More customers complained about Comcast’s Now Broadband than any other British home Internet provider during the first three months of the year, according to media and telecommunications regulator Ofcom.
Overall complaints about land-based broadband Internet connections fell during the first quarter (Q1) of the year compared to the same time period in 2023, Ofcom affirmed, suggesting companies were taking service-related issues and complaints more seriously and working to address various glitches in their networks.
While broadband Internet complaints were lower in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023, the number of complaints associated with wireless service increased, Ofcom said, with Telefonica’s O2 drawing the most consumer complaints.
Comcast’s Now Broadband had 22 percent of complaints per 100,000 subscribers, according to Ofcom, while Sky Broadband — which is also owned by Comcast — was tied with Shell Energy Broadband with the fewest number of complaints at 6 percent each.
Plusnet, BT and TalkTalk also had the fewest broadband complaints, while BT-owned EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media had higher complaints (though slightly less than Now Broadband).
Now Broadband also had unflattering marks when it came to landline phone complaints during Q1 2023, with EE and Virgin Media also seeing a high number of complaints, Ofcom revealed. Virgin Media was the most-complained about pay TV provide, regulators said.
Ofcom says it publishes data on consumer complaints to help households better evaluate their choices among pay TV, wireless and broadband Internet providers. Per-provider data has been published by the regulator since 2009.
“We recognize that there is no single source of information that can give consumers a full picture of the relative performance of different providers,” Ofcom wrote in a document outlining its complaint data methodology. ” In addition, different service features will matter more for some consumers than for others. For many consumers, comparative price and network performance information is of primary importance. Ofcom has improved the information available in these areas – examples include the publication of broadband speeds research, mobile coverage maps and our scheme for accrediting price comparison calculators.”
