Which pans UK broadband leaders for woeful service

Consumer publication Which has slammed the UK broadband scene, pointing towards the unacceptable and consistently poor performance of market share leaders for customer service and performance.

According to its latest broadband satisfaction survey, BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media supply broadband services to almost nine in ten of UK broadband customers, but these are the worst performers when it comes to meeting customer expectations. The satisfaction score has been built on whether customers are satisfied with their current service, and whether they would recommend it to anyone else.

The satisfaction score for TalkTalk and Sky stood at 50%, while BT was only marginally better at 51% and Virgin Media collected 54%. Year after year the heavy-hitters of the broadband segment have shown customer satisfaction is a low priority, with these results just emphasising the point.

At the top of the list, Zen Internet collected the plaudits while Utility Warehouse sat in second place. The challenger brands clearly recognise there is an opportunity to secure customers through customer service and experience, as opposed to competing in the dangerous race to the bottom or over-promising on speeds.

“It’s outrageous that the biggest providers are still letting their customers down with shoddy broadband, especially when we know that longstanding customers are the most likely to be overpaying,” said Natalie Hitchins, Head of Home Products and Services at Which.

“Anyone who is unhappy with their current provider should take back control and switch to a better deal – you could get better service and save hundreds of pounds a year.”

This is perhaps what is most frustrating about the status quo. With the telco industry geared towards aggressive customer acquisition as opposed to building a successful business through retention, profits must come from somewhere. Customers are lured into the traps with the promise of under-cutting current providers on price, but it is the loyal customers who are getting punished with price hikes.

Looking at performance, 27% of TalkTalk customers said they experienced slow speeds, below the telco’s promise, while this number was 22% for Sky customers and 20% for BT. 20% of BT customers also said they experienced network drop-offs, while 17% of Virgin Media customers said they had been left without a connection for hours or days at a time.

While the tendency to favour new over existing customers is unlikely to change at any point in the future, Ofcom is currently working on new rules which will force telcos to be more communicative with their customers when it comes to contract expiration and is also considering pricing practises. Both of these factors could have a big impact on the business with many customers already stating they will switch providers.

The other factor to consider is the emergence of alt-nets around the country. In days gone, customers dissatisfied with a poor performing provider would only have the option of other poor performing telcos, though there is increased competition emerging. The likes of Vodafone, making use of CityFibre’s fibre networks, Hyperoptic and Gigaclear are growing quickly, providing alternatives with satisfied customers.

“Unfortunately, the UK broadband industry is notorious for awful customer service, mid-contract price hikes, and poor value for money,” said Richard Tang, founder of Zen Internet. “Too many providers in this industry put short-term profit ahead of the customer, but at Zen we continually work to ensure that consumer happiness comes first and to reward the loyalty of our existing customers.”

The market leaders are seemingly happy in their current position. Many will state customer service is a critical aspect of their business, but year after year customers are dissatisfied. These numbers suggest no-where near enough is being done to evolve the profit-centric organisations or there is a level of incompetence present when devising new strategies.