The recent evaluation of the UK’s broadband services has revealed distinct performance variations among providers, with some emerging as winners and others as losers in terms of customer complaints. Ofcom, the regulatory body, has unveiled its most recent data on grievances from UK households, indicating that Vodafone and TalkTalk have room for improvement. These two prominent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have slipped in the rankings, trailing behind their competitors.
Vodafone recorded the lowest score, with 11 complaints per 100,000 customers, showing a deterioration from the previous assessment period.
“TalkTalk and Vodafone were the most complained-about broadband providers. Vodafone experienced a rise in complaints compared to the previous quarter, while TalkTalk’s complaint levels remained unchanged,” confirmed Ofcom.
Conversely, Virgin Media has shown a notable improvement, securing a favorable position despite past subpar performance in similar evaluations.
“The least complained-about broadband providers were Plusnet and Virgin Media,” added Ofcom. Plusnet and Sky were also highlighted for their positive performance.
The rankings for broadband complaints per 100,000 customers are as follows:
– Virgin Media: 5 complaints
– Plusnet: 5 complaints
– Sky: 7 complaints
– BT: 8 complaints
– EE: 8 complaints
– TalkTalk: 10 complaints
– Vodafone: 11 complaints
Beyond broadband, Ofcom’s analysis extends to other services such as Landline and Pay-TV complaints. Utility Warehouse leads in landline services with just 1 complaint per 100,000 customers, while Sky, Virgin Media, and Vodafone also demonstrate strong performance in this category. For television services, TalkTalk claimed the top spot, followed by Sky.
The TV complaint rankings per 100,000 customers are as follows:
– TalkTalk: 2 complaints
– Sky: 2 complaints
– Virgin Media: 3 complaints
– EE: 5 complaints
Overall, there has been a rise in complaints, attributed mainly to recent price increases affecting numerous households across the UK. Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Director of Consumers and Retail Markets, expressed disappointment at the uptick in complaints, particularly following a period of decreasing telecom company grievances.
Luna-Esteban stated, “A key factor driving these complaints appears to be unexpected mid-contract price hikes announced for some mobile customers in Autumn 2025. We will closely monitor the market and future complaint data to gauge ongoing customer satisfaction levels.”