My phone is lost or stolen, what do I need to do?

What to do if your phone has been lost or stolen

1. Text or call it: someone might have found it and you can organise to get it back.
2. Lock and locate it: if you can't get hold of your phone, you should be able to lock it down by using Android Device Manager or Apple's Find my Phone on another device. You can also set up a lock screen with another contact number asking the person who's found it to call that number.
3. Report it: report the loss to the police so they can open a file. You'll need this for insurance purposes.
4. Change your passwords: if you use mobile banking, email and social media on your phone, it's wise to change your passwords in case your accounts have been compromised.
5. Tell your provider: if you’re on a contract, report the loss to your mobile phone provider immediately. Some phone networks have signed up to a £100 'liability cap', which means you'll only be liable to pay for the first £100 of your phone bill if your phone is lost or stolen if you're on a monthly contract. But the cap is only activated if you report your phone as lost or stolen within 24 hours of going missing.

Unauthorised calls: how to dispute your bill

If you’re charged for unauthorised calls, you should try and negotiate with the network and see if they will reduce the bill.

Sometimes your provider will reduce the bill as a gesture of goodwill, but legally it doesn’t have to do this. 

Your network won’t normally replace your handset free of charge, so you’ll have to carry on paying your monthly line rental until the end of your contract. 

If your mobile phone is insured or covered by your home insurance policy you will usually be able to claim for a new handset.

To dispute your bill, write a letter to your service provider. You should include:

• Your name, address and a contact telephone number if you have one.
• Your customer account or reference number.
• Copies of the bill you are disputing.
• Why you are disputing the bill and which charges were unauthorised.
• What has happened in your home over the billing period, for example, if you’re at work all day or if any children are away at college. This information may be useful to show there have been no changes in circumstances which would result in a higher bill.
• Ask your provider to respond to you within 14 days.

You can use our template letter for disputing a phone bill.

Send the letter to the service provider’s customer services department and keep a copy of your letter.

How to dispute a bill not paid via direct debit

If you don’t pay by direct debit you could include payment for the part of the bill which is not in dispute. This will show goodwill on your part and stop your provider from disconnecting you.  

Furthermore, your mobile phone provider should cease any collection activity whilst investigating a queried or disputed bill.

Late payment fees on disputed bills

It may be unreasonable for your service provider to charge you a late payment charge if you don't pay a bill that you are disputing, though this depends on your terms and conditions.

If the charges turn out to be for services you’ve used and the charges are detailed in your terms and conditions, you’ll probably have to pay them.

If you still dispute what you’ve been charged, or you think the charges are unfair or were not in your terms and conditions, you should make a formal complaint and follow the procedure as set out above.

How to resolve a dispute with your provider

If you’re not happy with the way in which your complaint has been handled you can take it to one of two dispute resolution schemes – The Communications Ombudsman or the Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS).

These are independent complaints schemes that will consider a complaint about a mobile phone service provider if you haven’t been able to resolve your problem directly.

But you must give your mobile provider a chance to resolve your complaint first. If it’s not resolved within eight weeks you should request a ‘deadlock’ letter.

You will then be able to take your mobile complaint to one of the resolution schemes (whichever one your mobile service provider belongs to).

The resolution schemes only deal with complaints about mobile service providers (the company you pay for your mobile service) and not about other mobile phone retailers that ‘resell’ mobile contracts but don’t operate their own service.

The power of dispute resolution

Dispute resolution schemes can make your mobile phone service provider do the following:

• apologise and/or explain its actions
• give you a product or service
• pay you up to £5,000 compensation for any loss you can prove you have suffered

Dispute resolution services can also recommend that a mobile service provider changes its policies or procedures.

You can also contact Ofcom, the telecoms regulator. It cannot help with your individual problem, but it’s good to let it know if you have a major problem with a company.

Ofcom monitors all consumer issues and can investigate a company if it finds serious ongoing problems with a particular provider.