TalkTalk tops Internet complaints table
April 21, 2011
TalkTalk was the most complained about provider of landline and broadband services between October 2010 and February 2011, according to regulator Ofcom.
The telco’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 £2.5 million in compensation to 62,500 people.