TalkTalk Shamed For Poor Broadband Service

Talk Talk customers are the most unhappy with their broadband service and the most likely to change providers, says Ofcom, as new rules on complaint handling come into force today.

Talk Talk customers’ main gripes were being unable to get through to the right person, the speed of answering the phone and general dissatisfaction with the customer service advisor.

In a survey of thousands, only 52 percent of Talk Talk broadband customers said they were satisfied with the service they received while 23 percent were dissatisfied. Thirty four percent said they are less likely to use TalkTalk for broadband again.

Ofcom said this is consistent with a higher than average level of complaints received by them about Talk Talk compared to other major providers.

Turnaround for Orange

The Ofcom survey of customer satisfaction covers landline, broadband, mobile and pay TV companies with at least four percent market share.

Orange, which took the wooden spoon for customer service in 2009, now has more happy broadband customers than anyone else with 76 percent.

Sky, BT, and Virgin came second, third and fourth respectively. Talk Talk, which is having a miserable year, trailed in fifth.

Ofcom surveyed thousands in February, asking them to rate service received if they had contacted broadband supplier in previous three months.

Providers were rated on things such as how easy it was to contact customer services, speed they were dealt with, satisfaction with advice given and the person they dealt with.

Mobile satisfaction

The general satisfaction with customer services in the mobile market was higher and no single provider dominated.

T-Mobile, O2 and Orange made up the top three, all with around the 70 percent mark, and only 10 percent separated the top six.

Claudio Pollack, Ofcom Consumer Group Director, said: “The research shows that there can be considerable differences in consumers’ experiences of customer service.  By publishing this research we want to give consumers an insight into the standard of customer service being offered across the communications sector.  The more information of this kind consumers have, the more effectively they can exercise their choice.”

New rules

Meanwhile, Ofcom’s new rules enable customers whose complaints have remains unresolved after eight weeks to take their complaint to a free, independent, Ofcom-approved resolution service such as Ombudsman Services: Communications or CISAS. The resolution services’ decisions are legally binding for providers.

Providers must include information of the relevant dispute resolution service on all paper bills and write to customers whose complaints have not been resolved within eight weeks to inform them of their new rights.

Advertising of broadband speeds is also currently the focus of a consultation by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), which write the rules the ASA administers.

Responses to the consultation are currently being considered with recommendations expected by late summer/early autumn.