Report: Complaints about broadband, landline, mobile and pay-TV services

25 January 2024

As the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom receives complaints from customers about their landline, fixed broadband, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services.

To better understand the reasons for dissatisfaction among residential customers in our sectors, we compile that data and determine the number of complaints received by provider and by service. To compare the performance of providers, on a quarterly basis we publish the number of complaints that we received about them relative to the size of their customer bases (i.e. per 100,000 customers).

Overall trends

In the quarter from July to September 2023 (Q3 2023), complaints to Ofcom rose slightly from the previous quarter (Q2 2023: April to June 2023). Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all rose from the previous quarter while mobile pay-monthly remained at similar levels.

  • Virgin Media was the most complained about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider, seeing significant rises across all these areas from the previous quarter. Customers’ complaints were mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled.
  • Outside of Virgin Media, NOW Broadband and TalkTalk received more complaints than the industry average in landline whilst NOW Broadband received more complaints than the industry average in broadband.
  • Sky again generated the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers in both broadband and landline.
  • TalkTalk and Sky were the least complained about pay-TV providers this quarter, receiving the fewest complaints per 100,000 subscribers.
  • O2 and BT Mobile were the most complained-about mobile operators, with O2’s complaints primarily driven by how customers’ complaints were being handled and BT’s complaints driven by customers’ experiences of changing provider. Sky Mobile, EE and Vodafone received the fewest complaints in the mobile sector.

See below for information about the comparability of certain providers’ number of complaints. Background and methodology document (PDF, 225.1 KB) goes into more detail.

The chart below shows the relative volume of complaints we have received for broadband, landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV services. You can use the slider to filter by year.

Relative volume of complaints per service per 100,000 customers

Taking a year-on-year comparison, the relative volume of complaints for fixed broadband, fixed landline, mobile pay-monthly and pay-TV have all increased.

League tables & key complaints

Fixed broadband

Landline

Pay-monthly mobile

The table has been updated following a resubmission of data by a provider.

Pay-TV

Comparability of complaints per 100,000 subscribers

Where the actual measurable difference between providers’ number of complaints per 100,000 customers is less than 1, we consider their results to be comparable. Within the following sectors, we consider the listed providers to be comparable:

Fixed broadband:

  1. BT and Plusnet;
  2. Vodafone, TalkTalk and Industry Average.

Landline:

  1. Plusnet, Vodafone and BT;
  2. BT and Shell Energy;
  3. Shell Energy and Industry Average.

Pay-monthly mobile:

  1. Sky Mobile, EE and Vodafone;
  2. EE, Vodafone and Tesco Mobile;
  3. Vodafone, Tesco Mobile, Industry Average, iD Mobile and Three;
  4. BT Mobile and O2.

Pay-TV:

  1. TalkTalk and Sky;
  2. BT and Industry Average.

Comparing different providers

To compare two or more providers’ performance, select the service and then the providers you want to compare from the lists on the right.

Complaints by provider

Compare complaints for a provider across multiple sectors by using the options on the right.

More information

The underlying data is available in CSV format (CSV, 13.3 KB). We also include overall trend data for pay-as-you-go mobile complaints.

You can also read the report's background and methodology (PDF, 225.1 KB)

Older reports

Older reports are available via the National Archives.

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