Making a complaint and using ADR schemes

Communications providers offering services to people, small businesses (up to 10 employees) and not-for-profit organisations (where up to 10 individuals work, not including volunteers) must be members of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

Ofcom currently approves two ADR schemes: the Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) and Communications Ombudsman. (Ombudsman Services changed its name to Communications Ombudsman in July 2023. If you have already raised a complaint with Ombudsman Services, you do not need to submit it again.)

ADR schemes are independent bodies that carry out an impartial assessment on complaints between a customer and a provider, and reach a decision based on the information submitted by both parties. ADR schemes are free to use.

You can take your complaint to an ADR scheme if:

• you have already raised it with your communications provider and it is still unresolved; and
• it has been at least eight weeks since you made the initial complaint to your provider or you’ve been unable to reach an agreement with them and you have received a deadlock letter.

Which scheme does my provider belong to?

Use our ADR checker to see which provider belongs to which ADR scheme. If your provider is not on this list, you can check with the ADR schemes to find out which scheme your provider belongs to: Communications Ombudsman and CISAS: