Broadband satisfaction rated

PlusNet has been given the seal of approval by its customers in a satisfaction poll run by uSwitch.com and YouGov, with 86 per cent saying they were satisified with the service they received.

A survey of 11,460 broadband customers in the UK saw the Sheffield-based, BT-owned ISP come out on top with larger names such as TalkTalk and Orange struggling.

The results of the survey reflect similar findings to those in survey carried out by uSwitch in July last year when PlusNet came out on top with TalkTalk and Orange bringing up the rear.

ISPs were ranked on factors such as value for money, customer service, technical support, connection quality and speed satisfaction.

Orange's overall customer satisfaction rate was 65 per cent, with Pipex at 68 per cent and TalkTalk with 72 per cent. At the other end of the scale, Sky with 81 per cent satisfaction came second to PlusNet.

One of the major gripes broadband customers had was with technical support services.

Steve Weller of uSwitch.com said: "Last year consumers spent £31 million on phone calls trying to fix problems with their broadband and over £11 million of this was wasted on hold waiting to speak to someone.

"However, it’s still unacceptable that, when it comes to technical support, just two providers [PlusNet and AOL] are managing to satisfy more than half of their customers," Weller continued.

Weller said that customers needed to consider factors other than the price of a service when choosing a broadband deal.

"The 21 per cent gap between the best and worst provider shows just how important it is to choose a provider on service and not just price. Despite prices falling by 36 per cent in four years, over five million have never switched their broadband provider," he said.

PlusNet recently won the Best Consumer ISP award at the ISPAs. PlusNet's Neil Laycock hailed the company's success.

"This achievement proves that both customers and the industry like what we’re doing – offering a range of clear packages that are easy to understand and an unrivalled approach to customer service," he said.

www.uswitch.com
www.plus.net
www.orange.co.uk
www.talktalk.co.uk