Your operator is charging for a service it is not delivering, changed the contract terms without notice, blocked your number, or is threatening a penalty for cancellation? You have concrete legal tools — and deadlines that work in your favour.
Your rights when filing a complaint with a telecom operator
The legal basis is the Electronic Communications Law (PKE) — Act of 16 July 2004 as amended. The operator must resolve your complaint within 30 days of the date you filed it (Art. 306 PKE). If it does not respond — the complaint is automatically deemed accepted by law.
This is an important difference compared to shop complaints (where the deadline is 14 days) — with operators you have 30 days, but the silence = acceptance rule works exactly the same way.
Common reasons for complaining to an operator
- Incorrect charges — a bill higher than agreed in the contract, charges for services you did not order
- Service interruptions — no internet, no signal, phone unavailable for an extended period
- Internet speed not matching the contract — operator guaranteed X Mb/s, you receive a fraction of that
- Cancellation penalty — operators often impose penalties they have no legal right to charge
- Unilateral change of contract terms — price increase without your right to terminate for free
- Number portability issues — operator blocking or delaying the transfer of your number
How to file a complaint with an operator — step by step
- Gather documentation: contract, invoices, screenshots of errors, speed test results (speedtest.net with date and time)
- State the specific problem and period — e.g. "service outage from 3 to 7 May 2026"
- Specify your demand: refund of overpayment, bill reduction, compensation for the outage
- Submit in writing — by email to the operator's complaints address or by registered post
- Keep proof of submission with the date
Key rule: always in writing. A complaint made by phone often gets "lost" in the system and is hard to prove. An email with a read receipt or a registered letter gives you evidence of the date.
Cancellation penalty — when it is illegal
Operators often threaten penalties for early termination. There are situations where the penalty is unlawful:
- Operator changed the price list or contract terms — you have the right to terminate the contract without penalty within 30 days of notification (Art. 302 PKE). The operator must inform you of this right when changing any terms.
- Open-ended contract — a cancellation penalty in an open-ended contract is an unfair clause (Art. 385³ item 17 CC).
- Service was unavailable for an extended period — if the operator failed to provide the service, you have grounds to withdraw from the contract without penalty.
Internet speed does not match the contract — what to do
EU Regulation 2015/2120 (Net Neutrality) and BEREC guidelines give you the right to a service matching the parameters in your contract. If the operator guaranteed "up to X Mb/s" — run a speed test and keep the results with the date and time.
In your complaint, demand a proportional reduction of the bill for the period of unavailability or reduced service quality. Legal basis: Art. 308 PKE.
When the operator does not respond or refuses
- File a complaint with the President of UKE (Office of Electronic Communications) — urzad.uke.gov.pl. UKE can open an investigation.
- Use out-of-court dispute resolution — the Permanent Consumer Arbitration Court at UKE, free of charge.
- Contact the Consumer Rights Ombudsman in your district.
- For claims up to PLN 30,000 — civil court under simplified proceedings (Art. 505¹ CPC).
Number portability — consumer rights
The operator must complete the number transfer within no more than 1 business day from the activation date in the new network (Art. 139 PKE). Blocking or delaying the transfer is a violation of the law — you can file a complaint with UKE.