Treat a telecom problem as an evidence exercise: decide whether the fault is the provider’s network/service, provider-supplied equipment, your own device/Wi-Fi, or the switching/contract administration. Then preserve dates, measurements and ticket numbers before asking for the remedy.

12-hour outage compensation

ACM ConsuWijzer says that when an internet or telephone outage is not caused by your own equipment and lasts longer than 12 hours, you are entitled to compensation linked to the outage duration and your subscription price. For an outage between 12 and 24 hours, the compensation is equivalent to one day’s subscription cost; longer outages produce additional compensation under the statutory formula.

Keep the outage start/end time and provider incident number. A weak Wi-Fi signal caused by your own setup is not the same thing as a provider outage.

Service repeatedly fails or is much worse than agreed

  1. Report promptly and ask for a ticket number.
  2. Give a clear description: dates, affected service, wired speed tests, screenshots, calls dropped or TV errors.
  3. Allow the provider a reasonable chance to investigate/fix the fault.
  4. If the problem remains serious and persistent, send a written final complaint with a reasonable deadline.
  5. If the provider still cannot provide the agreed service, termination (ontbinding) may be possible; the seriousness and evidence matter.

Do not refuse reasonable diagnostics or technician access and then expect it to be easy to prove the provider is at fault.

Mobile coverage complaints

Poor mobile reception has many possible causes and does not automatically establish provider breach. Compare the actual contractual/advertised coverage with documented real use at the relevant location. ACM says that if the provider fails to deliver what was agreed and cannot solve the problem in a reasonable period, the consumer can ultimately terminate.

Switching or number-porting failure

Contact the new provider first for a failed port/switch and keep both providers’ reference numbers. Mobile/fixed number portability is a regulated right and the provider may not charge a porting fee. For fixed switches, the planned service interruption is generally limited to one working day where an interruption is technically unavoidable.

Escalation route

  • 1. Provider: use its formal complaint process and ask for a written final position.
  • 2. ACM ConsuWijzer: official consumer-information and reporting route. ACM can use reports for supervision but is not your personal claims tribunal.
  • 3. De Geschillencommissie: the Telecommunicatiediensten committee can handle eligible disputes concerning internet, telephone, digital TV, network operation, disconnection, service and bills. Check provider participation and current procedural rules first. Disputes above €5,000 financial interest require both parties’ consent under the current committee information.
  • 4. Court/legal help: for disputes outside the committee route or where another remedy is needed, use the Legal & Rights guide.

Keep a telecom evidence pack

  • Order confirmation and contract summary.
  • Promised activation/port date.
  • Bills and promotional terms.
  • Speed measurements and whether they were wired/Wi-Fi.
  • Outage dates and incident numbers.
  • Provider chats/emails and technician reports.
  • Equipment serial numbers and return receipt.
  • Cancellation/switch confirmation.