Help and Support
Services for customers with disabilities and vulnerabilities
We offer a range of services to help you stay connected, manage your account and communicate with us as easily as possible. You can find out lots more about these services below.
- Braille, large print, and audio documents
- Free directory enquiries service
- Next Generation Text and the NGT App
- Emergency SMS
- Third party account management
- Free priority fault repair (phone service)
1. Braille, large print, and audio documents
We want to make sure you always get the information you need in a way that's easy for you to use and understand.
If you need your bills and other important documents in an alternative format we have the following options:
- Braille 2
- Large print
- Audio - We provide audio information on CDs or in a format compatible with an MP3 player.
To arrange your communications in an alternative format please contact our customer support team on 0800 022 3300, use our online chat service or via the Additional Support Form in My Account.
2. Free directory enquiries service
If you find the BT phone book difficult to hold, handle or read you can apply for a free directory enquiries service.
To sign up for this service, you'll need to complete an application form, which will need counter signing by a medical professional. To request a form, call 0800 587 0195 and ask to speak with the registration team, whose opening hours are 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Please note: this service is not provided by John Lewis Broadband.
Once signed up, all you need to do is dial 195 and you can speak to an operator who'll find the number you require. You can also ask to be connected directly to the number you wish to call. If you are connected by the operator, you will be charged for the call in accordance with your call package. In other words, you won't be charged more than normal for using this service.
3. Text relay services/Next Generation Text and the NGT App
A text relay service is designed to help customers use a phone because they have difficulty hearing or speaking. It's effectively a translation service, which converts voice-to-text or text-to-voice.
If you have difficulties with hearing, a relay assistant will type what the other person is saying, so that you can read their words in real time. If you have difficulty speaking on the phone, a relay assistant will speak the words you type, so the other person can hear your words in real time.
Next Generation Text (NGT) is a new and improved version of the previous text relay service and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can use a text phone for NGT (like the old text relay service), but a free NGT app is also available, which works with smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs, so that you can use NGT wherever you have an internet connection.
There are different ways in which you can use Next Generation Text depending on your circumstances. These options are summarised below:
| Option | If you... | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| 'Type and Read' | ...can't hear and don't use your voice | You type what you want to say on a phone call, and read what the other person says. |
| 'Speak and Read' | ...can't hear but can use your voice | You speak directly to the other person, a relay assistant types the response back to you and stays on the call for as long as is required. |
| 'Type and Hear' | ...can hear but don't use your voice | You are connected to a relay assistant who reads to the other person the words you've typed, while you hear the other person speak. |
| 'Speak and Hear' | ...can hear, and are speaking to someone who needs to use NGT | Communicating with someone who is not able to speak on the phone, via a text relay assistant. |
Cost of NGT
The cost of a text relay call is the same as if you made the call without text relay. We know that text relay calls can take longer than a normal voice call, so we make adjustments to your call charges to make sure that you aren't out of pocket.
Need more help?
NGT is not a service provided directly by John Lewis Broadband. To find out lots about the options available and how to use NGT we recommend that you visit the Next Generation Text website: www.ngts.org.uk.
You can also contact our customer support team on 0800 022 3300.
4. Emergency SMS
The emergency SMS service is there for people who struggle to speak on the phone, so they can alert the emergency services without needing to call them.
The emergency SMS service lets deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired people in the UK send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the police, ambulance, fire rescue, or coastguard.
5. Third party account management
The easiest way to ensure you don't miss a payment is to pay your bills by Direct Debit. This way you'll never need to worry about missing a bill. However, we appreciate that some customers prefer to pay with a credit or debit card.
In exceptional circumstances, like a long stay in hospital, we know that anyone can accidentally forget to pay a bill. Therefore, we offer various ways for someone else to manage bills on your behalf if your personal circumstances change, whether temporarily or on a permanent basis.
Service Protection Scheme (Phone and broadband customers only)
We have a scheme in place to prevent service interruption should you be unable to make a payment due to, for example, a long stay in hospital or a change in circumstances. You can nominate a friend or relative (a nominee) who we will contact should there be a payment outstanding on the account. We would attempt to contact the nominee before any service restrictions are applied, and that nominee will be authorised to make a payment on your account. In order to add a nominee, please fill in the Protected Services Scheme application form and send it in to us or, if you are unable to print the form, please contact our support team on 0800 423 0200 to request one.
Authorised User
You can nominate up to two people to manage your phone and broadband account. They can manage your bills, make payments, contact us about faults and ask questions about the account.
Authorised users cannot close the account, accept additional charges on your behalf or make any changes to your contract.
To set up an authorised user for Phone and broadband please contact us on 0800 022 3300.
Power of Attorney
There may be times when you need someone to manage your affairs for you. A Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document which gives someone else (known as the attorney) legal authority to make decisions and act on your behalf. If you have a PoA we'll treat them as the account holder, which means you'll no longer be able to manage your account.
The types of PoA we accept are:
| PoA type | Proof we need |
|---|---|
| Lasting Power of attorney | Must be registered and validated by the Office of Public Guardian |
| Enduring Power of attorney | Must be signed by both parties Only needs to be registered with the Office of Public Guardian if the donor has lost mental capacity |
| Ordinary power of attorney | Must be signed by both parties |
| Deputyship order | Must be stamped by the Court of Protection |
| Benefits appointee | BF57 form must be provided which has been processed by DWP with an official stamp |
*Please note we're unable to accept other types of PoA.
You can find out more information on PoA including other types of PoA on Ofcom's website.
If you have power of attorney, please send a photocopy to:
John Lewis Broadband
The Balance
2 Pinfold Street
Sheffield
S1 2GU
6. Free priority fault repair (phone line)
We do our best to keep all our services up and running at all times. However, it's not possible to guarantee a completely fault-free service and occasionally, we know that some customers may experience problems with their phone line.
For customers who are dependent on their phone service, we operate a free priority fault repair scheme, which offers enhanced support and speedier fault resolution for eligible customers.
Who can receive priority fault repair?
If you register as disabled and/ or vulnerable with John Lewis then you may be entitled to priority fault repair. We can only provide the service to those who need it most, so if you tell us about any disabilities or vulnerabilities we can assess if we're able to offer you the service.
You can let us know about any disabilities or vulnerabilities by calling 0800 022 3300 or via the Additional Support Form in My Account.
Need more help?
If you have any questions about our priority fault repair scheme, please contact our customer support team on 0800 022 3300.
Having problems with your broadband connection?
Report a problem with your service. It's faster by text.
Service Status
For full details of our current issues or any maintenance work that could be affecting your service please visit our Service Status site.
Can't find what you're looking for?
If we've not been able to address your query through a support article please contact Customer support for further assistance.