Six Counties Customers - Code of Practice for Complaints
Gaelic Telecom provides telephone services to residential and business customers. We are committed to providing the highest standard of service and quality customer care and best practice in all our dealings with our customers or potential customers. As such we have introduced best practice policies and codes of practice to ensure we maintain and improve the level of service we offer. This code has been approved by Ofcom for the purposes of section 52 of the Communications Act 2003. The Guidelines for producing codes of practice are on Ofcom’s Web site at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/g_a_regime/gce/ccodes/ccodes.pdf All codes of practice are available to you, free of charge, on request or can be found on our web page at www.gaelictelecom.ie.

Our Products & Services
All our services are offered on a contract basis and include standard Terms and Conditions, which are available to you on request or can be found on our web page www.gaelictelecom.ie. Please note that most of our contracts do not tie you to the service for any period of time. If you have a query concerning the service, contracts or Terms and Conditions then please contact our Customer Care on 0870 22 44 233, 8:45am to 8:00 pm Monday to Friday and 9:am to 5 pm Saturdays, Calls may be recorded. (Calls charged at up to 4p per minute from BT landlines. Other providers may vary.) Or by e-mail to customerservice@gaelcitelecom.ie

Line Rental Service
We provide a line rental service, which enables you to have a phone line and number which can be used to make telephone calls or calls to the internet through Gaelic Telecom. Please note if you take our line rental product then you must also take our voice calls service. This means that Gaelic Telecom will provide you with one bill for all your voice calls and your line rental. Please note that there is no minimum contract period for this service and we aim to provide the service within 28 days of your order request, subject to availability. If there are any delays to this process due to special circumstances you will be advised and a revised timescale will be given to you.

Voice Calls Service
The voice calls service enables you to use your phone line to make calls through our service at our published rates. If you are a line rental customer with us then your voice calls will automatically be billed by us at our published rates. If your line rental is not with us then only your voice calls that have been supplied to us through the CPS mechanism will be billed for. All pricing for these packages are available on this website.

CPS or Carrier pre-selection is an industry mechanism that enables you to pre-select an alternative telecommunications provider other than BT for certain kinds of calls, and to be billed directly by that chosen carrier without needing to dial a prefix before each call or have a router on the your line when dialing your destination number. All pricing for these packages are available on this website.

Please note that there is no minimum contract period for this service and we aim to provide the service within 28 days of your order request, subject to availability. If there are any delays to this process due to special circumstances you will be advised and a revised timescale will be given to you. All pricing for these packages are available on this website.

Broadband Service
Our broadband service enables you to connect to the Internet over your existing phone line and the broadband speed is dependant on your line. Please note that there is a minimum contract period of 6 months for this service and we aim to provide the service within 28 days of your order request, subject to availability. If there are any delays to this process due to special circumstances you will be advised and a revised timescale will be given to you. All pricing for these packages are available on this website.

How to contact us:

By phone: 0870 22 44 233
(8:45am-8pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 9am - 5pm. Calls may be recorded. Calls are charged at up to 4p per minute from BT landlines. Other providers may vary).

By fax: 0870 22 44 221

By email: customerservice@gaelictelecom.ie support@gaelictelecom.ie

By letter:
Gaelic Telecom,
Customer Service Department,
Communications House,
Barrow Street, Dublin 4

Complaint Handling Process:
Gaelic Telecom prides itself on offering the highest quality telecommunication services. We are the fastest growing telecoms provider in Ireland and aim to bring unrivalled levels of service to all our customers. Despite our best efforts from time to time things can go wrong. In the unlikely event that the level of service does not meet your expectations, it is important we hear from you. Contacting us gives us the opportunity to correct any shortcomings, but more importantly helps us learn and improve the levels of service we provide to all our customers.

The purpose of this Code of Practice is to ensure best practice when we work with our Customers
The Code provides the following:
(1) How to Contact Us at Gaelic Telecom
(2) Our Complaints process
(3) Resolution timeframes
(4) Escalation policy
(5) Alternative dispute resolution
(6) Disconnection Policy
(7) Useful Contacts

1. How to contact us with a complaint.
   If you would like to register a complaint, here are a number of different ways you can contact us.
   
   "Telephone"
   You can contact our Customer Service Team directly on 0870 22 44 233 (8:45am-8pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 9am - 5pm. Calls may be recorded. Calls are charged at up to 4p per minute from BT landlines. Other providers may vary).where you can speak to one of our Customer Care Executives and register your complaint. The Customer Care Executive will provide his / her own name and provide you with your ticket number and acknowledge your complaint on the phone. Our aim is to resolve your complaint to your complete satisfaction. Our Customer Service Team will resolve your complaint as quickly as possible, preferably during your phone call. If this is not possible we will inform you of the length of time (to the best of our ability) we expect it to take to investigate and resolve the complaint.
   
   "Letter"
   If you prefer to put the complaint in writing, you can send it to the following address:
   Gaelic Telecom , Customer Service Department, Communications House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4
   
   "Fax"
   If you wish to send us your letter of complaint by fax, you may fax us on 0870 22 44 221
   
   "Email"
   You can send your complaint by email to complaints@gaelictelecom.ie.
   To ensure your complaint is effectively resolved, please ensure you specify the cause of your complaint and provide your Gaelic Telecom "account number" (located at the top of your latest phone bill or Order Confirmation Details that would have been forwarded with your Welcome Letter to the Service).
   
   
2. What happens once we receive your complaint?
   We will acknowledge all complaints received by telephone call within two working days of receiving your complaint. We will provide you with your ticket number and inform you of the length of time we expect it to take to investigate and resolve the complaint.
   
   
3. Resolution timeframes
   It is our aim to resolve all complaints received as quickly as possible and to your satisfaction. Where possible we will resolve your complaint at first point of contact. When we receive your complaint we will categorise it into one of the following main categories:
   • Billing
   • Transfer of your line
   • Service Interruption
   • Fault Repairs
   • Miscellaneous
   
   We have set indicative timeframes for resolution of complaints for each of these categories:
   
   "Billing"
   All reasonable efforts will be made to resolve billing issues within 7 working days of receiving the complaint.
   
   "Transfer of Your Line"
   Under the terms of our customer service we endeavour to arrange for the transfer of your line to Gaelic Telecom within 10 working days.
   
   "Service Interruption"
   If your complaint falls under the category of Service Interruption we will respond immediately outlining the investigation procedure and the resolution timeframes envisaged.
   
   "Fault Repairs"
   Under the terms of our customer service it is our aim to clear all faults within 2 working days. We endeavour to meet this timeframe at all times, however there are instances that are beyond our control. Also if you have a complaint to make about a repair we aim to have the complaint resolved within 2 working days of receiving the complaint.
   
   Miscellaneous"- within 10 working days of receiving your complaint.
   Depending on the individual circumstances it may not be possible to resolve every complaint within 10 working days. If we are unable to resolve your complaint within the timeframes, we will keep you regularly informed throughout the process and inform you of the length of time we expect it to take to investigate and resolve.
   We will notify you of the resolution of each complaint and retain records of your complaint for a period of not less than one year.
   
   
4. Escalation procedures
   We have a team of trained Customer Care Executives in place to investigate and resolve your complaints. If you are not happy with the Customer Care Executive or the way in which he or she handles your complaint you can ask to have the matter escalated to their manager. The manager will provide you with a revised resolution timeframe.
   
   He / she will review and discuss the issue with you and try to reach a satisfactory resolution.
   If, having contacted the manager you feel that we have still not dealt with your complaint satisfactorily, you can ask for the matter to be reviewed by the Head of Customer Care. Once you are happy with the resolution of your complaint, the complaint will be closed on the complaint handling system.
   
   
5. Alternative dispute resolution
   If in the event that we are unable to resolve your complaint satisfactorily we will issue you with a “deadlock letter” so that you can make a complaint through Otelo, an independent alternative dispute resolution scheme. We can provide you with details of this service. Alternatively if more than three months has passed since you first made your complaint, please contact Otelo directly at:
   
   Otelo
   Address: PO Box 730
   Warrington
   WA4 6WU
   Telephone: 08450501612 or 01925 430 049
   Email: enquiries@otelo.org.uk
   Web site: http://www.otelo.org.uk
   
   
6. Disconnection policy
   It is our policy here at Gaelic Telecom that bills due must be paid on or before the date specified on the bill. This normally allows a period of 21 days if you pay by direct debit. If you do not pay your account by the due date we may restrict your ability to make and receive calls. Before doing this we will endeavour to contact you to remind you that your bill is overdue. Should your line be restricted in this manner you will still be able to contact the emergency services via 112 or 999. If after we restrict service in this way your balance remains outstanding we will write to you informing you that your contract will be terminated (notification of termination).
   
   If the amount due remains unpaid after the time specified in the notification of termination your account will be terminated and your line removed. At this point you will no longer be able to contact the emergency services and will receive your final bill. We will continue to follow up on outstanding balances after the final bill issues.
   
   
7. Useful addresses and telephone numbers
   You can seek independent advice on your complaint from any of the following:
   
   (6.1) Ofcom
   Riverside House
   2a Southwark Bridge Road
   London
   SE1 9HA.
   Tel: 020 7981 3040/ 0300 123 3333.
   www.ofcom.org.uk
   
   (6.2) Otelo
   P.O. Box 730
   Warrington
   WA4 6WU.
   Tel: 01925 430049
   www.otelo.org.uk
   
   (6.3) Direct Marketing Association
   DMA House
   70 Margaret Street
   London
   W1W 8SS
   Tel: 020 7291 3308
   www.dma.org.uk
   
   This Code of Practice in no way infringes on your statutory rights.