What are my rights if my broadband is slower than I was sold?

Three different speeds get confused here: the advertised speed, which is a marketing figure achievable by a proportion of customers; the estimated range given at sale; and the minimum guaranteed speed, which is the only one with a remedy attached. Providers signed up to Ofcom's voluntary broadband speed code commit to that minimum and to an exit right if they cannot meet it.

What you'll need

• Your contract or order confirmation
• An ethernet cable
• A speed test site

Step by step

1. Find your minimum guaranteed speed.It is in the order confirmation or contract summary, usually described as a minimum guaranteed download speed. This is the number that matters; ignore the advertised headline.
2. Test over a cable, not over wifi.Plug a computer directly into the router with an ethernet cable. A wifi test measures your home network, and a provider will rightly dismiss it.
3. Test at several times of day for several days.Include evening peak. One test proves nothing; a log of a dozen results across a week is evidence.
4. Use the provider's own test if they have one.Many will only accept results from their diagnostic tool. Using it removes their easiest objection.
5. Rule out your own equipment first.An old router, a failing microfilter, a damaged internal cable or a device with a slow network card all produce the same symptom. Test a second computer if you can.
6. Report it formally and get a reference.Ask them to log a speed fault. The clock on their obligation starts from the report, so an informal chat is worth nothing.
7. Give them their allotted time to fix it.The code allows a period to investigate and improve the line. Keep testing and logging during it.
8. Ask to exit without penalty if it is not fixed.Under the speed code, if the speed stays below the guaranteed minimum after their fix period, you can usually leave without an early termination charge — and in many cases so can anyone on the same account for phone and TV bundled with it.
9. Escalate to the ADR scheme if refused.After eight weeks, or on receipt of a deadlock letter, take it to the provider's alternative dispute resolution scheme — Ofcom approves the schemes and they are free to consumers.

Tips

• Screenshot every test with the time visible and keep them in one folder. The case is made on the log, not on the argument.
• Check whether your provider actually signed up to Ofcom's speed code — most large ones have, but not all providers are covered.
• If the problem is only on wifi, the exit right does not apply. Fix the wifi instead; it is usually cheaper and faster.

Common mistakes

• Quoting the advertised speed — Advertised speeds are achievable by a proportion of customers by design. The contractual remedy attaches to the minimum guaranteed figure only.
• Testing over wifi — It measures your home network rather than the line, and it is the first thing a provider will point at to close the case.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask