Is my communications provider a member of Otelo?

Where does it say what Otelo may and may not do?

What kind of complaints are excluded from the Service?

Who can complain?

When is the right time to complain to Otelo?

How are complaints handled?

I have been offered "informal mediation" what does this mean?

How might things be put right?

Do I have to accept the Ombudsman's decision?

How long will it take for my complaint to be resolved?

Who else may be able to help me with a complaint?

What is the definition of a small business customer?

Why isn't my Company a member?

When will my Company become a member?

If a Company is a member of Otelo does this mean every division of that Company is included?

If Otelo is a free service why do you have a chargeable telephone number?

How much does it cost to call Otelo?

Can Otelo help me to make a complaint to my Company?

When are you next recruiting?

Do you have any publications in Braille?

What other languages are your publications available in?

I cannot read or write can you still help me?

What do you do with the information that I give you?

Is Otelo registered under the Data Protection Act 1998?

Will I be able to know what you are saying to my Company?

Can Otelo help me to choose the right telephone company?

Is my communications provider a member of Otelo?

Please check the Members Page on a regular basis as new companies are joining Otelo all the time.
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Where does it say what Otelo may and may not do?

This is set out in Otelo's Terms of Reference. This document is available to download on the Literature Request page of this site.
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What kind of complaints are excluded from the Service?

Otelo may not handle complaints involving:

• Products and services not bought or rented from our member companies
• Cable and wiring inside your premises
• Problems that we think would be better dealt by the courts, arbitration services or other complaints procedures
• Employment and personnel issues in member companies
  Vexatious or frivolous cases
• Commercial decisions made by members companies on whether to provide a product or service and the terms on which they are provided
• Disputes between communication providers

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Who can complain?

You can use the Service if you are a residential or small business customer. To make a complaint to Otelo you must be:

• A customer who has a contract with one of our member companies, or this customer's representative
• Someone who has taken steps to become a customer, or this person's representative
• Someone who uses the service or product being complained about, who has the customer's permission in writing to make a complaint.
  
  
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When is the right time to complain to Otelo?

Before you complain to Otelo you must have first complained to your company. This is to give them a fair chance to sort the problem out. If you are not happy with the way the company proposes to resolve the problem, you can then bring the complaint to Otelo. There are some rules about when we can accept a complaint:
You must have told your company about your problem within 12 months of first knowing about it
Your problem must have happened on or after the 1st January 2003 or from the date that your company became a member of Otelo, whichever is the latest.
Once you have complained to your company you can involve Otelo in two situations:
You are not making satisfactory progress: You must give your company up to three months to try to sort out the problem. If your complaint remains unresolved after this time, you can bring the complaint to Otelo.
You have received a deadlock letter from your company: If you get a letter from your company which say that they are no longer able to deal with your complaint, we call this a deadlock letter and you may bring the complaint to us within six months of receiving this letter.

The deadline for bring a complaint to our attention without a letter of deadlock is nine months from the date you first told the company about the problem.

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How are complaints handled?

Otelo is independent. It is our job to sort out complaints fairly and quickly.

We'll decide as soon as possible whether your complaint is within our terms of reference and whether we can deal with it. Then we'll let you know.

If we can accept your complaint, and you agree that we should do so, we'll ask the company that you are complaining about for information about what's happened so far.

How long it takes to come up with a solution depends on how complicated the complaint is, and how quickly we can get to the facts. To help us with this, you should send us all information about your case when you return the signed complaint form. We are happy to work with photocopies. During the investigation process you will only hear from us if we need additional information.

When a decision has been reached, we will write to you with our provisional conclusions and our reasons for making them. You may at this time give us further information about your complaint only if you feel that we have made a significant error in fact which would have a material effect on our decision, or you have significant new evidence will have a material effect on the decision. This information should be sent to us in writing and will be taken into consideration when the Ombudsman makes her final decision.

When this process is complete, we will send you a copy of the Ombudsman's final decision.
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I have been offered 'informal mediation' what does this mean?

We might try to find an informal solution that will bring the matter to a close quickly. If you and your company don't accept this, the Ombudsman will make a formal decision on the case. When a formal decision is made, the Ombudsman decides whether your complaint is justified and if your company has to do anything to put things right for you. In all cases we will write to you to let you know the decision.
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How might things be put right?

When the Ombudsman makes a decision which requires your company to do something to put things right for you, your company will abide by this decision. We may ask your company to offer you:
A product, service or some practical action that will benefit you
An apology or explanation
Up to £5000.00 including VAT.
The Ombudsman may also make a recommendation to your company that they change their policies or procedures. If, after investigation, we decide that your company is not at fault, we will clearly explain our reasons for this in writing.
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Do I have to accept the Ombudsman's decision?

No. It's up to you whether you are satisfied with it. If you accept the decision within two months, your company will do whatever the Ombudsman has said they should do, to make things right for you. If you don't accept the decision within two months: You lose the right to the solutions that the Ombudsman recommended. You will still have the right to take your complaint somewhere else to try to sort out the complaint in a way that suits you better
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How long will it take for my complaint to be resolved?

It may help you to know that at present it is taking approximately 12 weeks from when we receive your signed complaint form to when we issue a provisional conclusion. We will write to you when a decision has been reached and we will explain our reasons for making it. Please note that the cases that we investigate are often complex and involve considerable time and attention. During the investigation process you will only hear from us if we need additional information.
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Who else may be able to help me with a complaint?

Your local Citizens Advice is a good starting point. Visit our links page for further information about Citizens advice and other organisations that may be able to help.
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What is the definition of a small business customer?

A company which has ten or less employees and a bill with a communication company which is less than £5000.00 per year.

If you have more than ten employees and spend less than £5000 per year with your communication company, you may wish to "contact us"  to discuss your complaint in more detail .
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Why isn't my Company a member?

You will need to ask this question to your Company.
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When will my Company become a member?

Membership of Otelo is voluntary and it is for each company to decide to join us or not. They do however have to provide a way of resolving complaints for their customers in a way that is independent, free of charge and easy to use. If your company is not a member of Otelo and you are unclear as to how to take your complaint further you may wish to contact the regulator (OFCOM) for their advice.
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If a Company is a member of Otelo does this mean every division of that Company is included?

No. It is up to each company to say which of their products they want otelo to be able to deal with.
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If Otelo is a free service why do you have a chargeable telephone number?

We offer a free complaints investigation service. The enquiry line is charged at BT lo-call rates which are subject to your own company's pricing policy.
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How much does it cost to call Otelo?

You can call us on our 0845 number, calls are charged at BT lo-call rate. Calls to this number can vary in cost and you will need to ring your own company to check how much they will charge you. You can also call us on our Regional number which begins 01925. Calls to this number depend on how much your company charges for a phone-call to Warrington.
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Can Otelo help me to make a complaint to my Company?

We will be pleased to advise you how to complain and you may wish to look at the 'How to complain' page on the website. We cannot however, make a complaint for you.
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When are you next recruiting?

Keep checking the Job Opportunities section of the website and in local press.
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Do you have any publications in Braille?

A leaflet which outlines our basic role is available in Braille. Arrangements can be made for blind people and partially sighted people to have a copy of our other publications upon request.
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What other languages are your publications available in?

We currently produce a Welsh language and Gaelic version of our booklet 'Two sides to every story'. A leaflet which outlines our basic role is available in nine other languages. If any of our literature is not currently produced in a language that is required by an individual, we will cater for this need upon demand.
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I cannot read or write can you still help me?

Yes. We fill-in the complaint forms for everyone with a complaint that we can handle. We then send this out to you to sign. If you need help in signing the form we can refer you to organisations that can help you to do this.
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What do you do with the information that I give you?

We only take information that is required for us to look at your complaint. We will only use this information for the purpose of dealing with your complaint.
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Is Otelo registered under the Data Protection Act 1998?

Yes.
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Will I be able to know what you are saying to my Company?

We will keep you fully updated, where possible, on all correspondence.
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Can Otelo help me to choose the right telephone company?

No. You might want to look at the Topcomm website which is available in the links section. Topcomm is service designed for telecoms customers to make informed decisions on which supplier to use.