Corporate Responsibility

Complaints mechanism

We aim to act responsibly in all of our economic activities, everywhere and at all times.

Please use our special communication channels for customer inquiries. 

But sometimes violations of human rights, environmental regulations, or ethical principles can occur that we may not see or be able to identify immediately. For this, we need your help.

We would like to encourage you to inform us about possible violations of which you are aware and which could be related to Deutsche Telekom.

Through the TellMe whistleblower portal, you have the opportunity to share your concerns and tips-offs about human rights-related or environmental risks securely and confidentially. Your input can make a real contribution to eliminating problems.

Provided that you have acted to the best of your knowledge and in good faith and have not broken any applicable law yourself, you will not suffer any disadvantage or harm as a result of your tip-off. Reports can be submitted by different groups of people, e.g., by our own employees, employees of supplier companies, other contractors and business partners, and by those in civil society.

You can be sure that all tip-offs will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by a team of experts. Any tip-off can also be submitted anonymously using the online tool.

Please only submit tip-offs if they relate to human rights-related issues, as in the examples listed below, and/or if they constitute information concerning violations of laws or regulations of Deutsche Telekom.

Thank you for your commitment/your tip-off!

For example, your tip-off may concern the following matters

Human rights-related risks/violations

Disregard for occupational health and safety (based on national regulations)
Child labor by children under the permitted minimum working age
Forced labor/slavery
Violations of the freedom of association
Discrimination (background, disability, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation)
Withholding an adequate living wage (based on national regulations)
Causing harmful soil changes
Water or air pollution
Harmful noise or excessive water consumption

Risks or violations may concern. © Deutsche Telekom

Environmental risks/violations

through involvement in the manufacture and disposal of mercury-added products
through the production or use of certain persistent organic pollutants
Risks caused by the collection and disposal of waste

Your tip-offs can be passed on via the following communication channels:

Telephone: +8000 3824 835 free international service number

The hotline number +8000 3824 835 is valid internationally and available 24h. If you are calling from outside Germany, please use the dialing code or country access code applicable from your site. The hotline can answer your call in German and English.

By E-mail:

tell-me@telekom.de

Address:

Deutsche Telekom AG
Hinweisgeberportal TellMe
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 140

D-53113 Bonn

Anonymous tip-offs
Your tip-off will be treated in the strictest confidence. If you are still concerned about giving your name, you will be able to use the Business Keeper Monitoring Systems (BKMS), which works like an electronic mailbox. It also enables anonymous dialog with us. The IT system used for this is certified and provides the necessary technology to ensure that the anonymity of our whistleblowers is fully guaranteed at all times.
Click here to submit your anonymous tip-off

In addition to Deutsche Telekom's communication channels, whistleblowers can also report to external reporting channels. Further information here (in German).

Our complaints procedure at a glance

You can submit a tip-off via telephone, email, post, or an anonymous online form. Whichever way you choose, you can communicate in English or German. If you choose the online reporting system, other languages are also possible.

Within seven days you will receive a confirmation of receipt and be assigned a contact person for subsequent proceedings. We will endeavor to conduct communications in the language that will ensure the best possible understanding.

A team of experts handles the tip-off and reviews the validity of the tip-off. If the tip-off is rejected, you will be advised of the reasons for this decision.

Other parties may be involved in the process, following consultation with you where necessary, to determine the facts.

Proposals for remedial action will then be developed, following consultation with you where necessary. You will generally be advised of the outcome of the procedure and any derived measures within around three months after the confirmation of receipt of their tip-off.

We will archive the matter and a record of the remedial action taken as prescribed by law.

Providing us with voluntary feedback once the matter is closed helps us with the further development of our complaints procedure.

Special channels for other issues

For customer inquiries or customer complaints about Deutsche Telekom products and services, our experts working on the relevant customer hotlines will be pleased to help.

For employees of the Deutsche Telekom Group, other points of contact are provided on the in-house communications channels. For example:

Threat management: in the event of risks of physical or psychological violence among employees (e.g., bullying, sexual harassment, radicalization), in contact with customers, or in a private context (e.g., domestic violence, stalking)
Personal consultation: in the event of difficult situations at work or in their private lives, such as personal crises or stressful situations relating to employee management
AskMe advice portal: concerning compliance-related questions and acting in compliance with values and the law in day-to-day work