Best and worst broadband, phone and TV firms based on complaints revealed – how to get a problem sorted
THE best and worst broadband, phone and TV firms have been revealed based on the number of complaints they receive.
Ofcom has today published its latest figures on the number of complaints it receives about the country’s biggest providers.
The data is published quarterly and the figures released for the period between October and December last year.
For the third time in a row, Shell Energy was the most complained about landline and broadband provider – with more complaints this time the previous quarter.
A spokesperson for Ofcom said: “We remain concerned about Shell Energy’s persistently high complaint volumes.
“We have been engaging closely with the provider on its plans to improve its customer service, and expect to see results of this in the coming months.”
BT Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and O2 were the most complained about mobile operators.
While Virgin Media and BT were the pay-TV service providers got the most complaints.
“Year on year, the numbers of complaints we received about broadband services increased slightly, while complaints for landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services stayed the same,” said Ofcom.
Sky was the least complained about landline provider with two complaints per 100,000 customers, compared to Shell Energy‘s 25.
Below we outline how each provider for each category ranked and the number of complaints they received:
Broadband
For the second quarter on the trot, Sky was the least complained about broadband provider with just five per 100,000 customers.
This is well below the industry average which was 11 per 100,000.
EE followed second with seven and Plusnet, NOW Broadband and BT came next with 10 complaints per 100,000 customers.
The fourth least complained about provider was Virgin Media at 14/100,000 and fifth came Vodafone with 19.
Holding up the table was Shell Energy at 27 complaints per 100,000.
Of its complaints 31% related to faults, service and provisioning, 26% referring to how complaints are handled and 25% regarding billing, pricing and charges.
Across the industry, the key drivers of those respective complaints categories are 44%, 27% and 16%.
A Shell Energy Broadband spokesperson said: “We always strive to learn from any instances where a customer feels let down.
“Ofcom’s table reflects our position up to six months ago, and we have invested heavily and made big strides in our customer service and complaint processes since then.
“We are confident that these improvements will be reflected when Ofcom releases its next set of figures for January – March 2023.”
Pay-monthly mobile
Sky Mobile was the least complained about company out of all the mobile providers, with one complaint per 100,000 customers.
EE, Tesco Mobile, Three, Vodafone and iD Mobile all tied with two per 100,000.
O2 and Virgin Mobile received three and BT Mobile propped up the ranking with four/100,000.
Of BT‘s complaints 38% related to changing provider, 38% for complaint handling, and 13% regarding different issues.
Across the industry, 25% related to complaint handling, another 25% about faults, service and provisioning, and 20% regarding changing provider.
BT Mobile has been contacted for comment and we will update this article when we hear back.
Pay-TV
Sky topped the table again for the least complaints in the pay-TV category with just one per 100,000.
Stephen van Rooyen, chief executive of UK & Europe, said: “For 11 years in a row, we have received the fewest complaints to Ofcom out of every pay-TV provider.
“We’ve seen over 11,000 Premier League goals in that time. Our customer service team has offered consistent and reliable support for customers whenever they’ve needed us.”
TalkTalk came in with the second fewest complaints per 100,000 customers at three.
Next up was BT with seven, followed by Virgin Media with eight.
Of its complaints Virgin Media received 33% about how it handled the complaints, 29% regarding billing, pricing and charges and 17% were about fault, service and provisioning.
Across the industry complaints handling made up 33% of all complaints, 24% were regarding billing, pricing and charges and 24% about faults, service and provisioning.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “Our number one priority is serving our customers.
“We’re investing in every area of our business to create an excellent customer experience, with complaints down across the board in the final three months of last year.
“We know there is more we can do – and will do – to improve the service we offer, resolve issues quickly and efficiently, and make it easier for our customers to get help and support whenever they need it.”
How to complain about your provider or to switch
Any complaints about your mobile or broadband should be taken to the Communications Ombudsman if eight weeks have passed since you complained to your provider directly.
It’s a free service and handles issues between customers and suppliers.
If they help take your complaint on, they can only help back bill you for 12 months.
That means you won’t be able to get help getting money back before this.
If you straight up want to leave your current provider, the first thing to do is check whether you are out of contract.
If you are, you should be fine to switch without any extra costs.
If you’re not, you might have to pay some hefty early exit fees – so make sure you find this out.
The next thing to do is find the best deal – comparison sites are usually the best bet to help you with this.
Websites like USwitch, MoneySupermarket and MoneySavingSxpert.com are worth using.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk