An earlier investigation saw BT fined £2.8 million in 2023. Ofcom found that BT had failed to provide key contract information to some EE and Plusnet customers before they signed up to a new deal. This requirement is to ensure transparency and informed consumer choice.

According to Ofcom, BT did not issue the mandatory contract summary and full contract information documents, and says customers were not bound by the terms of those contracts under UK telecoms rules.

Some customers left BT before the end of their contract period and were wrongly charged early exit fees. Ofcom ruled that these fees should not have been applied in cases where the required documentation had not been supplied.

 BT contacted offered  impacted customers the chance to cancel without penalty and/or request the missing contract information. It also amended its sales processes to bring them into compliance,

Where customers could not be refunded directly, BT was instructed to donate the equivalent amount to charity. A total of £440,000 was distributed to 17 charities as part of that effort.

A BT spokesperson said the company had worked closely with Ofcom to address the issue and ensure all affected customers were treated fairly.

“The enforcement serves as a reminder to all providers of their obligations under Ofcom’s Fairness for Customers commitments, which include clear communication and transparent contract terms”, said Ofcom

The regulator’s annual review of telecoms service quality revealed that companies outside the big four mobile networks—EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone—are scoring impressively on customer satisfaction metrics.

Tesco Mobile and giffgaff lead the mobile sector

Tesco Mobile and giffgaff led the mobile sector with standout overall satisfaction scores of 94%, well above the industry average. In contrast, major players O2 and Vodafone lagged behind, scoring 85% and 84% respectively.

When it came to handling complaints, Tesco Mobile again stood out with a satisfaction score of 68%, comfortably above the average, while Three fell short at 51%. Customers of Lebara, Tesco Mobile, and giffgaff were also more inclined to recommend their mobile provider to friends—another indicator of high satisfaction.

Complaints drop overall

The number of complaints made to Ofcom dropped overall in 2024, but disparities remain. O2 recorded the highest number of complaints per 100,000 customers (23), while Tesco Mobile had the lowest (4), underscoring the performance gap between the major operators and smaller challengers.

In the broadband market, Plusnet emerged as the top performer with a 91% satisfaction rating, whereas TalkTalk customers reported the lowest satisfaction at 77%. EE (66%), Plusnet (65%), and Sky (63%) all ranked above average for handling complaints, while TalkTalk (54%) and Virgin Media (53%) fell behind.

Broadband speed satisfaction remained strong, with 83% of customers content with their service—unchanged from 2022. Notably, satisfaction with value for money improved, rising from 62% in 2022 to 73% among standalone broadband users in 2024.

NOW Broadband registered the highest volume of complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers (65), while Sky had the lowest complaint rate in the broadband category, at 21.

The report highlights a continuing trend: smaller and challenger brands are outperforming established giants in key aspects of customer service and satisfaction.

EE has launched its new EE Basics social tariff for mobile, as research from BT shows that 75 per cent of British adults believe it would be hard to improve their financial situation without connectivity.

The EE Basics package is £12 per month and provides a 30-day SIM-only package for customers who receive certain means-tested benefits.

This package joins BT’s social broadband tariff, Home Essentials, which was released last year to connect customers on means-tested benefits for £15 per month.

Nick Lane, MD Customer Services, BT Consumer said in a blog post: “We already support nearly one million customers with subsidised or discount tariffs, and the number of customers taking Home Essentials has doubled in the past two quarters because of proactive conversations with customers we believe are eligible. 

“EE, BT or Plusnet customers who are eligible to move to Home Essentials can move penalty-free – and I urge anyone who qualifies for our low-cost, social tariff to get in touch on the phone, online or in one of our stores.

“But that’s not all we’re doing. Earlier this year, we introduced Stay Connected Data for EE customers not on our Mobile Basics tariff. It means people can still use essential apps such as WhatsApp and Maps when they reach their monthly data allowance, with unlimited backup data.

“We also offer a free, confidential and independent debt advice referral process for customers in partnership with the Money Adviser Network.”

EE has launched upgraded technology which has blocked 11 million scam calls for EE, BT and Plusnet customers since its introduction in July 2022.

The firewall technology from EE uses AI to review calls through the UK Calling Line Identification (CLI) from other countries and block international calls before they reach customers.

The technology will benefit EE, BT and Plusnet customers as well as those on other networks by detecting international calls using UK numbers and stop them from being forwarded to other networks.

EE is so far the only provider actively blocking scam calls from reaching other networks as well as its own.

EE’s customer care change director Chris Howe said: “We are investing in the latest technology to ensure as many scam calls as possible are blocked before they reach our customers. 

“Everyone should feel confident answering their phone or reading a text message without the fear of potentially getting scammed.

 “This new international call blocking technology, combined with the 200 million scam texts blocked from our mobile network, means our customers can count on EE to have the safest network.”

EE’s tips to prevent scams can be found here. 

Sky performed strongly across the board in Ofcom’s latest telecoms and pay-TV complaints report.

The telco recorded the least amount of broadband, landline and joint-least mobile complaints during the fourth quarter of last year between October to December.

With an industry average of nine complaints per 100,000 fixed broadband subscribers, Sky only recorded four, ahead of EE (five), BT (seven) and Plusnet with eight.

However Shell Energy with 15 were well-above the industry average, followed by disappointing performances from TalkTalk (14) and Vodafone and Virgin Media with 13 each.

Sky’s the limit

Sky again topped the charts for least complained about provider when it comes to landline with just two per 100,000, edging out EE (three) and BT (five).

Shell Energy and TalkTalk with nine and ten respectively again fell below the industry average of six, along with Virgin Media (eight).

“Today’s figures show an overall decline in the number of complaints made to telecom providers in the last quarter of 2021, which is welcome news,” said Uswitch telecoms expert Ernest Doku.

Doku expects the decline in complaints to be challenged in the coming months however, as recent bill hikes put financial pressure on customers.

“Yet since then, prices have increased significantly across broadband, mobile and pay-TV services, so it’s likely that this trend could change in the coming months, with many consumers unhappy with recent bill hikes.

“Shell Energy continues to be the worst performer on customer service, with complaints for its broadband offering well above the national average. Among the largest providers on the market, TalkTalk and Vodafone in particular have their work cut out to reduce their share of dissatisfied customers.”

Mobile standings

As for mobile Sky Mobile along with Tesco Mobile and EE recorded the least amount of complaints with just one per 100,000.

However those below the industry average of three included Three and Vodafone (both with three) and Virgin Mobile with four.

According to Ofcom, Virgin Mobiles woes were down to its poor handling of complaints (32 per cent), while faults, service and provisioning issues were responsible for 27 per cent of complaints. Billing, pricing and charges accounted for 23 per cent of complaints.

Vodafone has performed poorly in Ofcom’s latest telecoms complaint data during the final quarter of last year.

The operator was among the worst mobile providers and ranked last place for most fixed broadband and landline complaints.

The complaints were tallied up between October and December last year.

MVNO iD Mobile was ranked the worst mobile provider along with Three, both with six complaints per 100,000 customers.

This was below the industry average of three, which BT Mobile (four), Vodafone (five) and Virgin Mobile (five) fell below.

However Tesco Mobile once again held its first position for least amount of mobile complaints per 100,000 with just one.

Sky Mobile, EE and O2 all came joint second with just two complaints per 100,000.

Fixed and landline

After a strong performance in mobile, EE led the way for service when it came to fixed broadband, scoring only six complaints per 100,000 customers.

This comfortably beat the industry average of 16. Sky (seven) and BT (14) also came under this figure.

However Vodafone ranked the worst provider with 30 complaints per 100,000.

The operator edged out Virgin Media (23), Plusnet (21) and TalkTalk (19) for the most fixed line complaints.

And Vodafone ranked the worst provider when it came to landline complaints with 15 complaints per 100,000.

This fell below the industry average of nine. EE again led the way for least amount of complaints with just three, followed by Sky with four per 100,000.

Sky Mobile led the charge against the MNOs after claiming three awards during this years Uswitch Broadband and Mobile awards.

It was a good night for the challenger brands in general with Now Broadband, Plusnet Mobile and Audacious claiming two awards each in their respective categories.

The event which was held at The Design Museum in Kensington was attended by representatives of the competitors at the awards along with members of the press, as over 10,000 consumers voted for the winners.

Sky Mobile won the best network for data, best pay monthly network and the award for network of the year.

MVNO Audacious won the best newcomer of the year award and was also joint-winner of the telecoms innovation award for its unique MVNO offering along with the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone.

Uswitch.com telecoms expert Ernest Doku said: “No single provider swept the board at our awards, showing how competitive the UK’s broadband and mobile markets are.

“While established names like Sky and O2 scooped wins in key broadband and mobile categories, smaller brands like VOXI, SMARTY and Audacious are also carving out their own niches in the market, pushing the bigger companies all the way.

“Audacious also deserves praise for its innovative technology which is helping people with hearing difficulties to enjoy clearer mobile calls.”

All four MNOs won awards with O2 coming out on top for the best network coverage.

EE won the ‘fastest mobile network’ (based on Opensignal analysis) and was also the joint-winner of the quad-play provider of the year gong.

Three also scooped two prizes, with success in the best network for roaming and most popular mobile network categories.

Vodafone won the best SIM Only network, with sub-brand VOXI winning best PAYG network.

Elsewhere Samsung claimed manufacturer of the year, pipping Apple to the prize, with Huawei winning handset of the year for the P30 Pro handset.

In the broadband category Sky won the best triple play provider, with Plusnet successful in the best provider customer service category.

Now Broadband did the double with wins in the best value broadband provider and broadband provider of the year. Virgin Media won the fastest broadband provider award.

2020 Awards winners

Mobile

Best Network Coverage – O2

Best Network for Customer Service – Plusnet Mobile

Best Network for Data – Sky Mobile

Best Network for Roaming – Three

Fastest Mobile Network – EE

Best Pay Monthly Network – Sky Mobile

Best PAYG Network – VOXI

Best Retailer for Customer Service – Tesco

Best SIM Only Network – Vodafone

Best Value Pay Monthly – Plusnet Mobile

Best Value SIM Only – SMARTY

High Street Retailer of the Year – Argos

Manufacturer of the Year – Samsung

Handset of the Year – Huawei P30 Pro

Mobile Reseller of the Year – MPD

Network of the Year – Sky Mobile

Online Retailer of the Year – Amazon

Best Newcomer of the Year – Audacious

Most Popular Mobile Network – Three

Broadband winners

Best Triple Play Provider – Sky

Best Provider Customer Service – Plusnet

Best Smart Media Device – Amazon Fire TV Cube

Best TV Content – Netflix

Best TV Streaming Service – Netflix

Best Value Broadband Provider – Now Broadband

Broadband Provider of the Year – Now Broadband

Fastest Broadband Provider – Virgin Media

TV Provider of the Year – Now TV

Most Popular Broadband Provider – TalkTalk

Comms joint awards

Telecom Innovation Award – Audacious and Galaxy Fold

Quadplay Provider of the Year – EE

Vodafone has topped the Ofcom list of the most complained about operator for the second straight quarter with EE and Sky attracting the least complaints among broadband providers.

The findings were revealed today as Ofcom published the latest league tables on complaints received about the UK’s major home phone broadband, mobile and pay-TV firms.

Vodafone broadband customers spoke of having issues with the operator’s faults, service and installation problems. Vodafone, TalkTalk and Plusnet were the most complained about landline providers.

Vodafone and Virgin Mobile were the most complained about mobile providers with the primary complaint being handling.

Tesco Mobile was the least complained about pay-monthly mobile provider while EE attracted the least amount of complaints among landline providers.

The report is published quarterly and reveals the number of complaints made to Ofcom between July and September of last year.

The communications regulator revealed that there was a small increase in the relative number of complaints they received for broadband, mobile and pay-TV compared to last quarter – but figures for landline services largely stayed the same.

Ofcom’s director of consumer policy Fergal Farragher said: “People have never had more choice in the phone and broadband markets.

“It’s also never been easier to switch your service. So companies that don’t prioritise great service could see customers leaving them for ones that do.”

Ombudsman Services investigates unresolved telecoms complaints and has responded to the findings.

Relationships director for the company Jodi Hamilton said: “Customer service and complaint handling are key battlegrounds in the fight to retain and attract customers in the ultra-competitive telecoms sector.

“We work with communications providers that belong to our scheme to help them improve their complaint handling, for the benefit of consumers.

“Any consumer with a broadband, mobile or landline issue should contact their provider in the first instance. If the company cannot resolve the complaint within eight weeks, we might be able to help.”

The full results can be found below:

Ofcom has set out measures to ensure out-of-contract broadband customers are paying fairer prices ahead of march next year.

The regulator has challenged some of the UK’s biggest broadband companies to make their prices fairer for customers, as Ofcom revealed that around 40 per cent of broadband customers (8.8 million) are out of contract.

Earlier this year Ofcom conducted a review on helping consumers to get better deals, and have been able to reach a number of agreements with some of the UK’s biggest broadband companies.

BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Plusnet have all made commitments to protect customers around pricing.

As a result of Ofcom’s review, BT, Sky and TalkTalk will allow their out-of-contract customers to get similar deals as new customers, when taking out a new contract.

While BT customers without access to superfast broadband won’t have to pay more than entry-level superfast customers.

Both TalkTalk and Virgin Media will perform annual price reviews with customers to ensure they’re on a deal best suited to their needs.

BT, EE, Plusnet and TalkTalk have all confirmed that out-of-contract customers will avoid above-inflation price rises.

Pricing

According to Ofcom customers that sign a new deal with their current provider could pay £8 to £9 less per month than those that remain out-of-contract.

This figure is almost as much as the average saving of £9 to £10 per month made by new customers joining the provider with an introductory saving.

Ofcom consumer group director Lindsey Fussell said: “Broadband customers who are out of contract can make big savings – around £100 a year on average – by picking up the phone to their current provider and signing up to a better deal.

“And in future, everyone will be told about the best tariff on offer. Thanks to the commitments we’ve secured from major broadband firms, many customers – including the most vulnerable – will pay less.”

Plusnet has topped the Ofcom league tables for most complained fixed broadband in the UK for the first quarter of 2019.

It is the second
quarter in a row that Plusnet has occupied the top spot as it also
led the way for landline complaints.

The provider edged Vodafone and TalkTalk, with 31 complaints per 100,000, which is considerably more than the industry average of 13 according to Ofcom’s report.

Vodafone with 30, TalkTalk (24) and BT further back with 15 complaints per 100,000 completed the top four.

However EE and Sky (both five) received the fewest complaints out of the providers.

Plusnet customers main
complaints centred around billing, pricing and charges (38 per cent),
with 28pc of customers annoyed at how complaints were handled and
24pc irritated by faults, service and provision issues.

The provider also came
top of the table for landline complaints, with 24 complaints per
100,000 customers. TalkTalk (19) and Vodafone (15) followed in second
and third, with EE (four) the recipient of the fewest complaints.

uSwitch broadband
expert Dani Warner has called Plusnet’s performance “disappointing”.

“It is disappointing to once again see Plusnet as the most
complained about provider for landline and broadband, despite the
volume of complaints falling since the end of last year.

“Overall, however,
the bigger picture presents a better story, with fewer complaints
about both mobile and broadband providers across the board.

www.broadbandchoices.co.uk home comms expert Mark Pocock questioned Vodafone’s performance also.

“The announcement
doesn’t make good reading for Vodafone either, with the company
receiving the most complaints for pay monthly mobile, and the
second-most for broadband, narrowly losing out to Plusnet.

“With Vodafone
investing so much into 5G at the moment, it begs the question: “are
they doing enough to keep their existing customers happy?”

For pay-monthly mobile
complaints, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile received the joint-highest
number of complaints with six per 100,000 customers in Q1.

Tesco Mobile received
just one complaint per 100,000 customers in the first quarter, with
O2, iD Mobile and EE all receiving just two.