TalkTalk tops Ofcom broadband Q2 complaints table, but overall complaints fall
Details
Faye Sutton
| 14 November 2020
UK ISP TalkTalk received the most customer complaints during April to June 2020, according to UK communications regulator Ofcom’s latest complaints report.
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The broadband provider generated 22 complaints per 100,000 customers, with Vodafone close behind with 21. At the other end of the table, EE received just 3 complaints per 100,000, followed by Sky (4), BT (7), Plusnet (9), Virgin Media (12) and the Post Office (16).

Ofcom recorded the number of complaints per 100,000 customers in the second quarter, during the peak period of disruption from coronavirus. It was shortly before this period that many people were abruptly required to stay at home and work remotely, as well as home-school their children, therefore placing increased demand on networks.

The quarter saw a drop in the volume of complaints to Ofcom about landline, fixed broadband, pay monthly mobile and pay-TV services. In particular there was a decline in complaints about faults, service and provisioning issues. Ofcom suggests the decline may have been because providers were encouraging customers to only contact them with urgent issues and in turn fewer people may have contacted Ofcom about their complaints. At the same time fewer people may have chosen to take a new service due to the disruption. However, complaints about providers’ complaints handling did increase during this period.

“This is the first real indication we’ve had of consumer satisfaction with their broadband provider since the lockdown started, and it’s reassuring to see that complaints have gone down. The first lockdown saw many providers encouraging customers to only contact them regarding urgent issues and then to do so using online chat functions, to keep phone lines clear for more vulnerable customers," said Nick Baker, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, commenting on the report.

“The fact that the biggest cause of grievances was providers’ complaints handling indicates that some may have been unhappy airing their concerns through these new methods. On the whole, providers did a great job at keeping the UK’s broadband infrastructure running at a time of great demand, and it is encouraging given we are into the second week of the current lockdown. However, it is important to remember that behind every complaint is a real human with a concern about their service. If you are unhappy with the service you're receiving and you're out of contract, you can take advantage of the wide variety of options available and move to a service that has what you’re looking for.”