Ofcom: Virgin Media sees most broadband, pay-TV complaints
April 17, 2024
Ofcom has published the latest figures for complaints the media regulator has received about the UK’s main broadband, mobile and pay-TV providers. The figures cover the period from October to December 2023.
During that period, complaints remained at similar levels to the previous quarter in 2023. Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all fell from the previous quarter while complaints about mobile pay-monthly services remained at similar levels.
Main findings
- Virgin Media remained the most complained-about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider, although they did see a sizeable fall in all of these areas from the previous quarter. Customers’ complaints were again mainly driven by how their complaints were being handled.
- Sky continued to generate the fewest complaints for both broadband and landline services.
- Sky and TalkTalk were the least complained about pay-TV providers this quarter.
- O2 was the most complained-about mobile operator, with complaints again primarily driven by how customers’ complaints were being handled. Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, EE and Vodafone received the fewest complaints in the mobile sector.
Virgin Media’s position as the most complained-about broadband, landline and pay-TV provider continues from the previous quarter. Ofcom says it currently investigating Virgin Media’s performance with regard to its rules on complaints handling and contract termination.
Commenting on these latest complaints figures, Fergal Farragher, Ofcom’s Policy Director, said: “We can see from these latest figures that customer dissatisfaction remains at a similar level to the previous quarter. While there has been an improvement in Virgin Media’s performance, its position at the bottom of our tables shows there is further room for improvement.”
Responding to the figures, a Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “We’re committed to providing an excellent service to our customers, and while overall these complaints represent a very small proportion of our customer base, we acknowledge there is a need for improvement, which is underway, and we’re focused on getting this right. We are investing heavily and making changes across our business to deliver tangible improvements – for example through multi-skilling our teams and rolling out new IT platforms that will make it easier for customers to get support when they need it, and empowering our people to resolve any issues quickly and effectively first time.”
Devesh Raj, Group Chief Operating Officer, Sky, said: “Sky has received the fewest complaints to Ofcom out of all Pay-TV providers for a staggering 12 consecutive years – to put that into context, the nation has experienced more than four and half thousand Premier League matches in that time. I’m incredibly proud of all our teams, from technology to customer services, that enable us to provide a fantastic experience.”
