The consumer champion’s survey found the biggest providers, such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, were easily outshone by providers including Zen Internet, Plusnet and Utility Warehouse.
Which? surveyed more than 4,000 broadband customers about their broadband experiences, compiling a ‘customer score’ for each firm.
The worst broadband providers
Virgin Media received the lowest score out of the ‘big four’ firms – coming joint last with NOW Broadband in the survey, with a customer score of 60%.
Virgin was rated poorly for several areas, including ease of contact, customer service, communication, technical support and value for money.
Virgin Media also fared poorly in Which?’s most recent customer service research, and was named the worst broadband firm for customer service. Customers rated it particularly poorly for how long it took to get in touch with a person that could help.
How life insurance can benefit your health and wellbeing over the decades
Sponsored by Post Office
Virgin Media received a net satisfaction score of +36, 14 points below the sector average for broadband.
To add insult to injury, Virgin Media is also charging the highest annual price rise for standalone broadband. Virgin Media customers face an increase of £3.50 per month – adding £42 per year to their bill. The company is also being investigated by Ofcom for its complaint handling and customer difficulties when cancelling contracts.
A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “Complaints to Ofcom about Virgin Media were at their lowest levels since 2017 at the end of last year, while 92% of complaints raised in the past three months were resolved within 24 hours, and call transfers and waiting times have fallen significantly.
“These green shoots are a more accurate reflection of the improvements we’re making than Which?’s survey, which represents just 0.01% of our customer base, and shows that while we can’t fix every issue overnight, our strategy – investing almost £1m a day into customer-facing areas of the business, simplifying systems and processes, upskilling staff and removing persistent pain points – is delivering real improvements for our customers.”
NOW Broadband also came joint last in the ratings, with a customer score of 60%. It fared particularly poorly for connection speed and ease of contact.
BT, TalkTalk and Sky also received mediocre ratings and were easily outclassed by their smaller rivals. Value for money was a challenge for BT and Sky, while TalkTalk and Sky received poor ratings for connection speed.
The best broadband providers
Zen Internet earned the highest ratings across the board and a customer score of 77% – with nine in 10 customers saying they would recommend it. Its contract price promise also means its customers will not see their deal hiked mid-contract.
Plusnet was in second place with a customer score of 73%. While owned by the same company as BT and EE, Which? described Plusnet as “a more consumer-focused, affordable provider than its stablemates”.
Utility Warehouse had a customer score of 72% and strong ratings across the board. Its customer service rating was particularly noteworthy – with a third of customers saying this was “excellent”.
Time to switch suppliers?
Which?’s research shows that while some firms are offering stellar customer service, others are falling well short. It urged unhappy customers to switch to better deals.
Natalie Hitchins, Which?’s home products and services editor, said: “Our research shows that smaller providers are outshining the biggest broadband firms across the board.
“Many smaller providers offer better customer service, more reliable connections and fixed contracts or lower annual price rises – giving their customers more certainty about what their monthly bill will look like over the course of their contract.
“Any broadband customers who are nearing the end of their contract and are unhappy with their current provider, or could stand to make savings, should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a different provider.”
