Britain’s biggest broadband providers are facing renewed scrutiny over customer service, with BT, EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone recording the highest complaint rates in the latest figures from communications regulator Ofcom.
The watchdog’s data, covering April to June, showed that all four providers received seven broadband complaints per 100,000 customers. BT’s rate was unchanged from the previous quarter, while EE’s increased. TalkTalk and Vodafone both recorded declines.
Virgin Media had the lowest complaint rate among broadband providers, at four complaints per 100,000 customers. Plusnet and Sky followed with five each.
The figures suggest that, despite an overall decline in complaints across communications services, problems with broadband, landline and mobile services remain largely unchanged.
Ofcom attributed the overall fall in complaints to a reduction in issues involving pay-TV services. Across broadband, landline and mobile, the main sources of dissatisfaction were faults, service quality and difficulties connecting services.
The landline market presented a separate challenge for Plusnet, which recorded the highest complaint rate in the category, rising from the previous quarter. Ofcom said a large proportion of complaints concerned the company’s handling of customer grievances.
Sky, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Vodafone generated the fewest landline complaints during the period.
In mobile services, O2 and Sky Mobile attracted the most complaints, while EE and Virgin Media were the pay-TV providers with the highest complaint rates.
The figures underline the persistent customer-service pressures facing telecoms companies as consumers rely on broadband and mobile connections for work, entertainment and everyday services.
Although complaint levels varied between providers and service categories, Ofcom’s findings point to continuing frustrations over reliability, connection problems and how companies respond when things go wrong.
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