EE tops broadband complaints list again
Ofcom has just released its latest broadband complaint figures. These are a quarterly breakdown of how many complaints per 1,000 customers each major broadband provider attracts.
Below are the latest results.
Provider | Complaints per 1,000 customers | Complaints per 1,000 customers | Complaints per 1,000 customers | Complaints per 1,000 customers Q1 2015 |
0.34 | 0.33 | 0.42 | 0.51 | |
0.27 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.25 | |
0.23 | 0.24 | 0.23 | 0.26 | |
0.20 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.22 | |
0.08 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | |
0.06 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.09 | |
Industry average | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.16 | 0.17 |
Yet again, EE has had the most complaints – and its performance is getting worse.
There has been a rise in the number of complaints EE has received since Q4 2014, jumping from 0.42 to 0.51 per 1,000 customers. In fact, this is the highest level of complaints its had since Q1 2013.
Problems relating to faults, service and provision (37%), billing, pricing and charges (20%) and complaints handling (20%) were the main drivers of complaints about EE broadband.
BT, Plusnet and TalkTalk all had complaint levels above the industry average, with TalkTalk also seeing a complaints rise up to 0.26 per 1,000 customers.
Virgin media complaints were below average at 0.09, but it's still an increase on Q4's figures of 0.06 per 1,000 customers.
Sky beats the lot with the lowest volume of complaints at 0.05 per 1,000 customers.
Which? satisfaction survey
Consumer champion Which? regularly surveys thousands of internet users to compare experiences with various different broadband providers.
The results show that smaller suppliers are dramatically upstaging some of the biggest names in the industry. Respondents who use the top four providers said that they would recommend them to their friends.
Provider | Ease of set-up | Value for money | Customer service | Technical support | Reliability | Speed | Score |
5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 76% | |
5/5 | 2/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 75% | |
5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 73% | |
5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 72% | |
5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 61% | |
4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 56% | |
4/5 | 2/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 52% | |
4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 50% | |
4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 48% | |
4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 48% | |
4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 45% |
It's worth noting that not a single supplier got top marks in the 'Value for Money' or 'Speed' categories. In fact, only two providers – Virgin and Zen – managed to score four out of five for speed, which has prompted Which? to campaign for providers to actually deliver the speeds that they are promising customers at the point of purchase.
Clustered at the bottom of the table with scores of 50% and below are EE, TalkTalk, Sky and BT. Virgin Media and Tesco Broadband got better, but still mediocre scores that are barely worth talking about.
John Lewis Broadband, a new entry to the Which? table, scored a hugely impressive 76% overall, with top marks on four out of six categories, while Zen Internet comes in second place, despite offering relatively poor value for money. Utility Warehouse and Plusnet both scored well too, but there's a noticeable drop off past fourth place, with the Post Office's broadband getting a score of just 61%.
