Ofcom has fined Three UK £250,000 for failing to comply with its rules on handling customer complaints. It follows an investigation that began last year.
The communications regulator found Three had closed some complaints without ensuring they were fully resolved and had failed to log other customer calls as complaints. As a result, Three hadn’t made these customers aware of their right to independent dispute resolution.
In a statement, Ofcom noted that Three had cooperated with its investigation and has taken steps to ensure it is now compliant with Ofcom’s complaints handling obligations.
Claudio Pollack, Ofcom's Consumer and Content Group Director, said “When things go wrong, customers are not only entitled to complain to their provider, but must have confidence that their complaint will be dealt with fairly. That's why we impose strict rules on providers on how they must handle complaints. We treat any failure to follow these rules very seriously. The fine imposed on Three takes account of the shortcomings in its complaints handling, but reflects that the harm to consumers in this case was limited. The company fully co-operated with our investigation and has now taken steps to ensure it’s compliant with the rules on complaints handling.”
[Ofcom Code of Practice for complaints handling (pdf)]