Major broadband suppliers ranked best to worst ahead of ‘eye-watering’ bill hikes – and there are clear winners

THE UK’s broadband suppliers have been ranked from best to worst, with bills due to rise in days.

And Britain's biggest four broadband companies have all been outranked by smaller rivals, according to customer votes. 

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The latest Which? survey found that Virgin Media, Sky, BT and TalkTalk have failed to even reach the top six in the table based on customer service. 

The survey asked over 4,000 people who had a broadband contract between December 2023 and January 2024. 

Consumers were asked to rate their supplier based on speed, reliability, value for money, ease of contact and customer service. 

Virgin Media ranked poorly at the bottom of all providers with a customer score of just 56%.

The provider received sub-par ratings in most categories but ranked particularly poorly in customer service communication.

More than a quarter of the survey participants said the supplier was hard to get in touch with. 

Sky finished second bottom with a customer score of just 57%. It received the lowest rating for connection speed, alongside Shell Energy Broadband.

Which? was told many have switched from the brand, motivated by price rises. 

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BT ranked ninth on the list despite being the UK's biggest broadband provider. 

The company received a 62% customer score, with value for money listed as one of the main reasons.

BT was the first provider to introduce inflation-linked price rises in 2020, but customers are most likely to have been with the provider for more than three years.

Of all the four big broadband providers, TalkTalk ranked the highest - but it still only received a customer score of 63%. 

A whopping 38% of customers said poor customer service was the main reason for such a low rating. 

Zen Internet, on 70%, is the only Which? Recommended Provider on the list as it says it is committed to resisting the trend of introducing unpredictable price rises.

Hyperoptic, on 68%, was awarded great value provider status by Which? due to its high value-for-money rating and low prices.

It's the availability that lets Heryperotic down as it is only available in 64 UK towns and cities.

Which? is calling to abolish "eye-watering" inflation-linked price hikes this year and regulator Ofcom concluded that the practice can cause substantial consumer harm.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our latest broadband provider rankings show that consumers could be better off choosing a smaller company which prioritises customer service over a giant that also stings them with unfair mid-contract price rises. 

“Customers with contracts that are ending soon should look at their switching options as our research found that consumers that did that saved almost £100 on average. 

“Providers planning to cash in one last time in April with unfair mid-contract price hikes must do the right thing and adopt Ofcom's proposals as soon as possible, while firms falling short on customer service must up their game.”

When will broadband prices rise?

Broadband and mobile prices will rise in April.

Telecom providers have confirmed prices will rise by up to 8.8%, though the amount your bill goes up will depend on your provider.

Check what your provider is doing in our guide.

The increases will come into effect for millions of customers on March 31 or April 1.

This means that the new rate will kick in from your next bill after that date.

How to cut costs

If you believe you qualify for a social tariff you should contact your broadband provider to see if it’s something they offer and inquire about switching. 

If they don’t offer a social tariff they should still be able to assist with a fee-free switch process to a provider that does. 

There is no need to wait for your current contract to end to switch.

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It's still worth contacting your provider even if you do not qualify as they may be able to offer you a cheaper deal.

If you're not under contract, switching to a new deal or even another supplier is guaranteed to lead to savings.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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