BROADBAND customers will get compensation for poor service more quickly under an Ofcom scheme announced yesterday that is expected to pay out £142 million a year.

Companies including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet have agreed to automatically credit customers’ accounts if they experience slow repairs, missed appointments or delayed installations, so they do not have to chase companies.

The watchdog said currently only around 15 per cent of those who complain get a refund, mostly of small amounts.

The initiative is set to come into force in early 2019 following a 15-month implementation period, with Plusnet and EE also set to sign up.

Customers can expect to receive £25 per missed appointment if an engineer fails to show up or cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice, £8 for slow repairs, and £5 for each day the set-up of a new service is delayed.

Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services for Which?, said that it is “vital” that all of Britain’s broadband and landline providers “play fair and sign up for this scheme.”