Telling your provider you need extra support

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, says anybody can become vulnerable, temporarily or permanently. Its examples run from physical or mental health problems and age or literacy skills to changes in personal circumstances such as bereavement, job loss or a change in household income.

The rule itself is General Condition C5.3 (the General Conditions are rules every provider must follow). It lists age, disability (physical or learning), illness (physical or mental), low literacy, difficulty communicating and life changes such as bereavement, and covers customers a provider has been told about or should reasonably be aware of.

Citizens Advice adds examples such as being over State Pension age, owing money elsewhere, a recent fall in income or living somewhere rural and isolated. It says to tell your provider if you think you're vulnerable or if using a phone or the internet really matters to you, and that the provider should then treat you fairly and help you keep connected.

BT's policy says vulnerability can be long-term, temporary or intermittent, and Vodafone's specifically recognises "temporary" vulnerability from bereavement, loss of income, accident or injury. So you don't need a long-term condition or a diagnosis to ask for help.

The rules

• A written policy. Under General Conditions C5.2 and C5.3, every provider must have, publish and follow a policy for customers whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. As a minimum it has to cover how information about your needs is recorded and the different channels you can use to contact the provider and hear from it.
• Trained staff. Under C5.5, all staff must be made aware of the policy and appropriately trained, including, where it applies, on referring customers to specialist teams or specially trained colleagues. The rules don't require a specialist team, but Ofcom encourages providers to have one.
• Help managing bills. Ofcom's guide lists third-party bill management, which lets someone you choose help with your bills, among the services the General Conditions require for certain groups, including disabled people, and says it should be accessible and easy to set up.

What Ofcom expects in practice

Ofcom's guide "Treating vulnerable customers fairly" (first published in July 2020, updated in September 2022) explains how it expects providers to meet these rules. It is guidance rather than new regulation, so the exact help differs between providers. It says:

• you shouldn't have to repeat yourself when you're put through to another person or department;
• your needs should be recorded accurately, in line with data protection law, with the date noted, and be visible to other frontline staff;
• the record should be updated once you're no longer in a vulnerable situation;
• talking about personal circumstances can cause anxiety or distress, so staff should be trained to pick up on cues and offer help without waiting to be asked;
• providers should offer to note the contact channel you prefer;
• Ofcom encourages specialist staff trained in issues such as suicide threats, problem debt and mental health, and says that where a specialist would meet your needs better you should be referred as soon as possible;
• it may be right to point you to Citizens Advice, debt or mental health charities or the Samaritans;
• providers should be sensible when a relative, carer or support organisation gets in touch for you, subject to reasonable checks and your consent.

Some questions to ask yourself first (our suggestions):

• How do you want to be contacted? If phone calls are hard right now, ask for email, letters or online chat instead. Ofcom's guide quotes 2018 research by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (Access Essentials) which found that 54% of people who have experienced mental health problems have serious difficulties using the telephone.
• Do you need more time? Ofcom gives needing longer on phone calls as an example of a need a provider can record.
• Do you rely on the connection? For example for a care alarm, a medical device or because you can't easily leave home. That affects what to ask about faults.
• Is money tight? Ask about payment options and cheaper tariffs at the same time.

Share enough for the provider to understand what you need, not a full history.

However you get in touch:

1. Say you'd like your circumstances recorded on your account. BT and Virgin Media say they note your circumstances with your consent, and TalkTalk says it may ask your permission to keep a record.
2. Ask what will be recorded and who can see it.
3. Ask for your preferred contact method to be noted, along with any adjustment you've agreed.
4. Ask what else the provider's policy offers, such as priority fault repair, payment help or a specialist team if it has one.
5. Keep a note of the date and what was agreed, and ask for it in writing.

Routes for four large providers (checked October 2026)

TalkTalk's details come from its policy dated 28 May 2026. TalkTalk went into administration and BT bought its consumer and wholesale (PXC) businesses out of administration on 5 October 2026. The Competition and Markets Authority is reviewing the deal under a public-interest intervention notice and is due to report by 19 October 2026. Until then BT and TalkTalk are run separately and nothing changes for TalkTalk customers; BT says existing priority support arrangements for vulnerable customers remain in place.

We couldn't check Sky's, EE's or Plusnet's pages in October 2026; search their help pages for "vulnerable customers". Our broadband providers hub links to each provider's page on this site.

Some example wording

Examples you could adapt:

• "My husband died last month. Could you note on my account that I'd prefer contact by email for now?"
• "Phone calls are hard for me at the moment because of my mental health. Can you note that I'd like to hear from you in writing, and tell me who will see that note?"

Providers describe these kinds of help in their policies (checked October 2026); what's available depends on the provider.

There are three levels of help. Our guides for disabled customers and on changing the account holder cover more of each provider's process.

• Permission there and then. BT says you can give permission for someone else to contact it for you. Virgin Media only lets a carer get information or make changes if the account holder gives the go-ahead during the call.
• A standing nominee. At TalkTalk, a Nominated User can talk to TalkTalk about the account and pay bills (ask for the form through My Account or from TalkTalk); the charges stay the account holder's responsibility. Vodafone lets you pick a trusted friend or relative to manage your account through Settings.
• Legal authority. When the account holder can no longer agree, providers usually want to see a power of attorney, deputyship order or benefits appointeeship. Virgin Media registers court-appointed third parties from a copy of the document, and Vodafone has a power of attorney team.

What BT accepts

BT's power of attorney page (checked October 2026) accepts a registered Lasting Power of Attorney for property and financial affairs (not one for health and welfare); an Enduring Power of Attorney, which only needs registering if the donor (the person who made it) has lost mental capacity; Scottish powers of attorney with a certificate of capacity; Northern Irish powers of attorney if correctly witnessed; deputyship orders; and benefits appointees.

It wants a certified copy signed by the donor on each page, or certified by a solicitor if the donor has lost capacity; for an LPA registered on or after 1 September 2019 it can verify access codes sent by post instead. Never send the original. Once BT accepts the document it treats the attorney as the account holder: bills go to them, the account goes on the Protected Services Scheme and the donor can no longer manage the account, so BT asks donors to be ready to hand over control first.

Vodafone says its flags can be updated or removed at any time, and Ofcom expects records to be updated when your circumstances change. Tell your provider when your needs change.

The note sits on your account with that provider. Under One Touch Switch you only contact the new provider, and your current provider must send you the switching information, including any early termination charges. Don't assume your support needs will be passed on: tell the new provider yourself when you sign up, and ask about its own options, such as priority fault repair, before you rely on them.

So look at each provider's support pages as well as the price. You can compare deals at your postcode, and see provider pages such as BT broadband deals or Vodafone broadband deals. We compare deals through a partner, so you sign up with the provider directly; we don't switch you or give personal advice.

If staff ignore what you've told them, you keep having to explain yourself, or an agreed adjustment isn't happening:

1. Ask for a specialist team, if your provider has one. Ofcom's rules say staff must be trained, where relevant, to refer you to specialist teams, and Ofcom encourages providers to have them. Openreach's page on digital phone lines also suggests asking for the provider's vulnerable customer support team if you aren't getting the help you need.
2. Make a formal complaint saying what went wrong and what you want done. Keep emails, letters, webchats and notes of calls with dates, times and names.
3. Take it to an independent scheme. Your provider has to be a member of CISAS or the Communications Ombudsman, the two free alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes. For complaints raised from 8 April 2026, the scheme can take your case six weeks after you first told the provider, or earlier if you receive a deadlock letter (the provider saying it can't offer anything more).

See how to complain about your broadband provider and who regulates broadband in the UK.