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We always do our best to meet the needs of businesses, consumers, viewers and listeners.

But sometimes things can go wrong - or we can fall short of our own high standards.

If this happens we have procedures to handle your complaints.

Please follow the guidelines below depending on the nature of your complaint.

• Handling of Standards Complaints and Cases
• Handling of Fairness and Privacy Complaints
• Procedure for statutory sanctions in content cases
• Guidelines for the handling of competition complaints, and complaints and disputes about breaches of conditions imposed under the EU Directives

Ofcom consultations

If you have a complaint about our consultation process, please read our guidelines on Ofcom consultations.

These include details of how to complain to our Consultation Champion.

The Consultation Champion can only investigate complaints about how Ofcom has managed a particular consultation - for example, whether we have allowed enough time for people to respond.

They cannot investigate the substance of policy proposals. If you have a concern about specific Ofcom proposals, please contact the policy team directly.

Complaint Escalations

There is a two stage process if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been handled, or with the response that you have been given.

In the first instance, please contact the person or team that you normally deal with and discuss your concerns directly with them. They will often be in the best position to understand your situation and give you an explanation as to what has happened.

If this does not resolve your concerns, please contact the office of the Secretary to the Corporation Graham Howell (graham.howell@ofcom.org.uk) who will refer your complaint to a senior manager to review your case and respond to you as quickly as possible.

We will treat your complaint in confidence and will investigate it carefully as quickly as possible.

Every effort will be made to send a full and clear reply within 20 working days of your complaint being received. If we cannot investigate your complaint fully within that time, we will let you know and keep you informed of progress.

Should you remain dissatisfied with the response you have been given you can raise a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman via your Member of Parliament. 

Enforcement

Ofcom's powers of enforcement are necessary to protect legitimate radio users of radiocommunications spectrum from unlicensed transmissions or undue interference. In exercising these powers, Ofcom has committed itself to abiding by the provisions and standards of the Enforcement Concordat.

This Concordat was drawn up by the Cabinet Office to provide guidance to central and local government when carrying out enforcement work. It requires us, as an enforcement body, to:

• have clear standards setting out the level of service and performance the public and business can expect to receive;
• provide clear information and advice on the rules that apply, and be open about how we do our work;
• provide a helpful service with a well-publicised and effective complaints procedure;
• minimise the costs of compliance for business by ensuring that any action we require is proportionate to the risks; and
• carry out our duties in a fair, equitable and consistent manner.

Accordingly, we undertake that advice from our staff in relation to enforcement will:

• be expressed clearly and simply;
• be confirmed in writing, on request, explaining why any remedial work is necessary and by when; and
• clearly distinguish legal requirements from advice on best practice.

Before we take formal enforcement action, we will, if possible, give you an opportunity to discuss the circumstances of the case and resolve points of difference. This may not be possible, however, if immediate action is necessary (for example, in the interests of health and safety or environmental protection, or to prevent evidence being destroyed).

Where immediate action is considered necessary, we will give you an explanation at the time. This will be confirmed in writing, in most cases within 5 working days and in all cases within 10 working days.

If you have a right of appeal against formal action, advice on the appeal mechanism will be clearly set out in writing at the time the action is taken and, wherever possible, issued with the enforcement notice.

Copies of the Enforcement Concordat may be obtained from:

Better Regulation Unit
Cabinet Office
Horse Guards Road
London
SW1P 2AL

Tel: 020 7270 6928
Fax: 020 7270 6402

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