My phone or internet provider will not solve my complaint: where can I go for free in Slovakia?
RÚ resolves disputes between consumers and phone or internet providers about service quality and price free of charge, for example a wrong bill. It does not decide the case: the aim is an agreement, binding once both sides sign. Average duration: 72 days.
If your provider does not solve your complaint, an independent body can look at it, usually free of charge for you. You normally have to complain to the provider first; how to file in Slovakia is below.
📜 The rules in Slovakia
The details
- Send your proposal by post to Továrenská 7, P.O.BOX 40, 828 55 Bratislava 24, by e-mail to ars@teleoff.gov.sk, or make it orally at RÚ by appointment, in Slovak or English. Attach the contract, complaint and request for redress. (teleoff.gov.sk)
- Your provider must answer a complaint within 30 days, or 60 in complex cases if it tells you in time; otherwise the complaint counts as accepted. The complaint period may not be shorter than 30 days from receiving the bill. (teleoff.gov.sk)
- ADR starts when a complete proposal arrives and must end within 90 days; in particularly complex cases it can be extended by 30 days, even repeatedly. Your right to go to court is not affected. (static.slov-lex.sk)
- If RÚ finds that consumer protection rules were broken, it issues a reasoned opinion, but this opinion is not legally binding. (teleoff.gov.sk)
- If you are in material need and want to go to court, the Centrum právnej pomoci (Legal Aid Centre) can help, from advice to representation. (teleoff.gov.sk)
Úrad pre reguláciu elektronických komunikácií a poštových služieb – alternatívne riešenie sporov (ARS)
Free dispute resolution between consumers and phone or internet providers about the quality and price of services, once your complaint and request for redress have failed.
Slovenská obchodná inšpekcia (SOI)
Statutory ADR body that also resolves consumer disputes for which no other ADR body is competent (residual ADR body), except financial services.
Free dispute resolution
Úrad pre reguláciu elektronických komunikácií a poštových služieb – alternatívne riešenie sporov (ARS) · free
What to do first: First file a complaint (reklamácia) with your provider. If you are not satisfied with how it was handled, send the provider a request for redress (žiadosť o nápravu). You can apply to RÚ once the provider rejects it or does not reply within 30 days.
Time limit: Apply within one year of the provider rejecting your request for redress, or of the 30 days without a reply running out; a later proposal may be refused (§ 13(5) Act 391/2015).
🪜 Step by step
- Complain to the provider firstWrite down what went wrong, what you want and by when. Keep the complaint reference.
- Wait for the answerGive the provider the time the rules allow. Keep all emails, letters and chat logs.
- File with the dispute bodyUse its online form or address, and attach your complaint and the provider’s answer.
- Decide on the outcomeCheck whether the result is binding. If it is not, you can usually still go to court.
📇 Who to contact
❓ Questions
Does it cost anything?
For consumers it is usually free. The details for Slovakia are on this page.
Do I need a lawyer?
No. You can file yourself; the procedure is designed for consumers.
Does the provider have to take part?
That depends on the rules in Slovakia. Check the dispute body’s own page, linked here.
📎 Sources
- teleoff.gov.sk →
- teleoff.gov.sk →
- static.slov-lex.sk →
- soi.sk →
- teleoff.gov.sk →
- teleoff.gov.sk →
- sospotrebitelov.sk →
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