The latest stats are in, and we now know who is winning and losing when it comes to customer gripes. UK regulator Ofcom gives reports throughout the year on customer satisfaction when it comes to broadband, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services. Measured on number of complaints per 100,000 customers, Now Broadband and TalkTalk were the most complained about broadband providers.
NOW’s complaints were up on the previous quarter and TalkTalk’s were down, according to Ofcom.
That duo was followed closely by EE with 12 per 100,000, Virgin Media and Vodafone on 11 and BT on 10.
At the other end of the table was Plusnet. The BT-owned firm was the least complained about, narrowly fending off Sky, which also did well when keeping its users happy. This makes Plusnet the best broadband provider to go for, according to the stats, if you don’t want to be driven to distraction and feel the need to lodge a formal complaint.
“To better understand the reasons for dissatisfaction among residential customers in our sectors, we compile that data and determine the number of complaints received by provider and by service,” Ofcom said.
“To compare the performance of providers, on a quarterly basis we publish the number of complaints that we received about them relative to the size of their customer bases.”
Ofcom’s numbers found that faults, servicing and provisioning accounted for 39 percent of all complaints against all providers, with how the complaints themselves were handled contributing another 27 percent, with billing, pricing and charges 21 percent of complaints.
In a double whammy for most-complained about Now Broadband, a subsidiary of Sky, the firm also got the most landline complaints with 10 per 100,000, compared to the best-performing Utility Warehouse with just 1.
Pay-monthly mobile services were found to be less complained about in the quarter compared to fixed broadband, with O2 racking up the most complaints with just 4 per 100,000.
Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile, two mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) that interestingly use most-complained about O2’s network, were the least complained about providers with 1 per 100,000.
When it comes to pay-TV, Virgin Media received the most complaints with 7 per 100,000, just above EE with 6 and TalkTalk and Sky with 2.
Speaking about the new stats, Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “Telecoms customers shouldn’t have to put up with slow speeds, poor signal or substandard customer service. Our research shows that TV and broadband customers could save £160 per year by switching and the average mobile customer could save £67.
“Anyone who is nearing the end of their contract and is unhappy with their current provider should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a different provider with better customer service and a faster connection.”