My phone or internet is down: do I get compensation in Poland?
If your phone or internet is down, complain to your provider within 12 months from the end of the billing period in which the outage ended. It must answer within 30 days, or your complaint counts as accepted (art. 378 Pke).
When your line is down, your provider has to repair it. In some countries you get compensation if a fault is not fixed in time; what applies in Poland, and what it means for emergency calls, is below.
📜 The rules in Poland
Compensation
The Pke sets no fixed daily rate for outages of ordinary services: your pre-contract information, which becomes part of your contract, must state the compensation amounts, rules and payout deadline, in particular when the agreed service quality is not met (art. 285 Pke).
Emergency calls
112 is free, works from landlines and mobiles across the EU, and can be dialled even from a phone without a SIM card. In Poland it works alongside the existing national emergency numbers.
The details
- You can complain in writing, orally for the record, by phone, or by email to the address in your contract. State the period, the facts, your number or customer number, any compensation you claim and where to pay it. (eli.gov.pl)
- If your complaint is accepted, the reply must state the compensation and either a payout date no later than 30 days after acceptance, or that the amount will be credited against future bills. (cik.uke.gov.pl)
- For telecom services other than internet access, if the service often or persistently differs significantly from your contract, you can end it for the provider's fault after the complaint procedure, without paying early-exit compensation (art. 380 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
- If you fall behind on payments, the provider may restrict your service, but never calls to emergency numbers; even when it suspends your service, you can still call them (art. 382 Pke). (eli.gov.pl)
Prezes UKE – pozasądowe rozwiązywanie sporów konsumenckich (ADR)
Free out-of-court settlement of your dispute with a telecom provider, after you have filed a complaint with it.
UKE – wniosek o interwencję
Ask UKE to intervene if a provider fails to carry out, or wrongly carries out, a switch, number porting or number change, or may have broken the Pke. Send the request by post, e-Doręczenia, ePUAP or the PUE UKE form.
🪜 Step by step
- Report the fault right awayCall or use the provider’s fault service, and note the date, time and reference number.
- Keep a recordWrite down how long the service is down and what you could not do.
- Ask for compensation or a refundIf the fault is not fixed in time, ask in writing for the compensation or price reduction that applies.
- Escalate if neededIf the provider refuses, complain in writing and then go to the dispute body.
📇 Who to contact
❓ Questions
Can I still call emergency services during an outage?
Emergency calls from a mobile phone usually go through any available network. If your phone cannot connect, ask someone nearby to call.
Is a short outage compensated?
Usually only longer faults or missed repair appointments are. The rule for Poland, if there is one, is on this page.
What if the faults keep coming back?
Repeated faults can give you the right to a lower price or to end the contract. Ask the regulator or the dispute body.
📎 Sources
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