Focus Group Outages: When Weeks Without Phones Becomes a Legal Issue

"Billed in Full for a Service That Did Not Work"

It is one of the most common and most infuriating themes in the 1-star reviews on uk.trustpilot.com/review/focusgroup.co.uk: businesses describing extended outages — phone systems down for days or weeks, broadband unavailable for even longer — while still being invoiced at full price.

We are Compare The Networks, an independent, OFCOM-regulated business telecoms comparison service. This article walks through what Focus Group's obligations are when things go wrong, what you can claim, and when an outage crosses the line into a material breach of contract that lets you exit without paying an early termination fee.

The Common Outage Patterns Reviewers Describe

VoIP Systems Offline for Days

Phones simply not ringing. Customers cannot get through. Calls not landing. In some reviews, the outage spans over a week.

Broadband Dropping Repeatedly

Intermittent connectivity that makes the line unusable. Sometimes caused by outdated equipment (the 2.4GHz-only router is a specific example that appears), sometimes by Openreach faults not being chased.

Long-Running WiFi Issues

Multiple engineer visits, no permanent fix, office staff unable to work reliably.

Total Service Failure From Day One

The provisioning completes, the invoice starts, and the service has never worked. Reviewers describe weeks or months of trying to get this resolved.

No Escalation Path

Reviewers describe first-line support that cannot help, promised callbacks from engineers or managers that never come, and tickets that simply sit open.

Your Rights When Service is Down

Service Credits

Most Focus Group contracts will include a service level agreement (SLA) stating what is guaranteed and what credits apply when it is not met. Check yours. Typical SLAs include:

Uptime guarantees (e.g. 99.9% monthly)
Fault fix times (e.g. next business day for fibre, 24 hours for leased line)
Compensation formulas for breaches

Full Refund or Credit for the Outage Period

Separate from the SLA, if a service has been completely unavailable, you have an argument that you should not pay for the period it was down. That is basic contract law — you are paying for something you did not receive.

Compensation for Consequential Loss

More difficult in B2B — contracts often exclude consequential loss. But in serious cases, you may be able to argue it. Document the financial impact: lost calls, lost revenue, lost customers.

Material Breach and Right to Terminate

If the outage is severe enough and Focus Group fails to remedy it within a reasonable time, you may have a material breach of contract. That entitles you to terminate without paying an ETF. It is a strong claim — get legal advice if the stakes are high.

Step 1: Document the Outage

The Moment It Starts

Log the date and time
Screenshot or photograph evidence (phones showing no signal, broadband status red, router lights)
Start a diary — every call you try to make, every fault you report, every ticket number

Raise the Fault in Writing

Not just on the phone. Email: "At [time] on [date], our [service] went down. I have raised this by phone (ticket [X]). Please confirm the fault has been logged and provide an ETA for restoration."

Follow Every Phone Call with an Email

Summary of what was said, ticket number, what you were promised. Date-stamped.

Keep Screenshots of the Service Status

If Focus Group has a status page, screenshot it. If not, screenshot whatever shows the service is down.

Track Business Impact

Lost calls. Lost sales. Lost customer trust. Quantifiable if possible.

Step 2: Demand Credits in Writing

Once the service is restored:

Calculate the outage duration (total hours / days)
Check your SLA for the credit formula
Email Focus Group in writing requesting the credit
State the calculation clearly
Ask for the credit to appear on the next invoice

Template:

Dear Focus Group,

Account: [X]. Our [service] was unavailable from [start] to [end], a total of [X] hours. Our SLA states [extract the relevant clause]. I am requesting a service credit of £[Y] for this outage.

Please confirm in writing that this credit will appear on our next invoice.

Yours faithfully, [Name]

Step 3: Dispute Any Invoice Covering the Outage Period

If the next invoice arrives at full value, without the credit, dispute it in writing. Pay the undisputed portion — not the disputed amount. Continue to raise through the complaints process.

Do Not Cancel the Direct Debit

Cancelling entirely risks the account being disconnected. Pay the undisputed portion and keep paper-trailing the disputed amount.

Step 4: Escalate if Necessary

If Focus Group refuses to credit, stalls, or goes silent:

Formal Complaint

Email their complaints team. State the issue, attach the evidence, demand the credit. Request written response within 14 working days.

8-Week Rule

If unresolved after 8 weeks (or you receive a deadlock letter), escalate to CISAS.

CISAS Can Order

Refund of charges during the outage
Additional compensation
In serious cases, contract cancellation without ETF

See our complaints and CISAS article.

When an Outage Becomes a Material Breach

Not every outage is material. A few hours on a busy Tuesday is annoying but probably not a material breach. But when it is prolonged, repeated, or genuinely stops your business operating, it can be.

Questions to Ask Yourself

How long was the service actually unavailable? (Weeks?)
How many times has it gone down in the last 12 months?
Have Focus Group had a reasonable opportunity to fix it?
What have they done to remedy it?
Has it meaningfully affected your ability to trade?

The Legal Test

A material breach is one that goes to the root of the contract — the service you were paying for was not substantially provided. Isolated faults probably are not. Systemic failure over an extended period, despite repeated attempts to escalate, often is.

The Practical Test

If the Focus Group service is so unreliable that you cannot run your business on it, that is material. Document everything and consider your options.

Your Options If You Have a Material Breach

Option 1: Claim Damages While Remaining in Contract

Serve written notice of the breach. Continue paying the undisputed portion. Claim credits and compensation for the outage period.

Option 2: Serve Notice to Terminate for Breach

This is stronger — and riskier. If Focus Group disagrees that there is a material breach, they may sue for the ETF. You defend on material breach grounds. If you win, you owe nothing. If you lose, you owe the full ETF. Get legal advice before going this route.

Option 3: Negotiate an Exit

Often, when presented with clear evidence of prolonged service failure, providers will negotiate a without-prejudice exit with reduced or waived ETF. Worth asking — in writing.

Option 4: Escalate Through CISAS

If the provider will not engage, CISAS can order contract cancellation as a remedy where appropriate.

What to Do If You Are Without Service Right Now

Log the exact time and date of the outage
Raise a ticket by phone, note the reference, then email to confirm in writing
Tell the provider the business impact — customers cannot reach you, etc.
Ask for an ETA for restoration in writing
Make backup arrangements if you can — mobile forwarding, Google Voice, anything
Keep documenting every hour the service remains down

While Focus Group Is Down, Your Business Still Needs Phones

If you are losing revenue hourly to a Focus Group outage, a cheap short-term workaround is a virtual landline or a basic cloud phone account that can divert calls to mobile while the main service is offline.

Virtual landline — dedicated UK number forwarding to mobile
Business VoIP — full hosted phone system
VoIP quote — comparison of providers

If you are already in the process of leaving, see our leave Focus Group guide.

Comparable Provider Issues

Outage-related complaints are not unique to Focus Group — similar themes appear in reviews of other providers. See our write-ups on Onecom, 4com, Daisy Communications, Chess Telecom, and hosted VoIP options.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Focus Group service has been down for days — can I claim a refund?

Yes. Document the outage, email Focus Group in writing, and request service credits under your SLA plus a refund for the unavailable period. If they refuse, escalate through complaints to CISAS.

How long does Focus Group have to fix a fault?

Check your SLA — typical fix times range from 4 hours (leased lines) to next business day (fibre broadband). If the fix time is exceeded, compensation should kick in automatically.

When does an outage become a material breach?

Generally when it is prolonged (days or weeks), repeated, and the provider has had reasonable opportunity to fix it. Severe outages affecting your ability to trade can support a material breach claim.

Can I leave Focus Group without paying an ETF if the service has been unreliable?

Potentially yes, on material breach grounds. It is a strong claim and may require escalation to CISAS or legal advice. Document everything.

Should I cancel my direct debit while the service is down?

No. Cancelling entirely risks disconnection. Pay the undisputed portion and formally dispute the rest in writing.

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About this article. Claims reported here are attributed to public reviews on Trustpilot and similar platforms. They represent the opinions of the reviewers cited, not statements of fact by Compare The Networks. Brands named may dispute these claims. If you are a brand representative who believes any content requires correction, please contact us.

Focus Group Outages: Weeks of Downtime, Full Bills & Your Rights (2026)