Sky Broadband has been voted top in a bi-annual customer satisfaction survey of the seven largest broadband providers in the UK.
Over 4,000 customers were asked to rank their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across six categories, including speed of service activation, value for money and clarity of billing, with Sky voted best in each one.
TalkTalk was another high-flyer, rising from second last in the previous survey to second place, whilst Virgin Media was voted a creditable third. The news was not so positive for AOL Broadband however, with customers voting the provider worst on the list – below even perennial survey under-achievers Orange.
Although the British Broadband Users survey focused solely on the largest players, it did flag up O2 and PlusNet as two small providers that achieved particularly high levels of customer satisfaction.
How they lined up
| Sky Broadband | 1st |
| TalkTalk | 2nd |
| Virgin Media | 3rd |
| Tiscali UK | 4th |
| BT Broadband | 5th |
| Orange | 6th |
| AOL Broadband | 7th |
Satisfaction gap is widening
The survey, carried out by Broadbandchoices.co.uk, also highlighted a widening gap between the best and worst providers.
“ISPs should be competing fiercely not only to acquire customers but also to keep them happy and that means a better service across the board,” says Broadbandchoices product director Michael Phillips.
“Over the past six months our survey shows that the gap between the top ISP and bottom ISP in each category is getting bigger - so whilst some companies are clearly improving their satisfaction ratings, others are falling further behind.”
After sales still a nightmare
Perhaps most frustrating for customers is the continuing trend for providers to offer good service up front, only for it to fall sharply once they have us “in the net”.
While 62% of survey respondents said they were either ‘fairly satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the speed at which their service was activated, only 50% were similarly impressed with the after sales support they received.
“The low scores that we see for after sales support, when compared to other categories, demonstrates for the second time running that customers feel neglected after they have signed on the dotted line,” says Phillips.
Value for money
On the positive side, the survey showed that customers feel they are getting good value for money from their broadband service.
Sky Broadband fared particularly well in this category, with 80% of its customers responding positively.
By contrast, only 42% of BT Broadband customers felt the same way. AOL and Orange fared little better, with a 50% satisfaction ratio.
Don’t stay put for too long
If your current broadband contract is about to expire, it’s important you take the time to shop around for a new deal – regardless of how competitive your current one was when you first signed up.
This is because the price of broadband is always falling, while download speeds and limits are constantly on the rise. So the chances are good you’ll find a far better package by returning to the market, says Phillips at broadbandchoices.
“It’s true to say that internet access is cheaper than ever before as bundled deals become the norm, offering excellent value for consumers. However, households can still save money. ISPs announce new deals all the time and any household that hasn’t looked at what else is on offer for a year or more may find that they can make significant savings on their annual cost of broadband if they switch to another provider.
“Our research has shown that users can save an average of £150 per year if they switch to a new package or provider through our website.”
