Figures from Ofcom have revealed the UK’s most complained-about broadband providers in the third quarter of 2016, with BT topping the list.
BT-owned Plusnet and EE were second and third on the list respectively, with both also receiving the most complaints about their fixed telephone services.
Ofcom’s quarterly report looks at the number of complaints received by a company in relation landline telephone, home broadband, pay-monthly mobile, and pay TV services.
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BT received 36 complaints for every 100,000 subscribers, while Plusnet came in with 30 and EE with 26, all of which is higher than the industry average of 20.
At the bottom of the list was Sky, claiming the title of least complained-about broadband provider once again, while also receiving the fewest complaints about its TV service.
With 19 complaints per 100,000 customer, almost four times the industry average of four, BT’s TV service didn’t fare quite so well in the TV complaints list.
In a statement, BT said: “We apologise to customers we’ve let down. BT cares about the service it gives to customers and we know we need to do better.
“There were a couple of exceptional broadband outages during the period in question which undoubtedly influenced the broadband figures.
“BT has been investing heavily in improvements, which include 90 per cent of our customers’ calls being answered by advisors in the UK and Ireland by the spring of 2017 and recruiting more than 1,500 people to join our team of dedicated advisors helping customers with more complex problems.
“Additionally we’re installing new software and systems to assist our advisors and allow customers to serve themselves online. Customers will see an improvement as these initiatives take effect.”
When it came to mobile networks, Vodafone came top of the complaints list, with 18 complaints for every 100,000 of its mobile customers – three times the industry average of six.
Lindsey Fussell, Director of Ofcom’s Consumer Group, said: “We won’t stand for complacency when it comes to customer service. We expect providers to make it a top priority and work hard to better serve their customers.
“If companies let their customers down, we will step in and investigate, which can lead to significant fines.”
Ofcom’s report covers problems such as faults, billing and pricing, and how telecoms companies deal with grievances, with the regulator saying it had seen an increase in complaints about broadband and landline services between July and September when compared with Q2.
However, it also said the number of pay-monthly mobile complaints decreased and that pay TV complaints had remained stable during Q3.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.