They said this… · Telecoms & broadband

“You agreed to it on the phone”

Misleading without context

A verbal consent record can be important evidence, but the provider still needs to establish what you agreed to and that the required pre-contract information was supplied before consent.

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Why this answer

What actually matters

  • Ask for the contract summary and detailed information for the transaction.
  • Ask for the call/consent event, not just an account-note conclusion.
  • Separate formation, misrepresentation and cancellation rights.

Important nuance

When the statement may have a point

  • If the provider can show that the required written pre-contract information was supplied first and a clear recording or consent event then captures agreement to the disputed term, that can be strong evidence that the contract was formed as it says.
  • A later change of mind is normally a cancellation question, not proof that the original consent was invalid.

What you could say

Keep the response tied to the actual rule.

Evidence

What to have beside you

  • Contract/order summary and price information
  • Bills and payment history
  • Fault reports, outage records and engineer visits
  • Complaint start date, final response/deadlock and ADR scheme details

If they still refuse

Move the dispute forward.

  1. Use the provider’s formal complaint route and preserve the complaint start date.
  2. Telecom ADR can normally become available after deadlock or once the applicable waiting period has elapsed.
  3. Ofcom is the sector regulator but is not normally the body that awards individual redress.

Read the full rules

Go deeper before escalating.

Primary guideRead the detailed ConsumerWise guidance.Telecom complaintsRead the full guide.Billing disputesRead the full guide.Deadlock & ADRRead the full guide.