Which ADR scheme does Green Telecom use?

Green Telecom's published Code of Practice references Ombudsman Services: Communications (the Communications Ombudsman). This is one of the two Ofcom-approved ADR schemes — make sure you complain to the right one.

Green Telecom Misselling: What UK Businesses Need to Know

If You Believe You Were Mis-Sold By Green Telecom, Read This Before You Phone Them

If you’re researching Green Telecom misselling, read this before you call their complaints line. Green Telecom Limited (Companies House 03139356) is a UK reseller of business telephone lines, broadband, leased lines and IP telephony, trading from High Wycombe since 1995. Its Google Business Profile rating sits at 3.8/5 from 27 reviews. The 5-star reviewers tend to praise specific named account managers and engineers. The 1-star reviewers describe a different picture: service that didn’t match the order, post-cancellation billing disputes, and what one reviewer characterises as underhand collection tactics around exit fees.

We’re Compare The Networks, an independent OFCOM-regulated business telecoms comparison service. We’ve been helping UK businesses since 2008 and we’re not affiliated with Green Telecom. This article explains what telecoms misselling looks like, how the Communications Ombudsman process works, and the single most important rule that applies to every dispute: keep everything in writing, and never accept a verbal resolution over the phone.

What Counts As Misselling?

Misselling in UK B2B telecoms typically falls into a few categories. Each one shows up in 1-star Google reviews on the Green Telecom Business Profile to varying degrees.

1. Service Delivered Does Not Match What Was Sold

A 1-star Google reviewer of Green Telecom describes paying for a 100Mbps service and receiving 3Mbps. If the contract specifies a service level and the supplier can’t deliver it, that’s a clear breach of contract, and depending on how it was sold, also misrepresentation.

2. Installation Timelines Not Met

Two separate 1-star Google reviewers reference leased line orders that weren’t installed after 110 days and 130 days respectively. Sales materials and quotes that promise rapid install should be backed up by a delivery date in writing in the contract. If the date is missed materially, the customer has grounds to compel performance, recover loss, or sometimes terminate.

3. Pricing And Tariff Misrepresentation

Reviewers describe being promised a lower monthly tariff that was never followed up. The price quoted at the sales stage should match the price on the bill. Where it doesn’t, and there’s no clear written variation, that’s the second most common misselling pattern across UK B2B telecoms.

4. Post-Cancellation Billing

Reviewers reference being charged for months after they believed they had cancelled. Most B2B contracts contain a written notice clause, but the period and the start point of that period should be made clear at the point of sale. If they weren’t, the customer has a misselling argument as well as a billing dispute.

5. Exit Threats When Switching

Reviewers describe being met with threats and pressure when they tried to switch to another provider. Some retention pressure is legitimate. Every provider tries to save the account. Pressure that crosses into misleading statements about what the customer can or can’t do, or what fees they will or won’t face, is not.

6. No Cooling-Off Period Disclosed

B2B telecoms contracts in the UK do not carry a cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. That’s a legal fact. The misselling issue is when this isn’t made clear to a small business or sole trader at the point of sale and the customer realises only when they try to cancel days later.

These patterns map onto recognised misselling categories under UK consumer and contract law. The detail of each individual review sits on Green Telecom’s public Business Profile.

Why Business Contracts Have Fewer Protections

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give consumers a 14-day cooling-off period on distance contracts. That law doesn’t apply to business-to-business contracts. A sole trader, micro-business or freelancer signing a telecoms contract in their company name is treated as a business for these purposes.

This is the legal gap that aggressive sales practices exploit. Consumers can change their mind. Businesses cannot.

The protection businesses do have is misrepresentation law. Under the Misrepresentation Act 1967, if you were induced to enter a contract by a false statement of fact, the contract can be challenged. That’s the legal basis of most B2B telecoms misselling claims in the UK.

Green Telecom’s Stated Complaints Process

Green Telecom publishes a Code of Practice on its website. The headline points:

Green Telecom states it aims to investigate and resolve complaints within six weeks of receiving notice.
If the customer is not satisfied with the outcome, they can ask for the matter to be escalated to a senior manager.
If they are still not satisfied, the customer may refer the matter to Ombudsman Services: Communications (commonly called the Communications Ombudsman), provided they are a small business with 10 or fewer employees.

The Communications Ombudsman is the correct ADR scheme for Green Telecom. It is not CISAS. UK telecoms providers belong to one of two ADR schemes (Communications Ombudsman or CISAS), so make sure you complain to the right one.

The Communications Ombudsman Route: The Most Important Part Of This Article

The Communications Ombudsman (Ombudsman Services: Communications) is one of the two Ofcom-approved alternative dispute resolution schemes for UK telecoms. It is free for consumers and small businesses.

For Green Telecom, or any UK telecoms provider that uses this scheme, the process works like this:

Step 1: Complain To The Provider In Writing

You can’t go to the Ombudsman first. You have to give Green Telecom a chance to resolve the complaint. Email their complaints address (don’t phone). Reference your account number, every CLI or service, and what you want as the outcome.

Step 2: Wait For Resolution Or Eight Weeks

Either the provider resolves the complaint to your satisfaction, issues a deadlock letter saying the matter is unresolved, or eight weeks pass without resolution.

Step 3: Submit To The Communications Ombudsman

Go to commsombudsman.org and file your case. You submit your evidence (written complaint, provider’s response, contracts, quotes, emails, bills). The Ombudsman reviews and adjudicates.

Step 4: Decision

If the Ombudsman rules in your favour, it can order the provider to cancel the contract, issue a refund, amend bills, pay financial compensation (capped, check current limits on commsombudsman.org), or take other remedies. The decision is binding on the provider if you accept it.

Contact details

Communications Ombudsman, PO Box 730, Warrington WA4 6WU
Phone: 0330 440 1614
Website: commsombudsman.org

Critical Advice: Keep Everything In Writing

This is the single most important rule in any UK telecoms dispute. It applies to Green Telecom, to any other provider, and to Compare The Networks.

Why Written Evidence Wins

If your complaint progresses to the Communications Ombudsman, the adjudicator reviews the evidence. Written evidence (emails, letters, formal responses) carries far more weight than your recollection of a phone call. If you accept a resolution verbally and the provider later disputes what was agreed, you have no proof.

What To Do When Someone Calls You About Your Complaint

Providers often try to resolve complaints over the phone. It is faster and quieter than a paper trail. You are under no obligation to accept it.

If Green Telecom (or anyone) calls about your complaint, say: "Please put that in writing and email it to me. I want to review it properly before responding."

Any legitimate company will respect this request. If they refuse, that is itself evidence for the Ombudsman.

Practical Checklist

Submit your complaint in writing (email is fine)
Ask for the provider’s response in writing
Ask for any proposed resolution in writing before agreeing
Keep every email, letter and document
If you have to make a phone call, follow it up with an email summarising what was said
Date-stamp everything

What Evidence To Gather

If you think you have been mis-sold by Green Telecom, start building the file now. Do not wait.

Contract documents:

The signed contract
Any quotes or proposals received before signing
Terms and conditions referenced in the contract

Communications:

All emails to and from the sales team
Any letters received
Notes on dates and contents of phone calls

Sales call recording:

Request the recording of the sales call in writing. Providers generally retain these and are required to provide them under GDPR.

Bills and billing history:

Every invoice since the contract began
Any letters or emails about charges
Bank statements showing direct debits

Service issues:

Dates and durations of outages or under-delivery
Speed test results if a broadband or leased line speed is at issue
Impact on your business (lost calls, lost revenue, quantifiable if possible)

The Misselling Claim Itself

A good misselling complaint has three parts.

1. What You Were Told

State clearly what you understood the deal to be. Quote the sales email or proposal if you have it. Reference the phone call if you do not.

2. What The Contract Actually Says Or What Was Delivered

State the actual terms: length, price, service level, install date. Reference the specific clauses. If the issue is service-delivered-vs-promised, state the speed or service level you’re receiving.

3. Why You Believe This Is Misselling

Explain the gap. Be factual. Avoid emotive language. The Ombudsman wants evidence, not outrage.

Example opening

"I signed a business telecoms contract with Green Telecom on [date]. During the sales call on [date] the salesperson told me [X]. The signed contract or actual delivered service is [Y]. I believe this is misrepresentation and I am formally complaining under Green Telecom’s complaints procedure. I request [outcome: cancellation, refund, etc]. Please respond in writing."

Reporting To Ofcom

Ofcom does not resolve individual disputes, but it monitors industry patterns. If you believe you were mis-sold, report it at ofcom.org.uk. It contributes to the wider monitoring picture even if it does not resolve your specific case.

How To Avoid Being Mis-Sold Again

Whatever provider you move to next, here is how to protect yourself.

Never agree to anything on the first call. A legitimate provider will give you time to consider.
Ask for everything in writing before you agree verbally.
Check the total cost for the full term, not just the monthly price.
Read the 1-star Google and Trustpilot reviews for the provider before signing.
Ask about the annual price increase in £ and pence (Ofcom banned percentage-linked rises from January 2025 for consumer contracts; B2B is technically exempt but most providers now follow the same approach).
Ask about the cooling-off period, the notice period, and the renewal clause. Get all three in writing.
Compare at least three providers.
Use an independent comparison service like Compare The Networks. We compare providers and the networks pay us, not you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Green Telecom been mis-selling contracts?

1-star Google reviews on Green Telecom’s Business Profile describe service-delivered-vs-promised gaps, slow leased line installs, post-cancellation billing, and what one reviewer characterises as underhand exit-fee collection tactics. The reviews are public on the Business Profile. Read them yourself and judge.

Can I cancel my Green Telecom contract if I was mis-sold?

Potentially yes. Complain to Green Telecom in writing first. If unresolved within eight weeks or you receive a deadlock letter, escalate to the Communications Ombudsman. The adjudicator can order the contract cancelled if they find misselling. Keep everything in writing and never accept a verbal resolution.

Do business telecoms contracts have a cooling-off period?

Generally no. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 14-day cooling-off period does not apply to B2B contracts. Once signed, you are bound.

Should I accept Green Telecom’s complaint resolution over the phone?

No. Always insist on written communication. If your complaint progresses to the Communications Ombudsman, written evidence carries far more weight than your recollection of a phone call.

Is going to the Communications Ombudsman free?

Yes. The Communications Ombudsman is free for consumers and small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Check commsombudsman.org for current eligibility and any financial limits on awards.

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About this article. Claims reported here are attributed to public reviews on Google Business Profiles, 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.

Green Telecom Misselling: Communications Ombudsman, Your Rights & How to Complain (2026)