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A deadlock letter is a written response from a business saying it cannot resolve your complaint further. It can allow you to take an eligible complaint to an ombudsman or alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme before the usual waiting period expires. You cannot issue one to yourself.
If you are searching for a “deadlock letter energy ombudsman” template, first decide which document you need: a request asking your supplier for its final position, or a complaint explaining your case to the Energy Ombudsman. They serve different purposes.
What should a deadlock letter tell you?
Read the provider's explanation of its position, what it has offered and which dispute-resolution scheme it identifies. Note the date, complaint reference, any referral deadline and the instructions for escalating. The exact wording varies. If the response is unclear, ask whether it is the provider's final response and which scheme can consider the dispute.
Keep the complete response, including the email or envelope information where relevant. A screenshot of only one paragraph may omit eligibility instructions or a deadline. Do not assume that an automated acknowledgement or a rejected refund request is necessarily a formal deadlock response.
Energy, telecoms and finance do not all have the same rules
- Energy supplier complaints in Great Britain: Energy Ombudsman's current published process allows escalation after eight weeks unresolved, or earlier with a deadlock letter. Check separate arrangements for Northern Ireland.
- Phone, mobile, broadband and internet: complaints first raised on or after 8 April 2026 normally use a six-week ADR waiting period. Earlier complaints normally retain eight weeks. Deadlock can allow earlier escalation. Your provider will belong to Communications Ombudsman or CISAS.
- Financial services: most complaints allow eight weeks for a business response, with shorter periods for some payment-related complaints. An unsatisfactory final response can allow earlier referral. The usual Financial Ombudsman referral deadline is six months from the final response, subject to exceptions.
These are different rules for different processes, not interchangeable deadlines. Record when you first complained and read the current official guidance before submitting your case. Announced future changes should not be treated as operative rules until the relevant scheme confirms them.
How to request a final response or deadlock letter
If the business appears to have exhausted its process, ask it to confirm its position in writing. Include your existing complaint reference rather than starting a new, disconnected complaint. A clear request might say:
Re: Complaint [reference], first raised on [date]. My complaint remains unresolved because [brief facts]. Please confirm your final position and any action you will take. If you consider your complaints process exhausted, please provide a final response or deadlock letter identifying the appropriate independent dispute-resolution scheme and any referral deadline.
This is a request to the business, not an official deadlock certificate. You may ask for a response by a reasonable date, but doing so does not shorten the scheme's eligibility period. Use our formal complaint letter template if you have not yet made the initial complaint.
What if the company does not send a deadlock letter?
You may still be eligible once the applicable waiting period has expired. Give the scheme your original complaint date, reference and evidence of contact. Explain that you have not received a final response rather than inventing one or labelling your own letter “deadlock”. The scheme decides whether it can accept the case.
For the next document, use the Energy Ombudsman complaint letter or phone and broadband ADR letter template. For other sectors, start with our guide to writing to the correct ombudsman.
Build a useful evidence file
Put the complaint and responses in date order. Include relevant bills, contract terms, meter readings, fault references or payment records. Explain the impact and the specific remedy you want considered. Keep notes of telephone calls and copies of emails and webchats as well as letters. Postal correspondence is not the only accepted way to establish a record.
If you choose post, keep a copy of everything. Proof of postage confirms posting, not that an ombudsman accepted your case. Allow for delivery time before deadlines and follow the scheme's instructions about additional evidence.
Free complaint routes, optional printing and postage
The consumer ombudsman or ADR service is free. You do not need to buy postage or pay a representative to complain. If you prefer physical correspondence, Send Letters Online can print and post your letter from £2.99. We are independent of the schemes and do not provide legal advice or guarantee a result.
