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Most complained broadband, TV and phone companies revealed: As Ofcom says to ‘get a grip’, is your provider one of the worst offenders?
- The latest figures show with which companies consumers had the most complaints
- Shell Energy registered the most complaints for both broadband and fixed telephony
The most complained providers of broadband, TV and telephone services have been revealed by regulator Ofcom.
Ofcom publishes complaint figures to help consumers comparing providers when they shop around – and to shame companies into improving their level of service.
The regulator found that between July and September 2022, Shell Energy registered the most complaints for both broadband and fixed telephony.
It comes as millions of Britons face broadband bill increases of up to £95 a year as internet companies prepare to increase bills from the end of March.
Many customer complaints to Ofcom were about the poor handling of the original complaint they had with a communications company
BT Mobile had the most problems with mobile phones and Virgin Media had the highest number of pay TV complaints.
Overall, most complaints related to poor service (38 percent), followed by poor complaint handling (31 percent) and billing (18 percent).
An Ofcom statement said: ‘We are closely monitoring Shell’s performance as the number of complaints remains significantly higher than other providers.
“We have engaged with the provider and urged them to get to grips with identifying and addressing the root causes of these issues.”
| Company | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| Shell Energy | 27 |
| gossip | 18 |
| virgin media | 18 |
| Plusnet | 13 |
| Vodafone | 12 |
| BT | 10 |
| NOW broadband | 7 |
| EE | 6 |
| Sky | 4 |
| Source: Ofcom | |
A Shell Energy Broadband spokesperson said: ‘We always strive to learn from cases where a customer feels let down.
“Ofcom’s table reflects our position up to six months ago, and since then we have invested heavily and made great strides in our customer service and complaints processes.
“We are confident that these improvements will be visible when Ofcom releases its results for the current period.”
The majority of landline complaints related to complaint handling (31 percent), poor service (30 percent), and billing (19 percent).
| Company | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| Shell Energy | 20 |
| gossip | 11 |
| virgin media | 11 |
| Plusnet | 8 |
| Vodafone | 7 |
| BT | 6 |
| NOW broadband | 5 |
| EE | 3 |
| Sky | 3 |
| Source: Ofcom | |
Ofcom consumer protection director Fergal Farragher said: ‘The overall level of complaints has been consistently low in recent months, but some providers need to up their game to meet the customer service standards offered by their rivals.
“If you’re not happy with the service you’re getting, consider shopping around and going elsewhere. You could end up with better customer service and money saved.”
But Ofcom has been telling communications companies for years to get better, according to Helen Dewdney of complaints agency The Complaining Cow.
Dewdney said: ‘Ofcom has been telling companies for the past three years to up their game.
“If Ofcom took more decisive action, other companies would be pushed to ‘raise their game to the next level’.”
| Company | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| BT mobile | 4 |
| Virgin Mobile | 4 |
| ID mobile | 3 |
| Three | 3 |
| O2 | 3 |
| Vodafone | 2 |
| EE | 1 |
| Heaven Mobile | 1 |
| tesco mobile | 1 |
| Source: Ofcom | |
| Company | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| virgin media | 9 |
| BT | 7 |
| gossip | 3 |
| Sky | 1 |
| Source: Ofcom | |
When it comes to mobile telephony, most consumer issues were related to complaint handling and poor service, both accounting for 26 percent of complaints.
Another 20 percent of the complaints were about problems switching providers.
The majority (42 percent) of customer issues related to complaint handling, with 23 having billing issues and 19 percent poor service levels.