UK broadband consumers currently spend over £2.6 billion per year on broadband subscriptions, but new research shows that 40% are unhappy with the service that they receive.
The research shows that prices continue to fall as competition intensifies, with broadband costs about 5% cheaper than 12 months ago. Average broadband speed also continues to increase to over 4 Mb/sec.
Of the broadband providers, O2 Broadband was named the best overall broadband provider, winning 9 out of 11 awards and the highest customer satisfaction score of 92 per cent.
Between them, the three top ISPs, O2, Plusnet Broadband and Sky Broadband account for just 15 per cent of the market.
In addition, more than 50% of customers – representing over eight million consumers do not believe that their provider has them on the best deal for them.
But established players like BT Broadbandwhich did not fare so well in the research, have been quick to cry foul. BT pointed out that the research was commissioned by uSwitch, who are not accredited by Ofcom, and that it is in uSwitch’s interests to emphasize customer dissatisfaction in order to encourage switching.
Our view is that 42% dissatisfied broadband customers does seem very high, but the fact remains that broadband is far from a trouble free experience for a great many customers. So the direction of the research is valid, even if the actual number reported might be contradicted by another round of research.
So our advice is to talk to an Ofcom accredited impartial service like Simplifydigital, before choosing a broadband deal! You can call our impartial experts for free on 0800 466 1047.