Faults compared
What has actually gone wrong, and what to do about each.
Photo from a free stock library — illustration only.A setting
Most reported complaints close here, usually within the first two adjustments.
- Wi-Fi Calling off
- 4G Calling off after the 3G withdrawals
- Stale connection to a distant mast
- Pending updates
The network
Mast maintenance, a local fault, or congestion at peak hours.
- Affects a whole area
- Shows on the status page
- No handset adjustment helps
Work down six adjustments first, then check the status page with your postcode. Buying a new handset to solve a settings problem is the most common expensive mistake in this subject.
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Immediate, and sometimes resolves simple issues on the spot.
- Fast for straightforward problems
- Leaves no file
- Nothing to escalate with
Writing
App transcript, email or letter with dates, facts and the outcome sought.
- Creates a reference
- Reviewable by an ombudsman
- Slower to start
Write, and keep the reference. A dated file is what wins a goodwill credit; persistence on the phone is not.
The six adjustments, in order
Reading the symptom
Claiming for an outage
Log dates, times, postcode and what failed for a fortnight, report in writing once service returns with the log attached, and ask specifically what goodwill applies to the recorded period.
Sustained or repeated loss of service is where credits get agreed. Refused after a fair log, eight weeks unresolved or a deadlock letter opens free escalation to the Communications Ombudsman.