The results are in and we now know exactly which UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are the best and worst when it comes to complaints. UK regulator Ofcom has put suppliers such as Sky, BT and Virgin through their paces and published a full list of winners and losers and there are some pretty big surprises. So who comes top and bottom of the pile in the latest customer report?
Ofcom’s findings have discovered that Virgin Media was the worst ISP for broadband issues between July and September 2023. The popular provider, which has millions of customers across the UK, scored a whopping 32 complaints per 100,000 which was way above the average.
“Virgin Media was the most complained about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider, seeing significant rises across all these areas from the previous quarter,” confirmed Ofcom. “Customers’ complaints were mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled.”
NOW broadband was the next worst offender with 18 complaints per 100,000 followed by TalkTalk with 15.
At the other end of the table and scoring top marks was Sky. The ISP scored just 5 complaints per 100,000 and beat all of its rivals including EE (9 per 100,000) and BT (12 per 100,000).
So that’s issues raised about internet access but what about other services such as TV and mobiles? Looking at phone providers, Ofcom said Sky won again with the least amount of complaints (2 per 100,000) about its service. EE was second (3 per 100,000) with O2 (6 per 100,000) coming last.
If you have TV then you might be surprised to hear that TalkTalk received the fewest complaints (1 per 100,000) followed by Sky (2 per 100,000). Coming in last place is Virgin Media again with the firm receiving a whopping 20 complaints per 100,000.
Ofcom says that during the period of July to September overall complaints were up over the previous period. Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all rose from the previous quarter while mobile pay-monthly remained at similar levels.
Clearly the latest news won’t please Virgin Media users but in response the ISP said: “Our number one priority is to provide an excellent service to our customers, and we accept that the rise in complaints in the third quarter falls far short of our expectations.
“As Ofcom acknowledges, the rise is largely due to its investigation announcement in July which subsequently generated a higher number of complaints than would ordinarily be expected. However, it should be noted that overall complaints about Virgin Media and O2 products still represent a very small proportion of our customer base.
“As well as engaging fully with Ofcom’s ongoing investigation, we are investing in every area of our business to give our customers the best possible experience, with a real focus on resolving any issues at the first time of getting in touch and making it easier for them to get support when they need it.”
