Ofcom ranks UK’s best and worst broadband providers
Telecoms regulator Ofcom has released the results of its second annual survey of customer satisfaction, identifying the UK’s best and worst broadband providers.
Ofcom surveyed the customers of Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Sky, Plusnet, EE and BT in January and February of this year as part of the regulator’s effort to improve consumers’ shopping behaviour for broadband service.
Based on the number of customer complaints, Plusnet had the highest percentage of satisfied customers, at 86%. Only 13% of its customers said that they had a reason to complain about the service that they received.
Customer satisfaction for both Sky and Virgin Media was at 83%, with 14% expressing a reason to complain about Sky’s service and 16% expressing a reason to complain about Virgin Media’s service. Customer satisfaction for both BT and EE was at 79%, with 14% of each provider’s customers expressing a reason to complain.
Talk Talk had the worst survey results, with only 72% of its customers saying that they were satisfied and 18% expressing a reason to complain.
According to the survey, customers were most likely to recommend Virgin Media to a friend.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s Consumer Group Director, said: “People often focus on price when they’re choosing a phone or broadband provider. But there are big differences in the customer service offered by providers.”
She added that Ofcom is encouraging consumers to consider customer service as well as the cost of broadband coverage and that providers should not let their service standards deteriorate in a competitive market where customers “can vote with their feet.”