Terms & conditions

While we endeavour to make this site available at all times, we will not be liable if, for any reason, the site is unavailable for any period of time. Access may be suspended at any time without prior notice.

As hard as we try, we might not always get it right. This customer complaints code gives you clear and useful information about what you can do if you're not happy. It tells you:

• how you can complain
• what we'll do and when
• what you can do if you're still not happy

What type of complaints will we try to resolve

If you wish to complain about a poor experience directly due to the Relay UK service please contact us using one of the methods outlined within this code. We can only investigate complaints that relate to the Relay UK service itself which might be:

• Complaints about the relay assistant (their manner, level of understanding, the speed/accuracy of the call, etc.)
• Complaints about a technical failure of the Relay UK app
• Complaints about the TextNumber setup process

What type of complaints are we unable to resolve

There are some complaints that we can't help with because we have no control over how other people handle your phone calls.

• For complaints about how a business or organisation handled your call, (complex call steering, disconnection, etc.) you should contact the business or organisation directly, or their representative body.
• For complaints about your telephone service (e.g. a fault, billing, or being unable to make a call through Relay UK) you should contact your Phone Provider and follow their complaints procedure.

We are committed to giving you the highest quality of service, even so, things can go wrong. When they do, we want to know so we can put them right as quickly as we can. You can contact us with your complaint online, or by giving us a call.

Online

Go to relayuk.bt.com and click on Contact us, complete and send us a web form and we’ll handle your complaint as quickly as we can.

If you use British Sign Language, please go to https://bt.com/bsl

Give us a call

Telephone: 0800 7311 888
Relay UK app (or Textphone): 0800 500 888

The helpdesk is open:

• Monday to Saturday, 9am – 6pm
• Sunday, 9am - 1pm
• Public holidays, 9am - 5pm (Closed on Christmas Day)

Our aim is to resolve any problem to your complete satisfaction, and our helpdesk advisers will try to do this as quickly as possible, preferably during a phone call or email exchange. If we can't do this, we'll agree with you what we can do. We aim to respond to an email within five working days and if we can't sort out your complaint when you phone us, we'll call you back within five working days.

If your complaint requires further investigation it might take up to ten working days for us to investigate and respond to you.

We'll try to sort out your complaint on the spot but whatever happens, we'll respond and keep you regularly updated if it's going to take a while to check into things.

If an advisor can't sort out your complaint, they'll escalate it. A manager will then work with you to investigate your problem. If that doesn't work out, we'll escalate to either the Centre Manager or Relay UK Product Manager, or both.

We aim to settle all complaints by this stage but, if not, we'll explain our final position in writing. This means there's nothing more we can do.

You can ask for a manager to review your complaint at any time if our adviser hasn't been able to help and hasn't already offered to refer to a manager.

When someone visits relayuk.bt.com, standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns is collected in order to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the website. The information is collected in a way which does not identify anyone. There are no attempts made to find out the identities of those visiting the website.

We use Adobe Analytics to help us understand how people like to use our website. This tool uses "cookies" to collect standard log and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous and aggregate form. This information from the cookie (including your IP address) is sent to Adobe Analytics. For more information about how cookies work and how to remove them please visit www.allaboutcookies.org (opens in new window).

The information is used to look at how visitors use our site and to create statistical reports on website activity for BT. We will not allow use of the statistical analytics tool to collect any personally identifiable data or track information of visitors to our site. We will also not allow any third party to do this either.

Any data gathered as part of our use of the Adobe Analytical tool will not be associated with any personally identifying information. Adobe will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Adobe. Neither Adobe or BT will link, or seek to link the computer users identity with an IP address.

We will make it clear if we want to collect personally identifiable information through our website and will explain what we intend to do with the data collected.

Conversations facilitated by Relay UK may only be recorded, or parts of conversations noted, in the following situations:

• An emergency call
• For quality measurement and training
• When one party is abusive to the relay personnel
• Where there is a technical problem which needs investigation

Relay Assistants aren't allowed writing materials at their workstations (except by specific arrangement, e.g. if they are asked to complete a form as part of a feedback trial).

Relay service employees must comply with strict confidentiality terms which state that they will be dismissed and may be prosecuted if they discuss or use any information from the conversations they relay. This does not cover comments directed at the Relay Assistant or discussions between a party and the Relay Assistant.

This site is managed by BT, who are registered under the Data Protection Act. Find out more in the Privacy Policy on BT's website.

For more information about the cookies we use visit our Cookies page.

Target Measure

• PCA15: 90% of standard relay calls answered within 15 seconds
• Emergency PCA5: 95% of emergency relay calls answered within 5 seconds
• PCA15 Hit Rate: PCA15 target met for 85% of 15 minute intervals
• Less than 3% of standard relay calls abandoned
• Less than 2% of emergency calls abandoned. (This is in line with the standard voice 999 service measure).

All measures to be averaged over a calendar month.

The above metrics plus the additional metrics shown below.

Target Measure

• More than 94% of calls correctly handled - Relay Assistants will be monitored at least quarterly for speed of transcription, accuracy, and process conformance
• More than 40 Words Per Minute (wpm) - In conversation voice to text transcription speed better than 40 wpm (when the textphone user is able to receive 40wpm or faster)
• More than 98% Accuracy - Average voice to text transcription accuracy of 98% or more
• Fewer than 1 Complaint Per 1000 Calls - Less than one complaint relating to the relay service per 1000 calls handled.

All measures to be averaged over a calendar month.

These quality of service measures will be reviewed annually.

To see our latest reports please visit the reports section of our Communication Providers page.

Quality of service standards for the relay service are agreed between Ofcom and BT (as the current sole wholesale supplier of the service). This will help to ensure that deaf and speech-impaired people receive a good service. See below for the key performance indicators and principles agreed by BT and Ofcom.

There will be quarterly reporting on compliance with these standards.

The key principles of the agreed quality of service measures are that people who use the relay service should be able to rely on a number of things:

• Their call will be answered quickly
• The Relay Assistant will facilitate the call in a professional way
• Confidentiality will be respected
• Emergency calls will be prioritised

Relay Assistant's Role

The Relay Assistant provides a real-time voice to text and text to voice translation service. They act as an impartial facilitator and don't participate in the conversation except if the service needs to be explained or if the other party's communication needs are impeding the conversation.

The Relay Assistant may (if appropriate) insert notes of sounds or emotions that the deaf or hearing impaired user would otherwise miss e.g. phone ringing, laughing, etc..

Training for Relay Assistants: Our training provides Relay Assistants with knowledge of the communications needs for the deaf, hard of hearing, speech-impaired, and deafblind users. And regular refresher training is provided.

Call Types: The standard relay service will enable calls by providing an English transcription service from and to app and textphone users in the UK. Where a call comes from outside the UK, the call will only be connected to a UK telephone number.

Reporting: The Key Service Performance Indicators are published quarterly.

Complaint handling: Complaint handling procedures have been agreed between BT and Ofcom and more detail is shown under the Customer complaints code section.

To see our latest reports please visit the reports section of our Communication Providers page. 

Whilst BT will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the website does not contain or promulgate any errors, viruses, bugs, other malicious code or harmful components and will be uninterrupted, BT makes no warranty or representation that this will be the case. However, it is recommended that you virus check all materials downloaded from the website and regularly check for the presence of errors, viruses, bugs, other malicious code, and harmful components.

BT excludes to the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws all liability in connection with any damage or loss caused by errors, viruses, bugs, other malicious code or harmful components originating or contracted from the website and any interruptions in the running of the website.

Updated: 18 September 2018