Broadband News

Zen Internet named UK's best broadband provider

Tuesday 21 February, 2012

By Anthony Hill

Lesser known ISP scores almost 99% in customer satisfaction survey.

Broadband company Zen Internet has been named the UK's best internet service provider in a new survey. Technology website PC Advisor quizzed 6,000 people about their broadband and found that Zen had a customer satisfaction rating of almost 99%.

“Zen isn’t the cheapest ADSL broadband provider, but it has always polled well in our broadband survey for customer satisfaction and good technical support,” said Rosemary Hattersley, associate editor at PC Advisor.

She noted that most Zen Internet customers take a broadband-only package with unlimited downloads, though the provider also offers a "superfast" fibre optic broadband service. Users pay on average around £20 a month, with the option of a rolling monthly contract and no minimum term.

The survey also found that customers have typically stayed loyal to Zen. In fact, almost 33% of respondents said they had used Zen Internet broadband for between three and five consecutive years. A further 32% have been with the ISP even longer.

Hattersley added: “The feedback figures for Zen are nothing short of admirable. A little under 60% of customers said they wouldn’t consider trading their ISP for another, no matter what.”

In addition, over 97% of Zen users said they would happily recommend it to a friend. But it seems not all of Britain's broadband customers are so pleased with the service they receive.

While 24% said they wouldn't consider switching provider, the same number claimed they would change ISP if they weren't then tied to a long-term contract. More than 60% said they would switch if there was a promise of faster speeds or better value for money.

Ofcom research has shown that 58% of UK broadband connections now have an advertised "up to" speed of more than 10Mb, though the average actual download speed is 7.6Mb as a range of factors can impede connectivity. Still, this has increased from just 6.2Mb a year earlier.

However, according to the watchdog's findings, more than four in 10 households have a top speed of 10Mb or less, even though many would be able to get faster speeds at little or no extra cost by switching package or provider.

Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom said: “There is a real opportunity for consumers to look at the packages and deals in their area in order to receive the best value, speeds and performance available to them.

“We can look forward to further increases in UK broadband speeds over the next few years. Most households in the UK can now access 'superfast' broadband services, and these services are set to get faster still.”