Incorrect broadband bill: how to dispute the charges

Turn an unexplained charge into a clear, documented complaint.

The answer in 2 lines. Compare the bill with your contract, order confirmation and previous statements. Identify the disputed charge and complain formally, keeping a dated copy. Ask for a corrected bill and repayment of any overcharge. Agree how payments will be handled while the complaint is investigated: simply cancelling your Direct Debit can create arrears. Under the rules effective from 8 April 2026, you can normally take an unresolved complaint to the provider's free alternative dispute resolution scheme after six weeks, or earlier with a deadlock letter.

Start with the evidence

Identify the discrepancy: compare the package price, discounts, extras and billing period with the agreement you accepted.
Make a formal complaint: use the complaints contact shown on your bill or account and request a complaint reference.
State the remedy: specify the charge you dispute, why it is wrong and whether you want cancellation, a refund or a corrected account.

Stop: danger

Payment demands during the dispute: do not ignore them. Ask the provider to confirm in writing what remains payable and how it will handle the disputed balance.
Unable to afford the bill: tell the provider immediately. Use Ofcom's payment-difficulty guidance to prepare a request for an affordable arrangement.

What might explain the extra charge?

A discount has ended: compare the promised promotional period with the dates on the bill.
An extra service appeared: ask when and how you supposedly agreed to it, and request the supporting order record.
Equipment return charges: supply the collection confirmation, tracking record or return receipt.
Calls outside your allowance: request an itemised explanation and identify the entries you do not recognise.
Charges after switching or cancellation: compare the final service date, notice arrangements and any termination charge with the contract.

These checks establish the issue; they do not mean every unexpected charge is invalid. Keep the relevant evidence beside each disputed entry.

Write a complaint someone can resolve

Use a clear subject such as ‘Formal billing complaint’. Include your account reference, invoice date, the disputed entry and the amount. Attach the relevant contract extract, offer confirmation or return evidence. Explain the calculation if you believe only part of a charge is wrong.

You can write: ‘My bill includes a charge for a service I did not request. Please provide the evidence of my agreement, remove the charge if no agreement exists, refund any overpayment and confirm the corrected balance.’

Save messages outside the provider's account area in case access ends. After a telephone conversation, send a written summary recording what was agreed. Follow Ofcom's billing complaint steps to move from customer service to the formal complaints process if necessary.

What not to do

Cancelling the whole payment without agreeing how valid charges will be paid.
Assuming a complaint automatically prevents restrictions, collection activity or credit-file consequences.
Relying on a telephone promise without keeping a written record.
Accepting a goodwill credit without checking whether the underlying recurring charge has been corrected.

If the complaint remains unresolved

Ask for a deadlock letter if the provider says it cannot reach an agreement with you. Otherwise, the 2026 rules normally allow escalation once six weeks have passed since your initial complaint. Independent adjudication is free for eligible residential customers.

Open Ofcom's ADR guide and provider lists. Find your provider, follow the link to its designated scheme and read the application instructions. The approved schemes are Communications Ombudsman and CISAS. Submit your complaint chronology, disputed bills, evidence, replies and requested remedy. Check the scheme's eligibility and submission deadlines before applying.

Price rises and the regulator's role

A price increase is not necessarily a billing mistake. For new or renewed contracts covered by the rules introduced on 17 January 2025, contractual increases must be stated upfront in pounds and pence, with their timing made clear. Use Ofcom's price-rise explanation to compare the information you received with the charge applied. Do not assume every increase creates a right to leave without fees.

Ofcom collects information about billing problems but does not decide individual refund disputes. Its billing page provides a monitoring form: use it to report the issue, while continuing the provider complaint and ADR route for your own remedy. These telecoms arrangements also operate elsewhere in the UK.

Good to know

There is no need to invent a separate complaints department: follow the provider's published complaints code.
Keep paying agreed charges and seek a written arrangement for the disputed sum.
A refund should be checked against your actual account balance, including any later bills or collection charges.

Illustrative example: Daniel is charged for equipment he returned. He sends the tracking confirmation with a formal complaint and asks for the fee to be removed. The provider rejects his evidence and issues a deadlock letter. He uses the scheme identified in the official ADR guide to submit the return record, bill and correspondence for independent assessment.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the complaint route, free ADR and the six-week threshold effective in 2026; medium for whether a particular charge is refundable, which depends on the contract and evidence. No general right to withhold payment is assumed.