Broadband Guide

Broadbandchoices Awards 2008

The recent Broadbandchoices.co.uk awards, in conjunction with internet analysts Point Topic, named the UK’s favourite broadband providers listing ISPs for a number of categories including value for money, quality of service and after sales support. By Garnet Roach.

More than 4,200 households were asked to rate their broadband provider for its performance in the following six categories:

• Quality & stability of your home internet service
• Download time of files & web pages
• The clarity of pricing & billing
• After sales support
• Good value for money
• Speed of service activation

The overall winner

Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) was voted the best overall provider in the July 2008 survey, which is run every six months - coming top in all six categories. TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and cable provider Virgin Broadband (www.VirginMedia.com) took second and third place respectively. Orange (www.Orange.co.uk) and AOL (www.AOL.co.uk) came bottom of the pack with sixth and seventh place respectively.

*Tiscali is now owned by TalkTalk and no longer accepts new customers

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “Sky is the UK’s fastest growing broadband provider. They have recently increased their advertising presence and set their prices and packages at a level that has attracted a large number of new customers to its service. It seems their approach is working, but it also seems that the general service Sky is offering is good enough to keep their existing customers happy.”

The satisfaction gap is increasing

But despite Sky’s good performance, Broadbandchoices.co.uk noted that the gap between good and bad service is increasing. “ISPs should be competing fiercely not only to acquire customers but also to keep them happy and that means a better service across the board,” said a concerned Phillips. “Over the past six months our survey shows that the gap between the top ISP and bottom ISP in each category is getting bigger - so whilst some companies are clearly improving their satisfaction ratings, others are falling further behind.

The low scores for after sales support, when compared to other categories, shows for the second time running that “customers feel neglected after they have signed on the dotted line”.

However, TalkTalk received a special mention for having moved up in five out of six categories since the February 2008 survey, moving up four places in the “after sales support” category in just six months.

Value for money

Surprisingly, given the ongoing financial crisis, broadband users still feel that they’re getting good value for money; reinforcing the idea that broadband is no longer a luxury but a household essential that many users feel they could not live without.

Sky, which came first in this category, offers a wide range of broadband, digital TV and home phone bundles, allowing customers to save money by combining products, while second-place provider TalkTalk has some of the cheapest packages on the market with its popular “free broadband” offers.

BT (www.BT.com) which came last in the group has higher headline rates than many of its competitors, and although it offers a wide range of services, doesn’t offer any discounts to customers bundling products.

“We had expected a significant decrease in the number of users who felt they were receiving value for money since the last survey, as the credit crunch bites harder in to household incomes,” said Phillips. “The difference between February and July 2008 is less than 1 per cent.

“However, households can still save money,” he added. “ISPs announce new deals all the time and any household that hasn’t looked at what else is on offer for a year or more may find that they can make significant savings on their annual cost of broadband if they switch to another provider. Our research has shown that users can save an average of over £100 per year if they switch to a new package or provider through our website.”

A special mention for O2

Although its sample size wasn’t big enough to be included in the results, O2 (www.O2.co.uk) received a special mention from Broadbandchoices.co.uk for the outstanding feedback from its customers.

O2 scored a massive 94 per cent for fairly/very satisfied in “overall quality and reliability” - compared to 86 per cent for category winner Sky and an impressive 79 per cent for “after sales support” - 12 points more than its nearest rival and category winner Sky and a whopping 37 per cent more than Orange which came last in the group.

Switch if you’re not happy

Good value broadband isn’t just about low headline rates. You need to think about your needs as a user and ensure that your get a service suited to your requirements.

If you’re having problems with your provider, or simply want to save some money on your bills, then why not compare broadband providers and switch broadband with Broadbandchoices.co.uk. You could save yourself money and get yourself a better standard of service.