If you have ever had a dispute with a UK mobile provider — O2, EE, Vodafone, Three, or anyone else — and felt that they were making up the rules as they went along, the good news is they are not. Every UK communications provider is bound by a legally enforceable rulebook written by Ofcom called the General Conditions of Entitlement, usually just called the “General Conditions” or “GCs”.
The General Conditions set out what a provider must do for its customers. They are not optional. If a provider breaches them, you have grounds for a complaint, and potentially grounds to exit your contract without paying early termination fees. This guide explains the General Conditions that matter most for ordinary consumers, in plain English.
What Are the Ofcom General Conditions?
The General Conditions are secondary legislation made by Ofcom under the Communications Act 2003. Every company that provides an electronic communications service (mobile, fixed-line, broadband) to consumers in the UK must comply with them to hold its licence. Ofcom updates the GCs periodically; the current set was last substantially updated in 2018 and has been amended several times since.
There are dozens of General Conditions in total covering everything from technical standards to emergency call routing. For most consumers, a handful really matter. We will look at those below.
General Condition C1: Contract Terms — What Providers Must Tell You
Before you enter into a contract, the provider must give you clear, durable information including:
- The main characteristics of the service (coverage, speed, inclusive allowances)
- The price, including itemisation of fixed and variable charges
- The minimum contract term
- Notice periods for terminating the contract
- Any early termination charges (ETCs) and how they are calculated
- How to make a complaint and how to escalate it
If a provider failed to give you this information, or gave it in a way that was unclear or misleading, that is a breach of GC C1. It is also a breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (which protects you against misleading pre-contract information).
General Condition C1: Mid-Contract Price Rises
One of the most important 2022 amendments to GC C1 applies to mid-contract price increases. If a mobile provider wants to raise your monthly price during your minimum term, the rules have tightened significantly:
- The provider must tell you the exact amount of any future increase in pounds and pence at the point you sign up, not a vague percentage or “inflation + X%” formula
- If the provider tries to impose an increase that was not clearly disclosed at sign-up, you have the right to exit the contract without paying an early termination fee
This rule came into force fully in January 2025. Any contract signed after that date should quote the exact future price rise amount, not an index-linked formula. If your contract does not, speak to Ofcom, your provider, or an advocate.
General Condition C3: The 14-Day Cooling-Off Period
If you signed up to a new mobile contract by phone, online, or on the doorstep (a “distance sale” or “off-premises sale”), you have a 14-day cooling-off period from the day you receive your SIM or phone. During that period you can cancel the contract for any reason and get a full refund. The provider must not charge you a fee for exercising this right.
This right is given by the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and reinforced by Ofcom. If the provider did not tell you about the 14-day right, your cancellation period is extended to 12 months.
Important: if you have used the service during the 14 days, the provider can charge you pro-rata for the days you used. But they cannot charge an early termination fee, and they cannot keep the full monthly fee.
General Condition C4: Switching (PAC, STAC, Text-to-Switch)
Since 1 July 2019, all UK mobile providers must support Text-to-Switch:
- Text PAC to 65075 to request a Porting Authorisation Code (keeps your number when you switch)
- Text STAC to 75075 to request a Service Termination Authorisation Code (leaves without keeping your number)
- Text INFO to 85075 to get information about your current contract, including any ETC and notice period
The provider must send you the code within one minute. The code is valid for 30 days. You do not have to ring a retention team; you do not need permission to leave; you do not have to state a reason.
If your provider does not send the code within the time limit, or tries to obstruct your switching (by channelling you through a retention team first), that is a GC C4 breach.
General Condition C5: Complaints Handling
Every provider must have a published Complaints Code of Practice and must handle complaints in line with it. Core obligations:
- Accept complaints by phone, in writing, by email, or via online channels
- Acknowledge and register your complaint
- Investigate and respond within a reasonable time
- Tell you how to escalate if you are not happy
- Tell you about free independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) after 8 weeks or on request
After 8 weeks of an unresolved complaint, or on receipt of a deadlock letter, you have the right to take the dispute to your provider’s Ofcom-approved ADR scheme. ADR is completely free to you.
General Condition C6: Sales, Marketing, and “Adequate Information”
Providers must not mislead you during the sales process. Sales staff — including those in branded stores and on the phone — must be properly trained and must not give false or misleading information about the service, price, or your rights. If a sales advisor told you a deal included something it did not, that is a breach you can complain about and escalate.
General Condition C7: Automatic Compensation
If you have a problem with the service that the provider is responsible for — a total loss of service, a missed appointment, a delayed new-line activation — you may be entitled to automatic compensation, without having to claim. Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation scheme applies to broadband and landline primarily, but several mobile providers have voluntarily adopted similar principles.
General Condition C9: Emergency Call Access
Every provider must allow you to dial 999 or 112 even if you have no credit, no signal from your own provider (via roaming on any available network), or are out of contract. If your provider ever blocks emergency access, that is a serious GC breach.
How the General Conditions Help You in a Complaint
In day-to-day disputes, referring to the General Conditions gives your complaint teeth. Compare these two complaint letters:
Weak: “I am very unhappy with my bill and I want a refund.”
Strong: “On the 3rd of March I signed up to the Essential 25GB plan at £18/month. On my first bill I was charged £24. This is inconsistent with the pre-contract information I was given, which I believe is a breach of Ofcom’s General Condition C1.1 (transparency of contract terms) and my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Please credit the difference of £6 and confirm in writing that my plan is £18 as sold. If this is not resolved within 14 days I will escalate to your Ofcom-approved ADR scheme.”
The second letter quotes the rule, references the contract, sets a deadline, and invokes ADR. Providers take that seriously because they know it will stand up in an adjudication.
Where to Read the General Conditions
The full text of the General Conditions is on Ofcom’s website: ofcom.org.uk — General Conditions of Entitlement. It is long and written for lawyers, but keyword-searching for “customer” or “complaint” will get you to the relevant sections quickly.
When to Escalate
If you believe your mobile provider has breached the General Conditions and is refusing to put things right:
- Raise a formal complaint with your provider in writing, referencing the specific GC you believe has been breached.
- Give them a reasonable deadline (14 days for a bill issue, longer for complex matters).
- If unresolved after 8 weeks, or if they send a deadlock letter, escalate for free to their Ofcom-approved ADR scheme (Ombudsman Services: Communications for O2, EE, Three, Sky, BT; CISAS for Vodafone and some smaller providers).
- If you think there is a systemic breach affecting many customers, you can also report it to Ofcom at ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom does not handle individual compensation cases, but patterns of reports lead to investigations.
Summary
The Ofcom General Conditions are your regulatory backbone as a UK mobile customer. They are enforceable, provider-agnostic, and free to invoke. Knowing even the headline conditions — contract transparency, 14-day cooling off, Text-to-Switch, the 8-week ADR rule — transforms a weak consumer complaint into a clear-cut regulatory grievance that providers cannot easily dismiss.
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