Customer charter
We are an independent, not-for-profit media content regulator. Our trusted age ratings, content advice and compliance services help you to carry out your business with peace of mind. In this charter, we set out the standards of service we aim to provide for you and your business.
We are committed to:
- issuing trusted age ratings and content advice in accordance with our published Guidelines, drawn from large-scale public consultations and specialist research;
- being fair and transparent in how we conduct our business;
- ensuring information relating to our products and services is clear and understandable;
- providing cost-effective statutory and non-statutory content labelling services for business of all sizes, reinvesting income to deliver further value;
- promoting and protecting the creative industries through our support to law enforcement agencies and our extensive education programme.
Our services
The BBFC offers a suite of media regulation services. In this section you will find details of the services that relate to statutory regulation and those that relate to self-regulation. We also detail additional services that may be of interest to you.
Our customer service aims
The BBFC aims to provide the highest standard of customer service at all times.
What we need from you
How to contact us
We are here to help you, and we like to hear from you. If you need to get in touch, or if you’d like to let us know how we’re doing, please access our contact details here.
We aim to respond to queries with a preliminary course of action within one working day, and to resolve any concerns fully in five working days.
Your Feedback
We value your comments as they help us improve our services as well as meet the aims set out in our customer charter.
How we will maintain our customer charter
We commit to keeping this customer charter relevant and up to date by reviewing it on an annual basis and publishing any changes on this website.
Customer Charter - in detail
Our services
The BBFC offers a suite of media regulation services. In this section you will find details of the services that relate to statutory regulation and those that relate to self-regulation. We also detail additional services that may be of interest to you.
Statutory services
- We provide age ratings and bespoke content advice for theatrical releases under the Licensing Act 2003;
- We provide age ratings and bespoke content advice for Blu-ray and DVD releases under the Video Recordings Act 1984;
- We provide Certificates of Evidence to law enforcement officers under the Video Recordings Act.
Non–statutory services
- We provide age ratings and bespoke content advice for use on digital services (Watch & Rate);
- We license age ratings, symbols, content advice and other data for digital services (VOD) and other uses;
- We use our expertise to provide bespoke white label services and to deliver training in compliance procedures;
- We offer consultancy services on compliance and content labelling issues;
- We handle video packaging submissions under the voluntary Video Packaging Review Committee (VPRC) scheme.
Additional services
- Our Education programme offers a range of presentations on the BBFC’s work, held either in-house or at your chosen venue;
- We allow access to our historic paper file archive and welcome enquiries from researchers;
- We hire our meeting rooms and screening theatre (equipped with digital 3D projection) at competitive rates.
Our customer service aims
The BBFC aims to provide the highest standard of customer service at all times.
This includes:
- offering age ratings and content advice for your non-express Blu-ray/DVD and Watch & Rate submissions within 8 calendar days;*
- offering age ratings and content advice for your theatrical submissions within 5 working days of the print/media item being available for viewing;*
- communicating the age rating and related information within 15 minutes of the decision;
- providing a decision on express bookings the same day of viewing;*
- responding to email requests within one working day;
- answering your telephone call within 15 seconds.
*These points are based on your cooperation – please also read ‘What we need from
you’.
What we need from you
To smooth the classification process we would ask that you follow a few points.
- Please submit content in the version intended for release and in accordance with our published submission criteria;
- Please provide us with accurate information regarding your submission.
- Please note we operate a prepayment system unless otherwise stated;
- Please help us resolve unforeseen issues which may arise from time to time in relation to an individual submission.
Your feedback
We value your comments They help us improve our services as well as meet the aims set out in our customer charter.
Here is how to feed back to us:
- Via the extranet: ‘BBFC Performance Feedback’ button (extranet users only)
- By email: helpline@bbfc.co.uk
- By phone: 020 7440 0299
- By post: 3 Soho Square, London W1D 3HD
Our opening hours are 09:00-18:00 Monday-Friday.
How we will maintain our customer charter
We commit to keeping this customer charter relevant and up to date by reviewing it on an annual basis and publishing any changes on this website.
In addition to our Customer Charter, each year we publish an Annual Report, which gives a detailed account of our performance over the year. Copies of current and previous Annual Reports are available here or printed copies are available on request from the press office.
It is BBFC policy to maintain the confidentiality of customers’ personal information or data in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
We are committed to our customer charter and delivering the standard of service it outlines but it does not create any new contractual or legally binding relationship.
You may also wish to read our terms and conditions here.
Customer charter date: December 2014
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