1. Broadband
2. Providers
3. John Lewis
4. Help

As of 4 October 2022, John Lewis Broadband has ceased offering broadband deals to new customers. For the time being it continues to serve its existing customers without interruption. Your John Lewis Broadband connection is, like any other broadband connection, going to be pretty vital to your household for everything from shopping and research to gaming and streaming. So what happens if something goes wrong?

In this guide we will take you through what to do if you're troubled by some of the most common problems with the service. We will highlight how, where and when to get help from John Lewis. And point out how you can, in the first instance, help yourself.

Payment and billing issues

If you have missed a payment or are struggling to pay your bill

If you've missed a payment or you know that you're going to miss one or more, then you need to contact John Lewis Broadband as soon as this comes to light. Failure to do this can result in a reduction of your services or even disconnection, followed by a possible penalty payment for late payment and reconnection. If you speak to John Lewis Broadband upfront about the fact you are struggling to pay, the provider is more likely to work with you to resolve the issue.

After 14 days John Lewis Broadband will begin to restrict your service if you've not paid (or made contact to organise payment).

After 28 days if you've not paid or made payment arrangements, your account and services will be cancelled. You will still owe any outstanding amounts up until the end of the contract period you signed for.

Ways to pay

Once you have funds back in place, you can negotiate with John Lewis Broadband to increase your direct debit payment to make up the shortfall. You can also pay any shortfall by additional payments by credit or debit card – or even by cheque.

What if you've been overcharged?

Make sure to check your bill every month. This will not only tell you if your payment has gone through but also if you've been overcharged – maybe for an add-on you've not used or can't remember using. If the second case is true, you should contact John Lewis Broadband using your account page on the website.

Broadband problems

John Lewis Broadband offers two kinds of broadband; one connects to your home via a fibre wire, the other uses the older copper wire that you'll be familiar with because your landline phone connects that way. No broadband network is ever 100% perfect, and problems will arise. A lot of those problems are, however, not that difficult to solve yourself with the help of this guide.

• Check the service status – If your broadband is down or running inconsistently the first thing to do is to head to the John Lewis Broadband website and find the 'Service Status' link at the bottom right of the 'Help and Support' page. This will show you if there are any problems with broadband or phone services locally and nationally
• Are you in credit? – It's a good idea to check your account details on the John Lewis Broadband website. This will enable you to see if your most recent payment has gone through, and if your direct debit details are up to date
• Check your connection – Whichever type of broadband connection you have with John Lewis, your router will be connected to your broadband via a double socket or a 'microfilter'. This is a small box that fits into your landline phone socket and lets you plug in both your phone and your broadband router. Unplug your phone's cable from, leaving your broadband plugged in. Then go to a webpage. If it loads correctly, then the problem is with your phone connection socket or microfilter
• Restart your router – If your broadband connection is slow, intermittent or not working at all, don't panic. Switch off your router at the wall's plug socket. Disconnect any cables that go into the router. These will usually be the power cable and the broadband cable, and any ethernet cables you may be using to connect your devices (if you are using a device over wifi, then you don't need to worry about this). Leave the router switched off for two minutes before reconnecting the broadband cable and one ethernet cable connected to your computer, and finally the power cable. Switch the router back on. Wait for two minutes, then connect to a website with your browser. If your connection seems as it should be, you've fixed your problem

Wireless problems

If your wireless signal is slow, intermittent or not working at all, you can use these tips to try and get back up and running before you turn to John Lewis.

Reposition your router

Wireless signals can be interfered with or even blocked by solid objects such as thick doors, walls or even piles of books. Try moving your broadband router around the room. If this doesn't help with a strong signal in other rooms, you might want to get a wifi booster (also known as a wifi range extender).

Unplug and restart

Disconnect any ethernet cables. Then unplug the broadband cable that comes from your wall socket. You can turn your router off at the plug. Wait for two minutes. Then reconnect the broadband cable. Then plug the power cable back in and switch your router on. Do not plug any ethernet cables in. Wait for two minutes, then try to connect to a website. If everything works fine, the problem isn't with your wireless but with one of the other devices you've plugged in via an ethernet cable.

Change the channel

OK, this one might be a bit advanced for some people, but you can actually log on to your own router using the address http://192.168.0.1/. You can then change what are known as the 'wifi channels' to see if you get a better connection. You will need to connect to your router using a computer and ethernet cable. But be warned, fiddling with these settings can result in you losing your wifi signal until you fix it.

Landline phone problems

When you get a broadband connection with John Lewis broadband, you will also get a landline phone line. Here are a few quick fixes you can try that, if nothing else, will also arm you with the information you could need when you talk to John Lewis technical help.

• Check your batteries – Cordless phones need batteries to work. A very easy thing to forget is to change these. If you're getting bad reception or no reception at all then putting new batteries in may do the trick
• Unplug anything else – If your phone is plugged into the landline socket using a microfilter that also holds the broadband cable, simply unplug the broadband cable, make a call and see if your phone signal is good again. If so, the problem might be with your broadband cable or your router
• Try another socket – If you've got more than one phone socket in your home, then you can leave your broadband connected and try that
• Try another cable – If you have another telephone cable, a quick fix might be to swap the new one for the existing one to see if that solves your problem

Does John Lewis own its own network?

No, John Lewis doesn't actually own nor operate its own broadband or phone networks. Instead it makes use of Plusnet's broadband infrastructure and phone connections. Both of these are provided in turn by Openreach. But none of this makes any practical difference to you. In real terms you will use your John Lewis Broadband account to make any payments or raise any queries or complaints. You will also need to turn to John Lewis Broadband directly for any help.

How to get help for John Lewis Broadband

Once you've tried our fixes, and have gathered any useful information following the advice in this guide, it's time to get in touch with John Lewis. There are a number of ways of accessing help with John Lewis Broadband. As a side note, you may be aware that John Lewis is a reseller of Plusnet's broadband services. This is indeed the case, however, Plusnet will not have your account details and will not be able to offer assistance. So, here's how to make use of John Lewis' help.

Customer Service helplines

John Lewis Broadband is part of a long-established and respectable organisation and as such has call centres for technical and billing assistance based in the UK. The number you need is: 0800 022 3300.

The John Lewis Broadband website

As you'd expect from a company as longstanding and trusted as the John Lewis Partnership, its online help is clearly laid out and very useful. You don't even have to log in to an account page to make use of it. You will find quick FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) that contain most of the answers you'll need. If these don't help, then there are also more in-depth help utilities to be found in the 'Support' pages.

Use social media to speed up response times

If all else fails, and you can’t get a fast or satisfactory response via John Lewis's helpline, website FAQs and help pages, or the company's call centres, you can try making your issue known by using John Lewis’s social media accounts. These include Twitter and Facebook. Make sure to keep things courteous and constructive, though; sending rude messages will not help your cause.

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