All of the UK's biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have just been ranked by their customers and it seems TalkTalk needs to seriously up its game. That's according to the latest results from Which? with the consumer champions confirming that this popular ISP has come bottom of the pile in its latest broadband survey.
Around 4,000 UK homes took part in the annual testing with TalkTalk scoring just 51%. Customers gave the telecoms company the lowest possible ratings for technical support, customer service and those all-important download speeds.
One in five who switched away from TalkTalk also revealed they left due to their connection being too slow and some current customers told Which? they would not recommend the supplier to others.
And it's not just TalkTalk that hasn't scored well in the latest report. Which? also says that Virgin Media received lacklustre ratings from customers. The ISP, which supplies fibre broadband to millions of homes, came tenth with an overall customer score of 54%. One of the biggest gripes customers have with Virgin is the price with many paying more than £40 per month for their connection. That's why this provider had some of the lowest ratings when it came to value for money.
Sky also suffered in the new report with the ISP coming eighth with a customer score of 56%. Sky customers were the most likely to have experienced an issue with their connection in the past year according to Which?’s survey.
Out of the big providers, BT came out on top with a more respectable 5th place in the league and a customer score of 59%. - that's better than its main rivals but nowhere near as good as the smaller competition.
So who was the overall winner? According to Which?, Zen achieved the highest customer score with an impressive 81% customer score - that's the eighth year in a row it has claimed the top spot.
Zen got high scores across the board including table-topping results for customer service and technical support. Despite not offering tariffs as cheap as some of the other firms, Zen does not bake price rises into its contracts and has once again been named a Which? Recommended Provider.
Other winners included Hyperoptic (65% customer score) and Utility Warehouse (63%).
These shock results can't come at a worse time for consumers with all of the major ISPs putting up prices by record amounts in the coming days. In fact, firms including BT, Virgin and TalkTalk are adding over 12% to bills which could see some customers paying an extra £100 per year.
Speaking about the news Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “It’s unacceptable that the major broadband firms are hiking prices for their mediocre services by such huge sums during this unrelenting cost of living crisis.
“Which? is calling for all providers to allow customers to exit their contracts penalty free if the price goes up and to cancel 2023 hikes outright for financially vulnerable consumers.
“With just days to go until inflation-busting price hikes take effect, customers who are out of contract should take action now to switch away, cut costs and avoid paying a lot more for their current service.”
In response to the claims from Which? a TalkTalk spokesperson added: “We’re disappointed by Which?’s approach to research data and would urge them to use more considered and representative evidence. These findings are counter to TalkTalk’s recent encouraging trends in customer experience, following significant investment and improvements in customer service in recent months. We’re also seeing our lowest ever levels of customers leaving us.”
