1 April 2011

Broadband Customer Satisfaction Falls Dramatically

Faster broadband speeds have led to high customer dissatisfaction due to high bills coupled with poor service, new research shows.

Average speeds have increased from 5.7MB to 7.4MB but the satisfaction with these speeds has fallen from 71 percent to 68 percent of total customers surveyed, as consumers struggle to receive the speeds they pay for.

A drop in satisfaction was recorded in every category of the Broadband service, uSwitch revealed, causing the first fall in customer satisfaction in three years.

The average broadband bill climbs by five percent a year, making the average annual bill now £176, but 13 percent of customer feel short-changed.

"With greater competition and faster speeds than ever before, the u-turn in broadband satisfaction is alarming,” commented Ernest Doku, uSwitch technology expert.

"It's more important than ever for customers to look at the whole picture when they are choosing their service, and think about what's important to them.”

Mis-selling and bad billing was shown in the study to leave six out of 10 customers satisfied overall with service, and over two million unhappy.

The customers surveyed voted AOL as the worst broadband provider as it came out bottom in seven out of 11 categories, while the best provider was Plusnet, knocking O2 off the top spot.

The biggest drop in the customer service score was experienced by Talk Talk with less than half of its customers satisfied with their broadband service. The provider came bottom for technical support, quality of connection and ease of use.

Comparing Broadband Providers

If you are dissatisfied with your broadband package, and feel like you are not receiving the speeds that you are paying for then look online at what customers say about the providers before you switch.

The cheapest broadband packages might not necessarily provide the best service, so if this is important to you, read reviews about the quality of the overall service the different providers produce.

Compare Broadband Prices with MoneyMaxim