Most large companies only tend to deal with regulators and competition authorities when they need a merger cleared, or are fending off investigations of their activities. Few companies complain about their competitors’ conduct when they are convinced that they are being excluded from a market, or otherwise being disadvantaged by anti-competitive conduct.
The authorities, including the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and its regulatory counterparts in telecoms, water and energy, are obliged to examine all matters brought to their attention and, while they have limited resources, must follow-up well-founded complaints.
