Virgin Media draws least grumbles in landline category, while provider 3 is mobile service with most dissatisfied customers
Telecoms group TalkTalk was the most complained about provider of landline and broadband services between October 2010 and February 2011, according to regulator Ofcom.
The firm's landline service had 1.78 complaints for every 1,000 customers, while its broadband offering had 1.27 complaints per 1,000 customers.
The mobile telecoms firm that drew the most complaints was 3, with 0.15 for every 1,000 customers during the same period. The provider with the happiest customers was O2, with just 0.04 complaints per 1,000.
Other landline providers with dissatisfied customers included BSkyB (0.41 complaints for every 1,000 customers) and BT Retail (0.37), while Virgin Media attracted the lowest number of complaints with 0.21 for every 1,000 customers.
TalkTalk, the UK's third-biggest internet service provider after BT and Virgin Media, has endured increasing customer service problems since its takeover of Tiscali in 2009. Ofcom said it saw a peak in complaints about TalkTalk in November 2010, following its investigation into the company for incorrectly billing consumers for cancelled services. As a result, TalkTalk and its Tiscali subsidiary have since paid �2.5m in compensation to 62,500 people.
On average, Ofcom receives 450 telecoms complaints a day. The largest areas of complaint include mis-selling, billing errors, lack of service and customer service problems. The regulator's data analysed only companies with a market share of 5% or more.
Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive, said: "Consumers should have access to as much information as possible to allow them to choose between providers and to take full advantage of the competition in the sector. By publishing complaints data Ofcom aims to provide useful information to consumers, and also to give telecoms providers an incentive to improve their customer service."
Charlie Ponsonby, chief executive of comparison service Simplifydigital, said: "The Ofcom results show how much Virgin Media has achieved. Having inherited a cable business with a terrible reputation for customer service, it now tops the service table with nine times fewer home phone complaints and six times fewer broadband complaints than the worst offender, which is TalkTalk."
Consumers with a complaint should initially follow their provider's complaints process. If it isn't resolved after eight weeks the next step is to take it to an independent resolution service: the Ofcom-approved scheme CISAS can settle disputes with its member companies, which include Virgin, Orange and T-Mobile; Ombudsman Services: Communications resolves complaints against its participating businesses, which include TalkTalk and Vodafone.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/apr/21/talktalk-tops-ofcom-complaints-table
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