Unhappy with your broadband service? Broadband Genie advises to look into options for complaining

July 14, 2008 - PRLog -- The changes announced by Ofcom are important as customers will have more options when it comes to clearing up any frustrating grievances they are having with their internet connection. Whether you’re well experienced in handling service issues with your broadband provider or you’ve never complained before, the changes will affect how you go about things.  


When you submit a complaint to Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/internet/) it previously took an average of around twelve weeks before anyone even read the complaint. The good news is that this investigation time has been cut down to an average of eight weeks. The even better news is that there are two alternative methods.


Currently thousands of complaints every week are submitted to Ofcom regarding telecom issues. This means that inevitably a backlog builds up and a resolution could take months. That’s not what you want to hear if you have a troublesome broadband connection, is it?


When Ofcom’s new procedure kicks in service providers will have to write to the customer who has made a complaint offering the services of an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme (ADR). ISPs will now be forced to make customers aware of two independent adjudicators; Otelo, the Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman (www.otelo.org.uk) and CISAS, the Communications & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (www.cisas.org.uk). These two independent bodies can step in to help resolve disputes as an alternative to Ofcom.


Ciaron Dunne from Broadband Genie explains: “Otelo and CISAS have always been there sitting quietly in the background waiting to investigate your complaints but ISPs have never been forced to advertise their services so readily before. Although the time period that it takes for Ofcom to investigate and hopefully resolve telecommunication complaints has been reduced, over eight weeks is a long time to wait if you don’t have a reliable broadband service.


“We advise broadband customers to consider all options when looking to resolve their connection issues and to be aware that there are alternatives to Ofcom if time is an issue.”

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Broadband Genie allows users to compare mobile broadband online, and is part of Genie Group.


Genie Group Ltd is a leading independent provider of internet comparison shopping services in the UK, and was set up in 2004 by Philip Wilkinson (co-founder of Kelkoo UK). Genie Group's unique selling point is 'the Genie', which makes personal recommendations to internet shoppers based on ground-breaking, intelligent technology. This gives Genie Group the ability to provide an enjoyable and satisfying internet shopping experience, and deliver an unmatched quality of sales leads to our affiliate merchants. Genie Group launched its flagship broadband comparison service Broadband Genie in January 2005.


More information can be found at http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk . Please direct all media enquiries to Ciaron Dunne. Interviews with Philip Wilkinson can be arranged on request.