Communicator regulator Ofcom has today announced measures to stop mis-selling of mobile phone contracts after a previous voluntary code failed to lead to a significant reduction in complaints.  Mobile phone providers who breach the rules could be fined up to 10 per cent of their relevant turnover.

Ofcom revealed that some examples of mis-selling complaints were;

• Consumers finding themselves signed up to a more expensive tariff than agreed at point of sale.
• Consumers unwittingly entering into a new longer contract after upgrading their previous 12 month.
• Signing up to a service after being told that the coverage in their area is good only to find they have little or no reception.

So what you can do if you feel you have been mis-sold?

First complain directly to the mobile service provider that sold you the service.

Follow the mobile phone service provider’s complaints procedure.

If your dispute is still unresolved, and you are a residential or small business customer, you can raise the matter with the relevant Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

If the mis-selling was performed by a retailer/reseller and you have been unable to resolve the issue with them, you may wish to contact Consumer Direct to see if they can advise or assist you.

Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and it provides information and advice on certain consumer issues.

Telephone 0845 4040506  www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.

If you are a business customer of over 10 employees then you will need to seek your own independent legal advice.

More information on this and further examples of mis-selling can be found here Click here for more FAQs on mobile mis-selling

Source Ofcom