Switching
Compensation, without the folklore
There is a scheme. There are amounts. There are also a dozen forum posts that invent extra zeros. Here is the adult version.
13 min read · Switching
When an engineer does not come, British conversation reaches for two numbers: nothing, and a thousand pounds. Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme lives in the unglamorous middle. It is real. It is modest. It is not a personality test, and it is not administered by a comparison site with a calculator widget that happens to look official.
What it is for
- Delayed activation of a new qualifying service after the agreed date.
- A missed engineer appointment (including one cancelled at short notice by the provider).
- Delayed repair after a loss of service, once the clock in the scheme has started.
Keep a simple log: the agreed date, who cancelled, whether you were in, the fault reference. If payment does not arrive, that log is the complaint. If you were on holiday and the engineer stood in the rain, it is not.
Compensation is a backstop for process failure. It is not a refund of the year you wish you had not bought.
The log is the claim
Automatic does not mean magical. If the provider’s system never recorded the missed slot, nothing automatic will fire. A note on your phone — date, window, who cancelled, whether you were in — is the difference between a credit and a shrug. Screenshot the appointment text. Keep the fault reference. This is boring on purpose.
| Usually in | Usually out |
|---|---|
| Delayed start after an agreed date | You were not home and they could not work |
| Missed engineer visit / late cancel by them | You moved the slot at the last minute |
| Delayed repair of a loss of service | A slow Wi-Fi evening you have not faulted |
If they do not pay
Questions searchers actually ask
Sources
- Ofcom automatic compensation scheme
- Communications Ombudsman
Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.
Continue in this issue
Switching
13 min read · Switching
Switching
Engineer day
Somebody is coming to your house with a van. The job is smaller than a kitchen fit-out and larger than a parcel. Preparation is mostly being in.
Switching
16 min read · Switching
Switching
Inside a One Touch Switch
You do not cancel first. You choose a new provider. They run the switch. The rest is messages, dates and the things that still sit outside the rules.
Policy
13 min read · Policy
Policy
Complain like an adult
A good complaint is a dated story with a desired outcome. A bad complaint is a novel without a request.
Practical guides