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How do I solve my broadband complaint?

Our Broadband Expert says...

Broadband is one of the most complained about utilities and, alongside home phone providers, received below-average customer satisfaction scores in a study by Ofcom (published July 2011).

Just 57% of broadband customers who spoke to the regulator said they were satisfied with the customer service they receive from their supplier. When getting in touch with their provider, broadband customers were also the most likely to be making a complaint.

Speed problems remained the biggest issue for broadband customers, said Ofcom, followed by changing packages, and increasingly, unexpectedly high bills.

The best performers

Ofcom looked at the five biggest broadband providers - those with at least 4% market share - which meant that many smaller suppliers, who often distinguish themselves through high quality, UK-based customer service, were not included in the study.

Orange broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) came top of the list with 76% satisfaction and 11% dissatisfaction - the lowest of the pack. It was also the most improved provider since 2009, when it came bottom in the same study with a score of just 42%.

Orange’s score was way ahead of its competitors; its nearest rival was Sky broadband (www.Sky.com) on 60% satisfaction, followed BT broadband (www.BT.com) with 57%.

The provider pointed out that Ofcom’s research was carried out while it was “completing the huge task of migrating customers to our network and moving four million customers to our single billing system”. A spokesperson said the migration had now been completed and its customer satisfaction was increasing again.

Making it easier to complain

In light of the three million consumers left with unresolved problems, and the poor performance from many of the broadband, home phone, digital TV and mobile suppliers Ofcom tested, the regulator has imposed new rules to make it easier to complain.

Providers are now required to be more transparent about what you can do to get your broadband problems resolved.

Alternative dispute resolution

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services are nothing new, but Ofcom found that three-quarters of consumers struggling with unresolved issues didn’t know they existed.

Since Friday 22 July, all telecoms providers have been required to include details of their relevant ADR service on all paper bills.

And if you have a complaint that remains unresolved after eight weeks, your provider is now obliged to get in touch and tell you how to take your issue further. You can do this earlier than eight weeks if your provider says it cannot or will not deal with the problem and issues you a “deadlock” letter.

The two Ofcom-approved dispute resolution services are CISAS and Ombudsman Services: Communications.

You won’t have to pay to take your complaint further, and the ADR’s decision is legally binding. You could also be awarded up to £5,000 compensation for financial loss and inconvenience.

And before you decide it’s not worth the hassle, these services really do work. According to Ofcom, “of those complaints about mobile providers that were not resolved within 12 weeks, 91% of complaints were subsequently resolved when taken to a dispute resolution service, compared with 51% of complaints where the consumer did not go to a dispute resolution service”.

Making a successful complaint

While all complaints should be taken seriously by your provider and dealt with quickly, this doesn’t always happen. But there are things you can do to increase your chances of getting problems fixed as quick as possible.

• Be organised - make sure your paperwork is in order before you encounter problems. Being well organised will add to your credibility, and correspondence from your internet service provider (ISP) or bank statements will help to back up your claims
• Keep a log - keep track of who you speak to, when, and how long the call lasts. And if you end up on the phone a lot, it might also be an idea to find out just how much you've had to spend calling your provider
• Stay calm - dealing with your provider might be frustrating but by staying calm and being personable you're more likely to get a positive result
• Get it in writing - if you come to an agreement on the phone, make sure you ask for a copy in writing too. The same goes for any changes to your package, or even the cancelling of services
• Prepare your complaint - if you're making a complaint, find out what your ISP’s complaints procedure is, make sure you're speaking to the right person in the right department and if you're not getting anywhere on the phone, put your grievances to paper
• Know your stuff - let your provider know you'll be getting in touch with one of the ADR schemes to take your complaint further - this could be the nudge they need to get the problem solved.

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