Contact the Citizens Advice consumer service if you need help with a consumer problem. For example they can help with things like broken or faulty goods, or problems with energy or post.
You can either:
- call the helpline
- chat to an adviser online
The specialist advisers can:
- give you practical and impartial advice on how to resolve your consumer problem
- tell you the law which applies to your situation
- pass information about complaints on to Trading Standards (you can’t do this yourself)
- pass a complaint to your energy supplier
Check what you’ll need when you contact the consumer service
Before you contact the consumer service, you should be ready to note down some information.
To help the adviser give you the most relevant advice, you should be ready to give them as much of the following information as you can:
- brief details of your problem, eg when you paid for the item or the service, how much you paid, how you paid for it, whether you did so in a shop or online
- the seller or trader’s name and address
- what you’ve done so far to try to solve the issue
- your reference number (if you’ve already contacted the consumer service about the same problem)
Don’t worry if you don’t have all of this information. You’ll only need to tell the adviser what you know.
Call the consumer helpline
Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 0808 223 1133
Relay UK – if you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0808 223 1133
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Lines are closed on bank holidays.
To contact a Welsh-speaking adviser: 0808 223 1144
An adviser will answer your call as soon as possible, usually within a few minutes. Once you’re speaking to an adviser your call should take an average of 8 to 10 minutes.
Calls from mobiles and landlines are free.