investigating. - 2Billing, pricing and contract transparency
Complaints about charges, price rises, early-exit fees and unclear contract terms feature prominently.
Ofcom fined BT £2.8m in May 2024 for failing to give more than 1.1 million EE and Plusnet customers the required clear contract information; BT subsequently refunded or credited £18m and donated £440,000 to charity. - 3Complaint handling and escalation
How BT handles and closes complaints - including reaching a 'deadlock' - is itself a common source of dissatisfaction, which is why the escalation route to the Communications Ombudsman matters.
Ofcom's quarterly report tracks complaint handling as a category, and BT's own Complaints Code of Practice sets out a four-stage escalation process ending in a deadlock letter.
Contact methods
Complaint journey
- 1
Contact BT and log the complaint
What happens
Complain via bt.com/complaints, call 0800 800 150, email consumer-resolutions@bt.com, or write to BT Limited, PO Box 334, Sheffield, S98 1BT. Give your account and phone number. BT aims to fix the issue straight away; email and letters can take up to ten working days for a reply.
- 2
Ask to escalate
What happens
If you are unhappy with the initial handling, you can ask BT to escalate the complaint at any time. BT asks that you give it a chance to sort things out first.
- 3
Request a final review
What happens
If BT's response still falls short, you can escalate a second time and BT will carry out a final complaint review.
- 4
Get a deadlock letter or wait six weeks
What happens
You can ask BT for a 'deadlock' letter when there is nothing more it can do. Once you hold a deadlock letter, or six weeks have passed since you first complained, you can take the case to the Communications Ombudsman. If BT closes your complaint but you still need help, contact BT again within 28 days.
- 5
Escalate to the Communications Ombudsman
What happens
Refer the dispute free of charge to the Communications Ombudsman (0330 440 1614; PO Box 730, Warrington, WA4 6WU). Its decision is binding on BT. Complaints about a product rented from BT go to the Financial Ombudsman Service instead.
Response times
BT says it aims to fix issues straight away. If you complain by email or letter, BT states it may take up to ten working days to reply. BT does not publish a single fixed final-response deadline; instead it works through a four-stage process and issues a 'deadlock' letter when it can do no more. You become eligible to take an unresolved complaint to the Communications Ombudsman six weeks after first complaining - reduced from eight weeks on 8 April 2026 - or sooner if BT issues a deadlock letter. If BT closes a complaint, you have 28 days to reopen it before you need to start again.
If your complaint isn’t resolved
If BT can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:
Recent news
- 29 April 2026
Ofcom opened an investigation into whether BT (via EE and Plusnet) gave complete and accurate information in response to statutory notices used for Ofcom's 2025 customer-service research, a possible breach of section 137A of the Communications Act 2003.
Read more - 16 December 2025
Ofcom opened an investigation into a 24-25 July 2025 software fault on BT's EE mobile network that stopped customers connecting calls, including to 999, examining whether BT took appropriate steps to manage network risks.
Read more - 29 July 2025
Following Ofcom enforcement over contract-information failings, BT refunded or credited £18m to affected customers and donated £440,000 to 17 charities where refunds were not possible.
Read more - 22 July 2024
Ofcom fined BT £17.5m for being ill-prepared for a 25 June 2023 emergency-call outage in which nearly 14,000 999 call attempts from 12,392 callers failed over about ten and a half hours.
Read more
Earlier cases
- 2 May 2024
Historic: Ofcom fined BT £2.8m for failing to give more than 1.1 million EE and Plusnet customers clear and simple contract information before they signed up, breaching Ofcom's rules. BT paid the penalty on 14 June 2024.
Read more
Know your rights
- Consumer Rights Act 2015
BT's broadband, landline, mobile and TV are services that must be supplied with reasonable care and skill; if the service is not as described or performed inadequately you can seek a repeat performance or a price reduction. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Communications Act 2003 and Ofcom General Conditions
Ofcom's General Conditions require BT to operate a complaints code of practice, offer ADR through the Communications Ombudsman, and run an automatic compensation scheme for certain service failures. Ofcom enforces these rules but does not settle individual complaints.
Frequently asked questions
How do I complain to BT?
Use bt.com/complaints, call 0800 800 150 (textphone 18001 0800 800 150), email consumer-resolutions@bt.com, or write to Customer Service Manager, BT Limited, PO Box 334, Sheffield, S98 1BT. Always quote your account number and the phone number linked to your service.
How long does BT take to respond to a complaint?
BT aims to fix issues immediately; if you email or write, it may take up to ten working days to reply. There is no single fixed final-response deadline - BT works through its stages until it resolves the issue or issues a deadlock letter.
When can I go to the ombudsman about BT?
You can contact the Communications Ombudsman once BT issues a deadlock letter, or six weeks after you first complained (reduced from eight weeks on 8 April 2026). It is free and its decision is binding on BT.
Which ombudsman covers BT?
BT is a member of the Communications Ombudsman scheme (0330 440 1614; PO Box 730, Warrington, WA4 6WU). The exception is a product you rented from BT, which goes to the Financial Ombudsman Service instead.
Can I get compensation from BT automatically?
Yes, for qualifying failures. BT's Automatic Compensation scheme (bt.com/compensation) credits your account without a claim for late installations, total loss of service lasting more than two working days, or missed engineer appointments. It does not apply to business customers.
Is BT the same as Openreach?
No. You complain to British Telecommunications Limited, the retail provider. Openreach is a legally separate BT Group subsidiary that runs the physical network used by BT and other providers, so a line fault may involve an Openreach engineer even though BT owns your complaint.
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