Raising a connection issue with your ISP

Before you contact them

ISP support lines are used to vague complaints ("my internet feels laggy") that are hard to act on. Coming with specific evidence gets you taken seriously much faster, and often skips the first-line "have you tried restarting your router" script entirely.

Gather this first: - A LagInspector report (or similar) showing the specific hop or measurement where the problem shows up — screenshot or save the HTML report - The date and time you experienced the issue (ISPs can often check their own logs for that window) - Whether the issue is constant or only at certain times of day (evenings/weekends often point to local network congestion in your area, which is useful for them to know) - Your router model, and whether you've already tried a wired connection to rule out Wi-Fi as the cause

What to say

Be specific and factual rather than general. Compare:

• Less effective: "My internet is laggy for gaming."
• More effective: "I'm seeing packet loss and latency spikes to [your usual game/service], starting around [time], repeatable on a wired connection. A network diagnostic shows elevated latency beginning at the hop just past my router, which points to something on your network rather than mine."

If first-line support doesn't resolve it

Ask to be escalated to a technical/network team rather than repeating basic troubleshooting steps you've already done.

Every UK broadband provider is required by Ofcom to belong to one of two approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes: CISAS or Communications Ombudsman (formerly Ombudsman Services — renamed in 2023). As of April 2026, you can escalate to whichever scheme your provider belongs to after 6 weeks without resolution (reduced from the previous 8 weeks), or sooner if they issue you a "deadlock letter." This is free, and the scheme's decision is binding on your provider if you accept it.

Keep a simple log (date, time, what you measured) if the issue is recurring — a pattern is much more persuasive than a one-off report.

Further resources

• Ofcom: Making a complaint and using ADR schemes — official explanation of the process and your rights
• Communications Ombudsman — covers providers including BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk
• CISAS — covers providers including Sky, Virgin Media, and others (check your provider's complaints code of practice to confirm which scheme they belong to)