Best and worst broadband, phone and TV firms revealed – here’s how to get a problem sorted
The number of complaints made by consumers rose at the end of last year
BT has been named the most complained about broadband and pay TV provider, in the latest figures by the telecoms regulator Ofcom.
For the three-month period from October to December 2016, BT received 33 complaints per 100,000 broadband customers, and 17 per 100,000 pay TV customers.
Plusnet was the second most complained about broadband provider, with 30 per 100,000 customers, with TalkTalk coming in third place with 29 complaints per 100,000.
BT-owned Plusnet also fared badly in the landline category, coming top of the list as the most complained-about landline provider, according to Ofcom.
The firm, which was recently fined £880,000 for continuing to charge more than 1,000 former landline and broadband customers, drew 24 complaints for every 100,000 landline customers, ahead of Post Office and TalkTalk on 23 complaints per 100,000 customers each.
MOST READ IN MONEY
Sky received the fewest landline and broadband complaints, at seven and eight complaints per 100,000 customers, respectively.
BT fared particularly poorly for pay TV complaints, attracting 17 per 100,000 customers, well ahead of TalkTalk and Virgin Media, both on nine, and significantly ahead of best performer Sky on one.
Vodafone was the most complained-about mobile provider, on 24 complaints, followed by Talk Mobile (nine) and TalkTalk and Virgin Mobile, both on eight.
Tesco came out on top among the mobile providers, attracting less than 0.5 complaints per 100,000 customers.
It is the 11th consecutive year in a row that Tesco mobile has received the lowest number of complaints of any mobile network provider.
Lindsey Fussell of Ofcom, said: "Providers must get on and deliver consistently excellent customer service, and we expect this to be their number one priority.
"When companies get things wrong, we won't hesitate to investigate and potentially levy fines."
The total number of complaints made to Ofcom increased between the third and fourth quarters of last year.
Most complaints were about broadband, followed by landline and mobile pay monthly.
In response to being named the most complained about landline provider, Plusnet said: “We’re disappointed with these results as we want the best for our customers.
"We’re determined to improve and have been working on a number of changes to make this happen. We’re committed to doing our customers proud.”
A Vodafone spokesperson said: "Our own statistics show a 50 per cent reduction in customer complaints. That positive momentum has continued into this year.
"Our ambition is to give our customers the best service experience possible to match our great network. We know we are not there yet, but we are committed to ensuring our customers see a tangible improvement this year.”
A spokesperson for BT said: “We apologise to customers we’ve let down. BT cares about the service it gives and we are investing heavily to make improvements."
What to do if you have a problem with your telecoms provider
- CONTACT your provider’s customer services department and explain the problem
- If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can make a formal complaint to the company. Details of how to do this will be on the back of your bill and on the company’s website
- If a formal complaint gets you nowhere, after eight weeks you can take your dispute to the appropriate Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme. They are free to use and will act as an independent middleman between yourself and the service provider when an initial complaint cannot be resolved.
- There are two ADR schemes in the UK; Ombudsman Services: Communication and CISAS. Your supplier is required to be a member of one of these.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 78 24516