Over half of broadband customers have experienced problems with their connection in the past year, according to the latest Which? broadband satisfaction survey.
Our survey of nearly 4,000 broadband customers found that very slow speeds, connection drop outs, outages, and router problems were some of the most common grievances.
Our research showed that many of these issues were persistent across all the broadband providers in the survey - with very narrow margins between the best and worst offenders.
Customers experiencing regular issues with their connection are likely to see this as insult added to injury. Many are paying more for mediocre services after several large providers imposed eye-watering price increases earlier this year, despite the struggles many people are facing during the cost of living crisis.
Of the UK's major providers, it was Sky, Virgin Media, and EE that stood out for the wrong reasons - they had the lowest proportion of customers who hadn’t experienced any performance problem with their connection in the year to January 2023.
Of the biggest providers, BT did best - though just 49% of its customers said they had not experienced a performance issue in the past year.
Half or more of the customers of smaller providers like Hyperoptic, Shell Energy Broadband and Utility Warehouse had not experienced any performance issue in the twelve months - but even here at least four in ten had experienced at least one issue.
Broadband provider
Proportion of customers who hadn't experienced any issue in the previous 12 months
Hyperoptic
52%
Shell Energy Broadband
52%
Utility Warehouse
50%
BT
49%
Plusnet
47%
Vodafone
46%
Now Broadband
44%
Results are based on a nationally representative survey of 3975 people who had a contract for home broadband service (including broadband phone) in December 2022 and January 2023. Data includes a nationally representative sample plus a provider boost approach for brands with low sample sizes.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “A reliable connection is essential to modern life. Earlier this year, many broadband consumers were hit with mid-contract price hikes of more than 14 per cent - meaning that it's more important than ever that their provider offers a reliable connection and good customer service.
“It's completely unacceptable that customers who have faced these eye-watering increases are also experiencing so many problems with their connection. Broadband firms need to work harder to resolve these issues and offer a better service.
“While some customers are able to switch away to better service and prices, many are trapped in contracts where they either have to accept above inflation price hikes in the spring or pay exorbitant exit fees to leave the contract early. It’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again.”
If you're fighting bad broadband, you could get a better service and save by switching. Check our guide to the best broadband deals to see how much you could be paying.
The most common broadband issues
Frequent connection drop outs were the most common broadband issue overall, affecting some 19% of respondents.
The second most common issue centred around connection speed. Around 17% of customers overall said they'd suffered slow speeds at some point in the past year. Slow uploads and downloads were also a problem, affecting 15% of customers overall.
Meanwhile, router problems were an issue for 14% of broadband users, plus 14% of customers said they'd been left without a connection for at least an hour. Some 12% of customers told us they'd experienced slow or disrupted music/video streaming, and an unlucky - though substantial - minority (8%) had been left without their connection for more than a day.
Subpar customer service
As well as exploring service issues, we asked broadband customers about the customer service they had received from their provider. Overall, 44% told us they'd experienced some kind of customer service issue with some 11% of customers also saying they had either found it difficult to get in touch with their provider or had problems having their queries resolved.
Earlier this year, Ofcom (the telecoms regulator) called for providers to do more to improve their customer service, particularly given the significant price rises many have experienced.
Broadband customers can make a complaint to the regulator if they experience service issues, though these complaints are most commonly made after customers first complain to their provider and are dissatisfied with its response. However, Ofcom does not resolve individual complaints itself, instead offering advice on how consumers can seek to resolve the issues raised.
While the majority of Shell customers told us they hadn’t experienced a connection issue in the past year, the provider has been singled out by Ofcom for having topped its complaints for fixed broadband for all four quarters of 2022.
Of the large providers included in Ofcom's complaints data, Vodafone, TalkTalk and Virgin Media also received above-average levels of complaints in 2022.
When asked for comment about our research, EE and Sky told us they were committed to providing high quality customer service and pointed out that they are some of the least complained-about providers according to Ofcom data. Virgin Media said Ofcom data shows its customers benefit from the fastest download speeds, and customer complaints on its broadband services fell by 22% in the first quarter of 2023.
How to fix slow broadband
In some cases, the only way to fix broadband problems is to speak with your provider - or to pick a new one - but there are several things worth trying yourself first.
If you want to check how your speed compares to what was promised by your provider, start by running a broadband speed test. If your speed is much lower than expected, follow our steps on how to speed up slow broadband to see if you can fix the issue yourself.
If your wi-fi signal is dropping out regularly, consider whether all of your devices need to be connected at once. However, keep in mind that other people living nearby may also have an impact on your connection - learn how to change the wi-fi channel you're using to see if that helps.
And if your router is playing up, take a look at our guide on how to fix your router for help understanding what the lights on yours might be telling you.
Several providers have signed up to Ofcom's voluntary code of practice on broadband speed: BT, EE, Plusnet, Now, Sky, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Zen Internet. Each of these providers has committed to give new customers clear information about speeds when they sign up, including a minimum download speed that is guaranteed. If you're with one of these providers and your speed drops below what was promised when you signed up, you may be able to leave your contract penalty-free.
BT, EE, Hyperoptic, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, Vodafone, and Zen Internet have also committed to Ofcom’s automatic compensation scheme. That means you won’t need to take any action to receive compensation if your service doesn’t start on the agreed date, your engineer appointment is missed or your service isn’t fixed after a loss of service.
Is it time to switch broadband provider?
If you're sick of experiencing issues with your broadband provider, it may be time to consider a switch. It can sound like a faff, but when we ask people who have done it recently, the majority tell us it's easy. We've broken it down into four simple steps - get started using our guide on how to switch broadband provider.
Switching is also an opportunity for an upgrade - as well as offering faster speeds, fibre is more reliable (particularly full fibre connections), and you could actually save money compared with a standard broadband connection. Read our guide on the benefits of fibre broadband for more.
