Best Broadband for Customer Service
When choosing a new broadband provider, there's a lot more to consider than it's speeds and pricing. Whether you're switching broadband or renewing your contract, it's important that a personal service is provided to make you feel happy in your agreement and likely to renew.
As well as finding the best broadband speed and monthly cost that suits our needs, good customer service is always a plus when considering who to sign a contract with. Your broadband package could be the lowest price on offer or have the best average speeds, but if their customer satisfaction score isn't up to standard, it's enough to put people off.
Wondering who ranks the best on the broadband customer service scale? Read our article to find out.
Sky
Depending on where you source your information, Sky's customer service is a debatable issue. Everyone seems to be in agreement that their average download speed is admirable, and they offer some great TV and film incentives, but what about their customer service?
According to Choose, Sky broadband customer service ranks at a five-star review, and has been described as "market-leading." They have the joint-best record for a low number of complaints, which provides potential customers with the notion that they will be well looked after throughout their contract.
However, according to Ofcom, Sky's customer service was peaking just 1% above average in January 2020. Customer satisfaction with the reliability of service ranked at 84%, whereas satisfaction with the speed of service was around 80%. Sky broadband is also a part of the automatic compensation scheme, meaning that customers will receive some money back.
Issues include delayed repair, missed engineer appointment delays in the start of service. Other cheap broadband providers are a part of this scheme too, so you won't have to worry about missing out. Here at Broadband Money Saver, we compare the best and cheapest broadband deals in your area. Whether you're looking for unlimited broadband or a long contract length, we're here to help you.
Virgin Media
Virgin Media broadband is pretty much average or above average for customer service. According to Ofcom in January 2020, they ranked at 85% for overall service satisfaction, reliability, and speed of service. They received a score of 89% for signal strength and hit 83% for value for money. However, they scored well below average for the home phone customer service, hitting just 77% customer satisfaction. Virgin Media also supplied the longest call waiting times.
Despite this, Choose ranked Virgin Media third for lowest complaints received, meaning that, despite their long call wait times, complaints were fewer than most of their competitors. Choose also noted that their average call wait time was two minutes nineteen seconds, which is higher than average,
Virgin Media are also part of the automatic compensation scheme, providing refunds for certain issues faced by their customers.
BT
BT has an admiral reputation for broadband customer service, ranking at average or above in every aspect of its service. In Ofcom's January 2020 data, BT hit a respectable 86% for overall satisfaction, reliability and speed of service. Their home phone service ranked much higher than its competitors, with a 90% overall satisfaction rate, and a score of 93% for the reliability of service.
They don't rank below average on any aspect of their service for both broadband and landline. However, according to Choose, they only rank fourth on the low complaint list. Despite this, they have recovered drastically from their 2017 complaint score, which left them way below average for some time. Their call wait times are below average at around one minute, and their complaint resolution percentage is an admirable 46%.
Like Sky and Virgin Media, BT is a part of the automatic compensation scheme.
Talk Talk
Despite Talk Talk's cheap broadband prices, their customer service ranked below average in Ofcom's 2020 pre-pandemic ranking. For overall satisfaction and reliability of service, they only scored 78% and 75% respectively. However, their speed of service score was 76%, which is only slightly below average. Their home phone score ranked well, with an average of 84% for both over satisfaction and reliability.
Choose reported similar averages, with Talk Talk only ranking fifth for low complaints. Despite this, their call waiting times rank much lower than all of their main competitors, with customers reporting an average of 33 seconds. This highlights their dedication to customer complaints, and their aim to handle queries as efficiently as possible. However, their complaint resolution percentage only ranked at 40%.
Talk Talk is a part of the automatic compensation scheme, much like its competitors.
Plusnet
When referring to Ofcom's January 2020 rankings, Plusnet performs incredibly well in most instances. Broadband customer service satisfaction ranked at 93%, a score much higher than most of its competitors. Their reliability of service ranks at 85%, and the speed was an admirable 82%. Their home phone satisfaction scored 83%, an average score for broadband companies.
Choose value Plusnet around the same as Ofcom, putting them in second place behind EE broadband customer service satisfaction. However, they rank poorly for number of complaints, placing sixth for low complaints. Their call waiting times are so much longer than their competitors, averaging at almost seven minutes compared to the one minute 37 average.
Unlike its competitors, Plusnet is not a part of the automatic compensation scheme. Any queries concerning refund will have to be dealt with thoroughly and completely through their customer service team.
In Conclusion
When it comes to broadband customer service, we all want a company that we can rely on when things inevitably go wrong. Being safe in the knowledge that you have a dedicated team on hand to assist you with your problems can be a great incentive when choosing the best cheap broadband provider.
If good customer service is one of your priorities when considering a broadband provider, you can compare deals with our broadband comparison service today. We find the best cable and fibre broadband deals in your area and compare them against the factors that matter to you.
