Method for assisting an operator of a domestic appliance, when making contact with customer service staff of a customer service department for the domestic appliance with the aid of a portable communications device, having the following steps: - detection of a code affixed to the domestic appliance by an optical detection facility of the portable communications device, - detection of an identifier of the domestic appliance from the detected code, - setting up of a first communications link between the portable communications device and a communications facility of the customer service department on the basis of the detected code, - wherein, as part of a conversation, audio data of the operator and the customer service staff is transmitted between the portable communications device and the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, - wherein data, which comprises the identifier of the domestic appliance is transmitted from the portable communications device to the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, - transmission, during the conversation, of image signals recorded by the optical detection facility by way of the first communications link, - use, during the conversation, of a second communications link between a communications unit of the domestic appliance and the portable communications device, wherein the communications unit can transmit data according to the Bluetooth® standard and/or the WLAN standard, - recording of fault data which contains information on any faults that may have occurred in the domestic appliance, by means of sensors of the domestic appliance, - storage of the fault data in a memory of the domestic appliance, - transmission of the fault data to the portable communications device by way of the second communications link and from there to the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, so that it is possible for the fault data to be evaluated there by customer service staff of the customer service department. - detection of a code affixed to the domestic appliance by an optical detection facility of the portable communications device, - detection of an identifier of the domestic appliance from the detected code, - setting up of a first communications link between the portable communications device and a communications facility of the customer service department on the basis of the detected code, - wherein, as part of a conversation, audio data of the operator and the customer service staff is transmitted between the portable communications device and the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, - wherein data, which comprises the identifier of the domestic appliance is transmitted from the portable communications device to the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, - transmission, during the conversation, of image signals recorded by the optical detection facility by way of the first communications link, - use, during the conversation, of a second communications link between a communications unit of the domestic appliance and the portable communications device, wherein the communications unit can transmit data according to the Bluetooth® standard and/or the WLAN standard, - recording of fault data which contains information on any faults that may have occurred in the domestic appliance, by means of sensors of the domestic appliance, - storage of the fault data in a memory of the domestic appliance, - transmission of the fault data to the portable communications device by way of the second communications link and from there to the communications facility of the customer service department by way of the first communications link, so that it is possible for the fault data to be evaluated there by customer service staff of the customer service department.