TalkTalk and Orange attract most telecoms complaints
Ofcom data shows TalkTalk topped list of complaints about landline and fixed broadband providers, while Orange topped mobile phone grievances
Complaints about Orange were driven by its announcement it was increasing its monthly plan prices, even for those tied to existing contracts. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
TalkTalk and Orange are among the most unpopular telecoms providers according to their customers, data released by regulator Ofcom reveals.
Figures for landline services show Ofcom received the most complaints about TalkTalk, with 0.78 complaints for every 1,000 customers, largely driven by issues relating to billing and customer service.
TalkTalk also generated the most complaints among fixed broadband providers at 0.61 for every 1,000 customers, mostly relating to line faults and other service issues.
Virgin Media attracted the fewest complaints with 0.18 for every 1,000 customers, making it the least complained-about landline provider for the past five quarters.
The least complained-about fixed broadband providers over the same period were Sky and Virgin, with 0.17 and 0.18 complaints for every 1,000 customers respectively.
Ofcom said complaints about mobile providers were much lower.
Orange generated the most complaints among mobile providers, driven by its announcement that it was increasing its monthly plan prices for all customers, including those tied into existing contracts, Ofcom said.
The second highest number of mobile complaints was about 3UK, mostly regarding disputed charges and customer services.
As in all previous quarters, the least complained-about mobile provider was O2, with just 0.02 complaints for every 1,000 customers.
The figures for the 15 months to December 2011 show the number of complaints as a proportion of each provider's customer base.
An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "The quarterly report aims to provide useful information for consumers, and also to incentivise telecoms providers to improve their performance."
A TalkTalk spokesman said: "We are pleased that Ofcom saw less than half as many complaints about our broadband service than this time last year.
"While there will always be variations in the quarterly data we are confident that the long-term trend is positive – fewer complaints, more calls being resolved first time, and improving customer service. There is more work to do but we are confident that the measures we've put in place are paying dividends."
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 March 2012 13.12 GMT
© 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
TalkTalk and Orange attract most telecoms complaints | Money | guardian.co.uk
Ofcom data shows TalkTalk topped list of complaints about landline and fixed broadband providers, while Orange topped mobile phone grievances
Complaints about Orange were driven by its announcement it was increasing its monthly plan prices, even for those tied to existing contracts. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
TalkTalk and Orange are among the most unpopular telecoms providers according to their customers, data released by regulator Ofcom reveals.
Figures for landline services show Ofcom received the most complaints about TalkTalk, with 0.78 complaints for every 1,000 customers, largely driven by issues relating to billing and customer service.
TalkTalk also generated the most complaints among fixed broadband providers at 0.61 for every 1,000 customers, mostly relating to line faults and other service issues.
Virgin Media attracted the fewest complaints with 0.18 for every 1,000 customers, making it the least complained-about landline provider for the past five quarters.
The least complained-about fixed broadband providers over the same period were Sky and Virgin, with 0.17 and 0.18 complaints for every 1,000 customers respectively.
Ofcom said complaints about mobile providers were much lower.
Orange generated the most complaints among mobile providers, driven by its announcement that it was increasing its monthly plan prices for all customers, including those tied into existing contracts, Ofcom said.
The second highest number of mobile complaints was about 3UK, mostly regarding disputed charges and customer services.
As in all previous quarters, the least complained-about mobile provider was O2, with just 0.02 complaints for every 1,000 customers.
The figures for the 15 months to December 2011 show the number of complaints as a proportion of each provider's customer base.
An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "The quarterly report aims to provide useful information for consumers, and also to incentivise telecoms providers to improve their performance."
A TalkTalk spokesman said: "We are pleased that Ofcom saw less than half as many complaints about our broadband service than this time last year.
"While there will always be variations in the quarterly data we are confident that the long-term trend is positive – fewer complaints, more calls being resolved first time, and improving customer service. There is more work to do but we are confident that the measures we've put in place are paying dividends."
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 March 2012 13.12 GMT
© 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
TalkTalk and Orange attract most telecoms complaints | Money | guardian.co.uk