Vodafone has topped the rankings for the most complained-about broadband provider, the latest set of Ofcom statistics has shown.
Covering the period from April to June 2023, the communication services regulator also found BT Mobile received the greatest volume of complaints from mobile users. Meanwhile, BT and Virgin Media found themselves topping the charts for the wrong reasons in the pay TV category.
If you’re fed up with the service being provided by your provider, we will explain how the Ofcom complaints process works below. You can also see our guides to the best money saving SIM only deals currently available on the market and the cheapest TV streaming deals.
So, where do your broadband, mobile and TV providers rank in Ofcom’s complaints league table. And what can you do if your supplier isn’t hitting acceptable standards? Here’s everything you need to know.
Unimpressed with your provider? Here’s what you can do about it now
If you’re unhappy with your provider, Look After My Bills has put together some quick tips for you. These are the actions you can take right now that may help you to either quit your provider or improve your service. These apply across broadband, mobile, pay TV and landline deals:
- On a contract? Check how long you’ve got left
If you’re outside of your contract’s minimum term, you can break out of it for free. But if you’re still within that term, leaving it is likely to result in a penalty fee, which can be quite hefty.
If you’re still within the minimum term, you may be able to get another supplier to cover the cost of your exit fees if you agree to switch to them. While this may get you a better service, it could mean you have weaker bargaining power with your new supplier.
Those on a rolling contract can leave at any time without facing a fee. So, if you’re on a one-month contract SIM-only deal, you won’t face a penalty.
- Nearly out of contract? Threaten to leave
If your minimum term has ended and you’re not far off the end of your contract, threatening to switch suppliers may allow you to access better service from your current provider. They might offer discounts on faster broadband speeds, cheaper handset deals or more add-ons, such as a streaming subscription. Of course, this option depends on whether or not you want to continue putting up with your supplier’s poor service.
- Struggling for signal or internet speed? You can break out early
In broadband and mobile contracts, your supplier may set out minimum service requirements that they have to abide by. For example, a minimum broadband connection speed.
If they’re not meeting the standards they’ve set themselves, you may be able to break out of your contract early without a financial penalty. For broadband, if the provider diagnoses that the issue is within their own network and they can’t fix it within 30 days, they have to let you quit your contract early. But they may be able to fix the problem, for example, by sending you a new router.
For mobile services, if your signal or connection is non-existent – or so bad it’s barely usable – you can ask your provider to do a signal check in and around your home. If this confirms an issue with their network, you can leave your contract immediately.
Which providers have had the most Ofcom complaints?
Ofcom publishes statistics about the suppliers it receives the most complaints about every three months. It ranks the providers based on how many complaints they receive per 100,000 customers – a measure which means larger suppliers can be more accurate compared to smaller ones.
Below are the rankings tables for the three months between April and June 2023, going from worst to best. We have provided further details about the worst offenders further down in this piece.
Broadband
| Provider | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| Vodafone | 24 |
| TalkTalk | 18 |
| Virgin Media | 15 |
| Shell Energy | 13 |
| BT | 13 |
| Now Broadband | 13 |
| Plusnet | 11 |
| EE | 7 |
| Sky | 5 |
Mobile
| Provider | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| BT Mobile | 8 |
| Virgin Mobile | 5 |
| O2 | 5 |
| iD Mobile | 4 |
| Three UK | 4 |
| Vodafone | 3 |
| Tesco Mobile | 3 |
| EE | 2 |
| Sky Mobile | 2 |
Pay TV
| Provider | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| BT | 10 |
| Virgin Media | 10 |
| TalkTalk | 4 |
| Sky | 2 |
Landline
| Provider | Complaints per 100,000 customers |
|---|---|
| TalkTalk | 10 |
| Shell Energy | 10 |
| Virgin Media | 10 |
| Vodafone | 8 |
| Now Broadband | 7 |
| BT | 7 |
| Plusnet | 7 |
| EE | 6 |
| Sky | 2 |
What’s led to complaints at the worst-offending suppliers?
Ofcom has also provided a summary of the key drivers of complaints about the worst providers. Here’s a list of what’s been irking consumers the most at each supplier:
Vodafone (broadband)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 39% of complaints (industry average: 36%)
- Complaints handling: 23% (26%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 18% (20%)
BT Mobile (mobile)
- Complaints handling: 38% of complaints (industry average: 29%)
- Changing provider: 31% (no data)
- Billing, prices and charges: 14% (20%)
- Contracts: 14% (no data)
Virgin Media (TV)
- Complaints handling: 39% of complaints (industry average: 35%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 25% (25%)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 13% (18%)
BT (TV)
- Complaints handling: 25% of complaints (industry average: 35%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 20% (25%)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 25% (18%)
Virgin Media (landline)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 20% of complaints (industry average: 30%)
- Complaints handling: 36% (26%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 23% (22%)
Shell Energy (landline)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 41% of complaints (industry average: 30%)
- Complaints handling: 22% (26%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 22% (22%)
TalkTalk (landline)
- Faults, service and provisioning: 26% of complaints (industry average: 30%)
- Complaints handling: 32% (26%)
- Billing, prices and charges: 27% (22%)
How do Ofcom complaints work?
If you have a complaint about your supplier, your first point of call should be the supplier itself. It’s worth going through their customer service channels to see if your issue can be resolved before escalating it further. See our guide on how to complain to find out more.
Complaining to Ofcom won’t get your complaint resolved – that can only be achieved by reaching an agreement with your supplier or taking it through an independent complaints resolution service. But if you’ve had a bad experience, it’s still worth registering your dissatisfaction with the regulator.
By doing so, you will help Ofcom to compile its quarterly complaints tables, which name and shame the worst providers. If your complaint is one of many on a particular issue or with a particular provider, the public body may launch an investigation. So, while you won’t necessarily be able to improve things for yourself, you may contribute to the improvement of standards at your supplier or across the wider industry.
You can call Ofcom’s complaints line on 0300 123 333 or 020 7981 7040. Complaints can also be reported via an online monitoring form, which can be found by visiting the Ofcom complaints website and searching for the particular issue you’ve had with your service.
