Major broadband providers are failing customers says Which? survey

The biggest broadband providers are failing on basic customer service, speed and reliability, with TalkTalk and BT achieving the worst scores, a survey has found.

TalkTalk, BT, Sky and EE - who collectively have a 72% share of the market - all scored poorly in the Which? broadband customer satisfaction survey.

Frequent price hikes, connection drop outs, unreliable speeds and "woeful" customer service all contributed to the low scores, the consumer group said.

TalkTalk and BT achieved the worst customer scores, with 38% and 45% respectively, with just one in 10 customers describing their service as excellent.

BT did not score more than two stars in any of the categories and TalkTalk only achieved more than two in value for money.

EE and the Post Office each managed 48%, while Sky and Virgin performed marginally better on 49% and 52% respectively

Just four providers scored more than three stars for speed - Zen Internet, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Vodafone.

Zen topped the table with a customer score of 86%, followed by Utility Warehouse on 81%.

Which? Managing director of home services, Alex Neill, said: "Broadband is essential and people rightly get frustrated with poor service.

"Our latest results show that the big players still have a long way to go to satisfy their customers, so if you're unhappy with your broadband, complain and look to switch if your service doesn't improve."

:: Which? surveyed 1,800 people about their broadband in November and December.

Grant Shapps, chairman of the British Infrastructure Group of MPs (Big), said: "It is unacceptable that broadband customers remain so dissatisfied with the services they receive.

"Big supports the introduction of an automatic compensation policy amongst broadband providers to ensure that customers are properly redressed for poor speeds and service."

Digital Minister Matt Hancock said: "Too many people are suffering from poor customer service when things go wrong with their broadband.

"Getting a better deal for consumers is at the heart of our Digital Economy Bill, which strengthens Ofcom's power to make sure providers pay automatic compensation when service falls short."