What are the new mobile complaint rules?
Since 8 April 2026, new mobile complaint rules from Ofcom mean you no longer have to wait eight weeks before taking an unresolved complaint to an independent ombudsman. The wait is now six weeks. If your network hasn’t sorted your complaint by then, you’re free to escalate it to alternative dispute resolution, known as ADR, rather than staying stuck going back and forth with the same customer service team.
The change applies to complaints raised on or after 8 April 2026, so it isn’t backdated to anything older. It covers mobile, broadband and landline providers alike, and applies to consumers, small businesses and small not for profits.
If you’ve never needed to escalate a telecoms complaint before, this might have passed you by entirely, and that’s exactly why it’s worth flagging. The mobile complaint rules only help you if you actually know they exist the day you need them, not months later when you stumble across them while looking for something else.
Why did Ofcom change the mobile complaint rules?
Because eight weeks is a long time to be stuck waiting on a network that isn’t fixing your problem. Ofcom’s reasoning is straightforward: a shorter wait gives providers a stronger incentive to sort complaints properly and quickly, rather than letting them drift, since customers now have a nearer exit if nothing improves.
It’s part of a wider pattern of Ofcom tightening how telecoms providers handle complaints, alongside separate rules on switching and mid contract price rises. None of these changes ban a provider from getting things wrong. What they do is shrink how long you can be left waiting once it does. Ofcom’s own announcement frames it as giving providers a stronger incentive to sort problems out themselves, rather than relying on customers simply running out of patience first.
Mobile complaint rules: what actually changed
- Wait time before ADR eligibility cut from 8 weeks to 6 weeks.
- Applies to complaints made on or after 8 April 2026.
- Covers mobile, broadband and landline providers.
- Applies to consumers, small businesses and small not for profits.
- ADR itself is free to use and independent of your provider.
How do I actually use ADR for a mobile complaint?
First, complain directly to your network and get it on record, ideally in writing or through their app so there’s a timestamp. If six weeks pass with no resolution, or your provider issues a deadlock letter sooner saying they consider the matter closed, you can take the complaint to whichever ADR scheme your network belongs to.
Every provider is signed up to one of two schemes, and they’re required to tell you which one if you ask or if they issue a deadlock letter. ADR decisions are free for you and binding on the provider if you accept them, though you’re not obliged to accept an outcome you’re not happy with.
Keep a simple written trail as you go: dates you called or messaged, names of who you spoke to, and what was promised each time. ADR schemes work from what actually happened, not from a general sense that a network has been unhelpful, so a few dated notes on your phone are worth far more at that stage than a strong memory of being annoyed.
If your actual issue is a mid contract price rise rather than a service complaint, our guide on mid contract price rises covers your rights there specifically, since that’s a slightly different process to a standard service complaint. And if the real problem is that you just want out of a contract that isn’t working for you, our one touch switch guide explains how switching itself works, separately from any complaint you might also be raising.
Does this mean my mobile complaint gets resolved faster?
Not automatically. The mobile complaint rules shorten how long you have to wait before you’re allowed to escalate, not how quickly your provider has to actually fix the underlying problem. Some complaints still get sorted well within six weeks, and some networks will still drag their feet right up to the new limit.
What’s changed is how much room a provider has to stall. Knowing you can walk to an independent ombudsman two weeks sooner than before is a genuine, real deadline you can mention to a provider that’s dragging its feet, and it’s one more reason not to just give up and let a complaint quietly die.
It’s also worth saying what the mobile complaint rules don’t do. They don’t force a provider to give you a specific refund or outcome, and they don’t skip the step of complaining directly first. ADR is a backstop for when the normal process has genuinely stalled, not a shortcut around it.
Frequently asked questions about the mobile complaint rules
- When did the new mobile complaint rules start?
- 8 April 2026, and they apply to complaints made on or after that date.
- Do the mobile complaint rules cost anything to use?
- No. Alternative dispute resolution schemes are free for consumers and small businesses to use.
- Does the six week rule apply to broadband too?
- Yes, the same change covers broadband and landline complaints as well as mobile.
- What happens if my provider sends a deadlock letter before six weeks?
- You can go to ADR straight away once you have a deadlock letter, without waiting out the full six weeks.
- Is the ombudsman’s decision final?
- It’s binding on the provider if you accept it, but you’re not required to accept a decision you disagree with.
- Do I need to complain in writing for the mobile complaint rules to apply?
- It’s not always mandatory, but a written complaint through email or an app message gives you a clear timestamp, which makes the six week clock much easier to prove if you need to escalate.
The mobile complaint rules won’t fix a bad connection or a billing error on their own, but they do mean nobody has to sit on an unresolved complaint for two months before getting an independent second opinion.
