(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/kieferpix)
Ofcom has released its latest complaints data, covering the period from July to September 2015, revealing which telecoms providers received the highest number of complaints. The report covers 13 providers across landline, fixed-line broadband, mobile and pay TV services, and shows an overall rise in complaints compared with the previous quarter.
Between Q2 and Q3 2015, most service categories saw an increase in complaint volumes. The only area that remained roughly unchanged was pay-as-you-go mobile; pay-monthly mobile complaints also rose. Claudio Pollack, Director of Ofcom’s Content and Consumer Group, said: “We expect providers to make customer service and complaints handling top priorities, so it’s disappointing to see a rise in the number of complaints.”
Landline Phone
EE and Plusnet recorded the highest rates of landline complaints, at 34 and 33 complaints per 100,000 customers respectively. By contrast, Sky and Virgin Media reported the fewest complaints, with just seven and six complaints per 100,000 customers.
The most common issues reported for EE’s landline service were faults, service and provisioning problems (27% of complaints), difficulties when changing provider (26%), and complaints about how issues were handled (19%).
Plusnet’s complaints were similarly dominated by faults, service and provision (30%), followed by billing, pricing and charges (21%), with changing provider and complaints handling each accounting for 19%.
BT, the Post Office and TalkTalk all received more complaints than the industry average of 17 per 100,000 customers.
Fixed-Line Broadband
EE also topped the fixed-line broadband complaints chart, with 45 complaints per 100,000 customers. Faults, service and provisioning issues made up the bulk of complaints at 40%, followed by billing, pricing and charges (20%) and complaints handling (18%).
BT and Plusnet both saw notable rises in broadband complaints, up to 37 per 100,000 in Q3 from 20 per 100,000 in Q2, driven mainly by faults, service and provision problems.
TalkTalk’s broadband complaints were above the industry average and rose from Q2 to 22 per 100,000 customers. Sky remained below average with seven complaints per 100,000, a slight increase from five per 100,000 in Q2. Virgin Media reported the fewest broadband complaints, at six per 100,000—a small decrease from seven per 100,000 in Q2 2015.
Mobile Services
On mobile services, Vodafone received the most complaints, rising to 20 per 100,000 customers in Q3 from 14 in Q2. The increase was largely driven by billing, pricing and charges (37% of issues), complaints handling (28%) and faults, service and provision (17%).
EE was the only other provider above the industry average for mobile complaints, at nine per 100,000 compared with an average of eight per 100,000.
TalkTalk achieved the biggest reduction in mobile complaints this quarter, dropping from 12 per 100,000 in Q2 to six per 100,000 in Q3. Tesco Mobile recorded the lowest complaint rate for the seventh consecutive quarter, at just one complaint per 100,000 customers. Virgin Mobile, O2 and Three all reported fewer complaints than the industry average.
Pay TV
BT experienced a significant surge in pay TV complaints, increasing from 11 per 100,000 customers in Q2 to 25 per 100,000 in Q3, making it the most complained-about pay TV provider for the quarter. Faults, service and provision issues accounted for 31% of pay TV complaints, followed by complaints handling (25%) and billing, pricing and charges (22%).
TalkTalk remained well above the average with 14 complaints per 100,000 customers, unchanged from the previous quarter. Virgin Media’s pay TV complaints were in line with the industry average at five per 100,000, also unchanged. Sky had the fewest pay TV complaints, with only two per 100,000 customers.
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