TalkTalk voted the worst UK broadband provider – again

Alex Lee May 3, 2018

Just days after Ofcom released its Connected Nations report which revealed almost one million people in the UK have terrible broadband speeds, the regulator has now gone one step further and is naming and shaming the worst broadband providers for customer service.

TalkTalk voted the worst UK broadband provider – again

Releasing the results of its “most comprehensive” survey of telecoms customer service to date, the regulator found TalkTalk was the worst broadband provider for the second year in a row. By asking customers and industry professionals about broadband satisfaction, Ofcom looked at each providers’ handling of complaints and call-waiting times.

According to the report, customers’ overall satisfaction with their broadband providers has fallen since 2016, dropping from 9 in 10 to 8 in 10 customers being satisfied. This was mainly due to slow broadband speeds, which as we know from a report earlier in the week, isn’t up to scratch. Satisfaction with broadband speeds has also fallen since 2016, dropping from 83% to 77% satisfaction, and the only provider receiving above average satisfaction with speeds was Virgin Media.

All factors considered, TalkTalk customers were the least likely to recommend the service to friends, and it scored poorly for the handling of customer complaints, with just four in 10 being satisfied.

“People often focus on price when they’re choosing a phone or broadband provider,” said Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director at Ofcom in a press release. “But there are big differences in the customer service offered by providers. We are encouraging people to look beyond the price and customer service too. In such a competitive market, companies simply can’t afford to let their service standard slip. If they don’t up their game, customers can vote with their feet.”

This is the second year in a row that TalkTalk has been voted the worst broadband provider for customer service, performing just as badly in the Which? report conducted last year. In Which?’s report, almost a quarter of customers complained their TalkTalk broadband was poor or very poor. This figure hasn’t changed much since last year, with only 77% being satisfied with TalkTalk’s broadband speeds in 2018.

Talking to Alphr, a TalkTalk spokesperson said: “We’ve closed down our call centres in India. We have introduced new online tools to help customers resolve issues quickly and conveniently. And we are launching new Wi-Fi routers to strengthen network reliability.”

In the list of the best customer service from broadband providers, PlusNet came first, followed by Sky and Virgin Media in joint second, BT and EE joint third, and TalkTalk right at the bottom.