Telecom outage: how to tell the fault isn't yours and get money back for days without internet

First make sure the fault isn't on your side

It's worth spending the first ten minutes checking your own side — otherwise a technician will come out, find an unplugged cable, and you'll be charged for the visit.

Home internet. Look at the lights on the router and the fibre terminal: on most, the operator shows a problem in red or with a missing signal. Unplug the router for half a minute and plug it back in. Check whether the circuit breaker in the fuse box has tripped and whether the bill has been paid: if you don't pay, the service is cut off, but not without warning — first you get a written notice and 30 days to pay.

Mobile. Switch aeroplane mode on and off, and try a second SIM or someone else's phone in the same spot. If a neighbour on the same operator has a working connection and you don't, the problem is your phone or your SIM.

Next — is it just you? The quickest way: ask in a local chat and look at Downdetector (downdetector.pt) — it shows how many people have reported problems with your operator in the last hour and in which towns. It isn't official data, just a count of complaints, but it's good enough to answer the question ‘is it everyone?’.

None of the four Portuguese operators has a page showing the state of its network in real time. MEO puts outage details in its my MEO app; the others, in your account area and through support. The support line's automated message, meanwhile, often already knows about an outage at your address and gives a repair time — that's the most accurate information you can get in a minute.

You can check whose networks reach your home at all, and at what speeds, on the government coverage map GEO.ANACOM — it will also come in handy later if you decide to leave.

“It started yesterday and today it's the same again. I lose internet — even over cable — and mobile data, all at once. Yesterday even the TV went. I thought it was just me, until a friend texted to say her internet had died — and that's when I noticed mine wasn't working either (we're both on MEO). Looks like it's a general problem.”

Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the link

r/telecomunicacoes_pt15.09.2026

“Downdetector is useful, but where's MEO's official page showing in real time what's broken on their end? Or the regulator's page? Because the bill's going to come for the same amount!”

Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the link

r/telecomunicacoes_pt15.09.2026

Report the outage and get a reference number

This is the step people most often skip: ‘it's a mass outage, they already know’. They do — but the 24 hours that your money depends on run from the moment the operator learned of the outage or the moment you reported it. You can't prove the first, but you can prove the second with a reference number.

What to say if you get through or are writing in your account area:

— which service isn't working: mobile, landline, internet, television; — the address and the contract holder's details — customer number or NIF; — since when the service has been down; — and most importantly: ask for a número de ocorrência — the reference number, the date and time it was logged, and have it sent in writing: by text, by email or to your account area.

The support numbers are the ones the regulator publishes: MEO 16 200, NOS 16 990, Vodafone 16 912 (Vodafone also has a separate technical line for TV NET VOZ — 16 913). From abroad, MEO is on +351 961 001 620, NOS on +351 931 699 000 and Vodafone on +351 911 691 200. By law, calls to these lines are either free or cost the same as an ordinary call: the operator must have a free line or a number starting with 2 or 9, and must show the call price clearly. The law doesn't, however, require an email address for support — some operators simply don't have one, which leaves the form on the website or your account area.

If there's no network at all and nothing to call from, report it later — you don't lose the right, the clock just starts at a later minute. You can also go to the operator's shop: that's where the paper complaints book is kept.

And ask for an estimate straight away: when they promise to restore service, what's known about the outage in your area, whether there are any restrictions. They may not give you an exact time, but you're entitled to ask.

“home one's working fine… probably something dropped out somewhere after the storm. When you ring support the automated line links your number to your account and address straight away and tells you about faults and repair times”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatlisboa31.01.2026

“We've had no internet all day, nothing at all . Set it up on the phone for now , but NOS is silent, total blackout, they're only promising tomorrow”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

nazare_pt29.01.2026

What to note down while you're without service

In a month there'll be nothing to argue with if you don't note down a few simple things now. The regulator lists them directly:

— the date and approximate time it started and ended — and if it kept dropping out, each interruption separately; — the address and town; — which services went down; — the operator's reference number; — evidence: screenshots of the error, texts from the operator, correspondence with support, speed test results.

Interruptions add up. This matters more than it seems: the right to money comes not only from one long outage, but also from the total of short ones over a billing period. If the internet went down for two hours seven evenings in a row, that's the same 24 hours, and they count in exactly the same way. So note it down every time, not just on the day it all finally died.

Take a screenshot of the error straight away: once the internet is back, you'll have nothing to prove it was down.

“I've had two similar stories with NOS, one with a contract termination, the second one's ongoing now with poor service quality (the internet drops for a minute, sometimes for hours). The first was resolved fairly successfully through the livro de reclamações, the second I'm handling the same way from the start, without even trying to go to them in person. I'm collecting evidence in a folder and writing a complaint every two weeks if they haven't replied to the last one, or replied unsatisfactorily.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatlisboa11.07.2026

A day without service — and a credit should appear on your bill

The main rule of this whole guide is set out in Article 129 of the electronic communications law, and it goes like this: if the service is unavailable for more than 24 hours — in a row or in total over a billing period — and it isn't your fault, the operator must credit you an amount equal to the price of the service for the downtime. Whether you asked for it or not. The law says so literally: ‘regardless of a request from the user’.

How it arrives:

— on your next bill — as a credit line reducing the amount due; — on your balance, if you have a prepaid SIM; — by bank transfer or cheque within 30 days, if by then you've already left the operator and the credit wasn't applied in time.

Separately, the law requires the operator to reimburse the costs you incurred reporting the outage — if the outage wasn't your fault.

In money terms, to be honest, it's not much: the price of the service for a day, not for your nerves. But there's a second half: the same article states plainly that the credit doesn't rule out compensation for damage under the general rules of law. So if the outage cost you money — paid work fell through, you had to buy mobile data — you claim that separately, and prove it the usual way: with receipts and correspondence.

It's worth saying plainly how this looks in practice: years of conversations haven't turned up a single account of this credit arriving on its own. They have turned up accounts of it not being given even after two written requests. So you'll have to ask — and in writing.

“we use them. The connection and the price are great! But!! I've been meaning to write about this here for ages, to share our bitter experience of their service. 😭😡 Suddenly our internet just vanished, completely! We wrote, called support, went on their website, went in person to their shop in Alegro. We threatened, demanded, wrote that we have 3 people working online from home!! In the end a technician came after 13 (!!!). Turned out a cable had been cut on the 4th floor 😱🤯. He fixed it for free, of course.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatsetubal22.11.2025

How to ask for the money: a letter that works

Ask through a channel that leaves a trail: your account area, a letter to the operator's address, the form on the website or the complaints book. A conversation in the support chat leaves no trail, and you can't hold anyone to a promise made over the phone.

What the letter should include:

— your name, customer number or NIF; — which service wasn't working, from when to when, at what address; — the reference number and the attached evidence; — the request itself: to apply a credit for the period of unavailability under Article 129 of the electronic communications law and to reimburse the costs of reporting the outage.

The regulator publishes a short template in Portuguese, and it's enough to copy it out with your own details:

*Estou sem serviço [Voz fixa, Voz móvel, Internet Fixa, Internet Móvel, TV] desde [date and time], em [town]. Solicito registo de avaria, número de ocorrência e confirmação por escrito. Peço informação sobre previsão e direitos/compensação caso a indisponibilidade ultrapasse 24 horas.*

In English this means: ‘My such-and-such service has not been working since such-and-such a time in such-and-such a place. I ask you to register the fault and give me a reference number and written confirmation. I ask you to tell me the forecast and what rights and compensation I am entitled to if the unavailability exceeds 24 hours.’

You can also write in Russian or English — big companies do reply — but the Portuguese text leaves no room for argument: it uses the very words the law is written in.

If the outage is already over, you can still ask: a complaint and a claim after the fact are lawful, as long as you describe what happened and attach whatever you kept.

How long the operator has to fix it

Here people are in for an unpleasant surprise: there is no single legal repair deadline in Portugal. The regulator says so directly: the law doesn't set minimum quality levels.

What the law does do is require a contract with a private individual to contain three things: the maximum time to fix an outage, compensation if that time isn't met, and compensation if a technician doesn't turn up on the agreed day. So the answer to ‘how long are they allowed to take to fix it’ lies not in the law but in your contract — in the section on service quality. The same terms must be in the contracts of micro-enterprises, small businesses and non-profit organisations, unless they have expressly waived them.

The reality, meanwhile, is what it is: in chats people talk about a week without internet with three technician visits, and about thirteen days of waiting because of a cable cut in the stairwell. In rural areas the wait is longer — there are fewer people there, and fewer repair crews.

What actually speeds things up: a written complaint in the complaints book (the next steps cover it) and insisting that they set a date for a technician's visit. What doesn't: calling support every day and explaining everything from scratch each time.

“I've been a MEO customer for more than ten years, and since last Tuesday, 8 September, my fibre hasn't been working — no phone, no internet, no TV. As of today a repair hasn't even been scheduled (I'm in a rural area). Has anyone had this, and what did you do to get the repair done faster? Feels like they couldn't care less.”

Translated from Portuguese; the original is at the link

r/telecomunicacoes_pt13.09.2026

“We had it too with MEO, once had no internet for a week The operator said: ‘don't worry, the whole village is without it’)”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatporto27.07.2023

Fifteen days — and you can end the contract without a penalty

The second most powerful rule after the credit: if the service is unavailable for more than 15 days after you reported the outage, you have the right to end the contract at no cost whatsoever. That means no penalty for leaving early, even if you're in the middle of a two-year lock-in and under the usual rules would pay half of the remaining payments.

Note how it's counted: the fifteen days run not from the fault but from your report. One more reason to report it on the very first day and get a reference number.

There's also a second route — for those whose connection doesn't die completely but doesn't work as promised. If the gap between what's written in the contract and what actually happens is significant, and also constant or recurring, the law treats it as a breach of contract and lets you end it at no cost.

The termination itself works like any other: notice 30 days ahead and confirmation from the operator. The calmest way is the government platform cessacaodecontratos.pt, where you submit the request with Chave Móvel Digital and bypass the call centre, which at that moment will start trying to talk you into staying. Termination, lock-ins and the cost of leaving are covered in detail separately: How to choose a telecom operator in Portugal.

And one important point: while the contract is in force, the bills must be paid. Refusing to pay for a disputed month gives the operator lawful grounds to suspend the service and end the contract itself — this time with a penalty. The right order is the reverse: pay, claim the credit, argue in writing.

“Well, our MEO worked for 3 years without a single problem, until the internet disappeared completely for a week(!) and visits from several technicians didn't fix anything. We had to leave them. Actually, that reposted reply from someone about NOS is a reply to my saga.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatlisboa11.07.2026

“Used it for a year, no problems, but yesterday I cancelled and switched to uzo. About a week and a half ago the internet went off completely, a technician came, said the fault was ‘somewhere on the line’ and since then dealing with support/bots exclusively got no result whatsoever.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatlisboa29.06.2026

The complaints book: fifteen working days for a reply

If the operator hasn't acknowledged the outage, hasn't applied the credit or is dragging its feet on the repair, the next step is a written complaint, and the best option is the electronic complaints book at livroreclamacoes.pt.

Why this one: for a complaint like this, the operator must reply to you personally within 15 working days, and a copy of the complaint and its reply goes to ANACOM. It's not a request but an obligation with a deadline, and in conversations it's the tool that works best of all: after a complaint, people have had a technician sent the very next day.

The process is simple: open the platform, choose ‘fazer reclamação’, confirm your email via the link they send, enter your details, the sector (comunicações eletrónicas), the operator and what happened. Once it's sent, you'll get a confirmation and a copy of the complaint by email — keep it, it's your proof.

You ask for the paper book in the operator's shop; it's weaker — replies to it don't necessarily come to you. How to fill in either one and what to expect from a complaint is covered separately: Livro de Reclamações: how to complain in Portugal.

You can complain even after everything's been fixed: that doesn't cancel your claim for money for the days that have passed.

“It worked with Vodafone 😁 for a week they couldn't come to install the internet, after the complaint a technician came straight away.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

banksdeportugal18.08.2026

“Nobody asked, but I'm going to write my review anyway. Maybe someone will change their mind about signing up with them and that little victory will warm my heart somehow. Some time in the spring we had no home internet for a week, MEO sent technicians three times, they poked around at something and left without ever beating the junction box. Meanwhile the tech support people came out with contradictory excuses: one moment there was an outage, the next there wasn't. There was a feeling in the air that the reason for the lack of internet was a mystery even to MEO.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

left4portugal24.06.2026

What ANACOM can and can't do

Here it's worth dropping any false hopes. ANACOM doesn't settle your dispute with the operator and doesn't fix the connection. The regulator itself says the law gave it no such powers: it monitors, collects complaints, inspects and fines rule-breakers, while restoring the network depends on the operator, its crews, electricity and access to the site. In major outages ANACOM works together with ANEPC, the civil protection authority, SIRESP, the state emergency communications network, and the Ministry of Internal Administration — but that's about the country as a whole, not your building.

What contacting the regulator does achieve: your complaint goes into the statistics it uses to put pressure on operators, and it can prompt an inspection. Plus there's the free line 800 206 665, where they'll explain what you're entitled to by law.

But if the operator says no, the money is claimed elsewhere — at a consumer dispute arbitration centre or a small-claims court (julgado de paz). Telecoms count as essential public services, so the operator must take part in this kind of arbitration, even if it would rather not; it's quicker and cheaper than court. Exactly where to go for your district is listed on the regulator's page about problems with your operator.

“Hi. Has anyone gone to ANACOM to resolve a dispute with a mobile operator? Wondering whether it's really worth the time or whether they're reluctant to take the customer's side.”

Translated from Ukrainian; the original is at the link

ukrporto28.04.2026

You've got a connection but no speed — that's a different matter

Slow internet isn't an outage, and the 24-hour rule doesn't apply to it: the service is, after all, available. A different rule applies here — the one that compares what the contract promised with what you actually get.

First look at your contract — or rather at its summary, which the operator must give you before you sign. For home internet it has three different figures: the minimum speed — a measurement can never fall below it, except when the service fails completely; the normally available speed — what you get most of the time; and the maximum download and upload speed — the ceiling at certain times. A complaint makes sense when reality falls short of the minimum and does so constantly or regularly. The summary must also show latency, its variation (jitter) and packet loss — for video calls and gaming these matter more than megabits.

Mobile internet is trickier: for it, the contract promises not a minimum but only an estimated maximum speed, and that depends on the place, the phone and the technology. So arguing about mobile megabits is almost pointless; a meaningful conversation is about coverage, not speed.

It's best to measure with the government speed test NET.mede: it's the regulator's measurement, not some random website, and it's easier to deal with the operator using it. To get a fair result, the regulator itself asks you to connect the computer to the router with a cable (if you can't, sit next to it), stop videos, downloads and games, disconnect other devices, including the TV box, and switch off any VPN.

And bear the simple things in mind: Wi-Fi through two walls, an old laptop and the evening rush hour are also reasons for slow speeds, and the operator has nothing to do with them.

“A few years ago NOS set 200 Mb for upload, then cut it to 100. that's pretty much where they've stayed. They used to have a 10 Gb network too… took it out of their plans now. Could also be they changed something for your building specifically. Further up, someone posted a link to check the connection by town as set by the operators. Right where I live, NOS, Vodafone and MEO give up to 100 Mb max for upload, but download speeds vary.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatlisboa31.01.2026

How to get by until it's fixed

While it's being fixed, you need a connection every day — for work, the bank, the doctor. Here's what people do here.

Mobile data instead of home internet. The most common and simplest way out: tether your laptop to your phone. In chats people live like this for two weeks straight. It's worth knowing in advance how many gigabytes you have and whether tethering is allowed — cheap brands sometimes restrict it.

A SIM from a second operator. A prepaid SIM on another network for five to seven euros is the cheapest insurance there is: when one network goes down, the other usually works. You can see which networks reach your home on the GEO.ANACOM map.

Wi-Fi calling. If mobile signal at home is poor but there's someone else's or a neighbour's internet, you can turn on Wi-Fi calling in your phone settings — that way you make and receive ordinary calls.

If the mobile network itself is down, the regulator suggests things that sound boring but work: look for a spot with better reception — sometimes a few metres is enough; turn off mobile data when you don't need it; keep calls short and send texts instead of calling; and don't keep redialling — repeated calls only overload the network further.

“I'm on Woo, no problems at all. Once my home internet broke, I tethered from my phone to my laptop for two weeks, all fine. The plan is 7 euros/month”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

left4portugal26.08.2026

“If any of the operators works badly somewhere in a flat or house but there's WiFi coverage there, you can turn on WiFi calling in your phone settings, it lets you take calls over any WiFi. That's how I use Meo at home (uzo supports it too), it doesn't get signal in every corner of the flat. The only odd thing - abroad this feature doesn't work for it so that calls go through as local Portuguese ones.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

left4portugal28.08.2026

When everything's back — check your bill

An outage ends not when the light on the router comes back on, but when the next bill arrives. There are two things to look for on it.

Whether the downtime credit has appeared. It should be on a separate line, reducing the total. If it hasn't, write the letter from step five, and if you get no reply to that, use the complaints book.

Whether anything extra has appeared. Major failures sometimes break billing too: after the April 2025 blackout, a man in Porto got a bill with sixty euros extra for mobile data, and support put it down to a billing glitch. If he hadn't noticed, the money would have been taken. Check the lines for connection and data for the month of the outage especially carefully.

Bill paid by direct debit and the extra charge only spotted afterwards? No problem: demand a refund in writing; it comes as the same kind of credit on your next bill.

“If you're with MEO, I'd recommend checking your last bill. They slapped on an extra 60 euros for some kind of GPRS, and when I asked support they said ‘oh, we had a billing glitch during the blackout’. If I hadn't noticed, they'd have taken it. I suspect I'm not the only one in Porto.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatporto23.05.2025

If the outage made you miss a payment or an appointment

A particular problem with big outages: without internet, payments don't go through, booking a doctor's appointment won't open, verification codes don't arrive.

Payments. Bills for electricity, water and taxes aren't paid only through an app: every bill has a Multibanco reference, and any cash machine will take it. Cash machines run on their own communication lines and ride out operator outages better than home internet does. If you do miss a payment deadline and a late fee builds up, ask in writing for it to be waived and attach the outage reference number — this is exactly the case where a piece of paper about the outage turns into money.

The doctor and public services. Booking with the SNS also works by phone: the SNS 24 line is 808 24 24 24, and a landline works even when the internet is down. How doctor's appointments work and what to do without a family doctor is covered separately: How to see a doctor in Portugal.

Losses beyond the credit. If the outage cost you real money — paid work that fell through, mobile data bought for a week, a missed deadline — you claim that separately from the downtime credit and prove it with receipts and correspondence. The law expressly keeps this right, but the operator won't pay up voluntarily: the route here is a written claim, and then arbitration.

What not to do

Don't wait in silence. The costliest mistake: sitting it out for three days hoping they'll fix it, and only then calling. The 24 hours count from your report, and those three days simply won't be counted.

Don't trust verbal promises. ‘It'll all be working tomorrow’ over the phone isn't proof. Ask for a reference number and written confirmation; chats are full of stories where ‘tomorrow’ went on for a week.

Don't refuse to pay the bill. Not paying doesn't punish the operator; it gives it the right to suspend the service and end the contract — with a penalty for leaving early. Pay, and claim the credit separately.

Don't tinker with the junction box or swap the router for your own during an outage. As long as the operator's equipment is untouched, the fault definitely isn't yours; after any DIY, they may charge you for the technician's visit.

Don't throw away the correspondence and the reference number. In a month, when it comes to the complaints book or arbitration, that's all you'll have.

Don't count on ANACOM calling the operator and sorting it all out. That's not how it works; your tools are a letter, the complaints book and arbitration.

Don't sign a new contract with a lock-in in exchange for an apology. After a long outage, you're often offered ‘compensation’ in the form of a discount for a couple of months — but along with a fresh twenty-four months of commitment. If the service was down for more than fifteen days, you're entitled to leave for free anyway.

“About an hour ago the internet went down, can't get through to Apoio de Cliente.”

Translated from Russian; the original is at the link

chatleiria01.12.2024