Our response to the coronavirus

We’re doing everything to make sure our call centres run smoothly, with all our teams working from home to support our customers.

Please help us to protect our services for the vulnerable and those most in need by first using our online help to answer your query.

Smart meter installation

Current Government guidance for restrictions mean that our smart meter installation appointments can continue. 

So we're still making new bookings, and will continue to carry out smart meter installation appointments during this period.

We’re regularly reviewing whether appointments can go ahead. We may need to cancel your appointment and reschedule it for a future time - if that is the case, we’ll contact you to let you know.

Our engineers will follow strict safety rules during their visit. They’ll wear full protective gear, wipe down all surfaces, and carry out all work while adhering to the Government’s guidelines on social distancing.

If anyone in your family has symptoms of coronavirus, or if you're on a Government shielding list, please let us know. We’ll postpone your appointment for you until it's safe to continue.

For important information about the steps we’re taking to keep you safe, please click here. And you can read our risk assessments for field operations, vehicle operations and delivery operations.

If you had your appointment cancelled due to COVID-19, we’ll be in touch as soon as possible to arrange an alternative date and time. 

Landline and broadband appointments 

Along with the above changes to our smart meter service, Openreach engineers are now permitted to enter your home to carry out an installation.

We’ll confirm your appointment by email. Two days before your appointment, Openreach will send you a text with a link to this short video, which shows you what to expect on the day, and the precautions that will be taken to help keep you safe.

Openreach will ask you to reply to this text with the word “Watched” – as confirmation that you’re happy for the appointment to go ahead. If you don’t text back, they will then try to call you on the next working day.

How to prepare for your appointment

• Clear a path to the main telephone socket if you have one.

• Wipe down any surfaces around the socket that the engineer may come into contact with.

• Open any doors or windows if possible where the engineer is likely to work.

• We suggest you keep any pets in a separate room to where the engineer is working.
   

On the day of your appointment

• The engineer will give you a call before they arrive, and will ask you a few screening questions.

• The engineer will arrive in an Openreach branded van and will be wearing an Openreach uniform and Personal Protective Equipment. They’ll have an ID badge.

• If they can’t reach you over the phone, the engineer will try to complete the installation outside of the premises.

We’ve made a number of changes to the way we work to ensure the safety of our teams across the business. Click on the links below to learn more. 

• Staying COVID-19 safe in 2020

• Keeping staff safe at our headquarters

• COVID-19 office risk assessment

• COVID-19 office and warehouse risk assessment

Leaving the house to top up your meter qualifies as essential travel. As long as you’re not displaying symptoms or living in a household where somebody has had symptoms in the last 14 days, you can leave your home to top up your prepayment meter at your closest PayPoint, Payzone or Post Office.

If you’re unable to leave your home we suggest you contact friends or family to see if they can help. Even if you’re currently feeling well, it’s good to have a plan in place, in case your circumstances change. 

If you’re unable to get to a shop with a PayPoint yourself and have nobody around to help you, then please call us on 0333 777 3247. Please also call if you’re struggling to find an open shop with a PayPoint.

You can check the PayPoint website to find your nearest top-up location. And you can also top up your account in the UW app. 

Emergency fault repairs are still a priority. Engineers will assess the situation and work to fix the problem from outside your home whenever possible. This includes remote repairs at the exchange. Where a fault can't be fixed without entering your property, strict Openreach service protocols will be followed. The appointment may also need to be rescheduled.

If you smell gas, think you have a gas leak, or are worried about carbon monoxide, call 0800 111 999 immediately. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you'll be connected to the National Gas Emergency line. 

If you have an electrical emergency or a power cut, call your local electricity network operator by calling 105 from any phone. They’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it's free of charge.

From 1 April 2020 access to the following websites from a UW mobile is free:

NHS England: nhs.uk
NHS Scotland: nhsinform.scot
NHS Scotland: nhs24.scot
Northern Ireland Government: nidirect.gov.uk
Health in Wales (English): wales.nhs.uk
Health in Wales (Welsh): wales.nhs.uk/gigcymruamdanomni
Health and Social care online Northern Ireland: online.hscni.net
UK Government: gov.uk
UK Government coronavirus information: gov.uk/coronavirus

We understand this may be a difficult time for many customers. If you’re experiencing financial difficulty paying your bill, please contact us on 0333 777 0777. 

We have a specialist team who’ll be able to review your circumstances and find a solution tailored to your needs, which may include a payment holiday. And we’ll never charge you interest on a special payment arrangement. 

Please do not cancel your direct debit without talking to us first, as this will automatically change your energy tariff. Instead, call our specialist team on 0333 777 0777 so that we can discuss one of the many ways we may be able to help, for example stopping or postponing a payment. 

We’ll never disconnect your energy supply, but it’s also important to contact us on 0333 777 0777 if you think you’re likely to miss a scheduled payment, so you don’t lose access to your phone and broadband services.  

Click here for the latest Government advice on work, available financial support and money. 

During this time you may be at home using their broadband a lot more and sharing their connection with other people in the house. To optimise your broadband see this help page. 

If you are a Standard Broadband customer we offer two Fibre broadband services which provide faster speeds. These are:

• Ultra – average speed 35 mbps

• Ultra Plus – average speed 63 mbps
   

For more information on upgrading your broadband to fibre please contact us on 0333 777 0777. 

Please note: We’re currently operating with a reduced number of customer service advisors, many of whom are now working from home, but we’ll do our best to help you.

During this time, you may be using their mobile a lot more to keep in touch with family and friends. You can choose from a wide range of great value tariffs in your online account.

Tip: If you’re at home, remember to switch on your mobile’s Wi-Fi connection so that it connects through your home broadband instead of using your mobile data allowance.

If you'd like to have more control of your spending on calls and data, you can activate a budget control option that stops you from going past your set tariff limit. When the tariff limit is reached there's the option to top up via the UW app.

During this time, you may be using your phone a lot more to keep in touch with family and friends. The following flexible call bundles are available to you:

• Peak Saver - Provides unlimited calls to UK landline numbers (beginning 01, 02, 03) and UK mobile numbers, at any time.

• Off Peak Saver - Provides unlimited calls to UK landline numbers (beginning 01, 02 and 03) and UK mobiles, on weekdays from 7pm to 7am and on weekends.

• International Boost - Includes an allowance of 1,000 minutes every month (in total) to 50 top international destinations.
   

To add a call bundle visit your online account.

If you think you need some extra support to manage your energy account, we offer free priority services if you: 

• are of pensionable age

• are disabled or chronically sick

• have a long-term medical condition

• have a hearing or visual impairment or additional communication needs

• consider yourself to be in a vulnerable situation
   

If you’d like to speak to us about our Priority Services Register, please call us on 0333 777 0777 and we’ll be happy to help.  

We’re spending more time at home, so your energy consumption has likely increased. A great source of information to help keep this under control is the Energy Savings Trust.

If your business is still open but quieter than usual, please call our UW for Business team on 0344 815 0506 with an up-to-date meter reading, so we can assess the status of your account.

Whilst your trading is lower than usual, we also recommend that you provide us with monthly readings on the last day of every month. This will help us to bill you for what you’ve actually used, instead of estimating usage based on your normal flow of trade.

If your business has temporarily closed, please call our UW for Business team on 0344 815 0506 and they’ll be able to advise on your situation. We recommend you have an up-to-date meter reading to hand when you call. We can look at temporarily reducing your billed usage as your premises are closed, which means you’ll only get invoiced for any standing charges or phone services you have. Once you’ve reopened, please call us again to let us know.

If you’ve had to close your business permanently, we’re very sorry to hear that. Please call our UW for Business team on 0344 815 0506 and we’ll do everything we can to help resolve the status of your account.