By Lucy Duffield-
Ofcom figures released today shows BT’s broadband services to have received the most complaints during the third quarter of 2016.
The regulator received 36 complaints for every 100,000 broadband customers, a figure higher than the industry average of 20.
Second on the list of Ofcom figures were BT-owned companies, Plusnet and EE, which came second and third in the broadband complaints table, ofcom figures revealed.
Vodafone had 18 complaints for every 100,000 of its mobile customers – three times the industry average of six .Those figures appear understated considering the £4.6m fine the company received in October for overcharging customers and the appallingly slow response rate to complaints, but that’s the official number.
Ofcom Fined EE £1m Last Year
Plusnet and EE also received the most complaints in relation to fixed telephone services. Last year, Ofcom slapped EE with a £1m for not doing enough to tell people their rights when they made a complaint.
BT chairman, Sir Michael Rake, was apologetic, saying in a statement:
“We apologise to customers we’ve let down,” said BT in a statement. “BT cares about the service it gives to customers and we know we need to do better.”
It added that some “exceptional” broadband outages during the third quarter contributed to the rise in complaints.
Bt say they are putting cash into service improvements and recruiting widely to boost the number of staff handling queries and complaints. They are also overhauling complaints is also being overhaul, it added.
“Customers will see an improvement as these initiatives take effect,” BT added.
Ofcom received an increase in complaints about broadband and landline services between July and September 2016. The complaints ranged over issues such as faults, billing and pricing, as well as problems with services and how they are set up by firms. Thery also include the ways telecom firms deal with grievances.
“We won’t stand for complacency when it comes to customer service,” said Lindsey Fussell, director of Ofcom’s consumer group in a statement. “We expect providers to make it a top priority and work hard to better serve their customers.”
Ofcom said it gathered data on complaints to help monitor how well companies were serving customers and to provide useful information for people who were looking to switch suppliers or sign up for new services.
Ms Fussell said it investigated when customers were let down and had the power to levy significant fines.
In October, Vodafone was hit with a £4.6m fine by Ofcom for breaking rules on handling complaints and misleading customers on what they received when they signed up for pay-as-you-go services.