Research: 38.5% say UK ISPs offer worst customer service
September 7, 2023
More than a quarter of the UK are left angry, upset or confused after speaking to their broadband provider’s customer services.
More than a third of people (38.5 per cent) believe that the UK’s broadband providers offer the worst customer service of any industry, according to research by leading alternative broadband provider, Hyperoptic.
The study, which found that the thought of speaking to their broadband provider left nearly a third of people (29.9 per cent) either feeling ‘dread’, or ‘frustration’ at how difficult it is to get in touch with a real person, follows research from Uswitch showing that more than 21 million people have been affected by outages of three hours or more in the last year.
But despite nearly two thirds of respondents (60 per cent) saying that bad customer service would make them change their broadband provider, almost a quarter (23 per cent) have never switched, and 30 per cent say they want to but it’s too time consuming or too much hassle. Some 22 per cent said they would switch, but they know their current provider would make it hard for them to leave. And 30 per cent said they believe their broadband provider doesn’t care about them.
The findings come as Hyperoptic relaunches with a renewed focus on its customer commitments. Hyperoptic’s relaunch seeks to address the apathy that customers currently feel towards the sector by demonstrating how broadband should be done, setting a new standard for the industry by demanding more for customers.
More than a third (39.5 per cent) of those unhappy with the service from their current provider say it’s difficult to get through to a real person, while 39.3 per cent say they are passed around to different people. However, just 5 per cent of those customers are in the process of making a switch, and 23 per cent have never switched.
Hyperoptic is responding to these challenges by offering 24/7 access to the customer service team, 365 days a year, allowing customers leave with no charges if they don’t love their service within 30 days and simplifying the switching journey with a dedicated Hypercare rep to manage their switch. The brand is also committed to promising a competitor price match guarantee for new joiners, and ensuring existing customers always get access to the same prices as new customers on renewal.
Hyperoptic’s Founder and CEO Dana Tobak said: “The customer experience offered by most broadband providers is mediocre at best and extremely poor at worst, and people are just putting up with it. Nearly a third of the people we spoke to said their broadband provider doesn’t care about them, yet they continue to put up with it. They don’t know that there is a better option available. As the original broadband market disruptor and the first to deliver gigabit broadband to the UK, we’re now setting out to disrupt the customer experience status quo, showing people how broadband should be done.”
Lutfu Kitapci, Chief Customer Officer, Hyperoptic. added: “In your corner. That’s how we want our customers to feel about us: Hyperoptic cares about me. Hyperoptic has got my back. I can rely on Hyperoptic. Our new brand platform and campaign that we’ve launched today shines a light on Hyperoptic’s commitment to our customers. We want customers to know that we’re serious about showing there’s a better way to do broadband.”