Its research also reveals that nearly half (45%) of people suffer slow download speeds, with 58% of them saying they experience this frequently or all the time.
Households are also suffering from poor customer service. A quarter (27%) of people who reported a loss of service and had it resolved waited two days for this, and around one in ten (11%) had no internet for a week or more. Which? also found three in 10 (31%) who contacted their provider with a problem said they did not get a resolution at all, a quarter of those who did get a resolution (25%) were dissatisfied with how long it took, and one in five (20%) said they contacted their ISP three times or more to resolve a problem.
Which? is campaigning for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ‘Give us Broadband Speed Guaranteed’ so that customers get the speed and service they pay for.
Which? wants broadband companies to:
- Give customers written speed estimates at the start of the contract, with an accurate estimate for their home.
- Allow people to exit contracts without penalty if they don’t get the minimum speed estimated at any point in their contract.
- Fix loss of connection as quickly as possible and refund people for loss of service.
- Cut out the jargon – give consumers information they understand and take responsibility for fixing problems.
Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said: “The internet is an essential part of modern life, yet millions of us are getting frustratingly slow speeds and having to wait days to get reconnected when things go wrong.
“It’s less superfast broadband, more super slow service from companies who are expecting people to pay for speeds they may never get. Broadband providers need to give customers the right information and take responsibility for resolving problems.”
Which? is calling on the public to support this campaign by signing its petition to get broadband speed guaranteed:www.which.co.uk/bbspeed
NOTES
1. Populus, on behalf of Which?, interviewed 2,012 GB adults online between 8th and 9th January 2014. Data was weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
2. Our research also found that around a third of people (36%) have had intermittent connection drop outs and one in seven (15%) haven’t been able to connect to the internet at all.
3. Ofcom introduced a revised Broadband Speeds Code of Practice in July 2011.
4. According to Ofcom figures, three-quarters (76%) of broadband customers say they lack information about the speed that they should be getting (Ofcom’s Technology tracker October-December 2013.)
5. Ofcom figures also show 83% of British households now have a broadband connection and on average households paid £12 a month for their internet, but the majority also have to pay for line rental which is around £15 a month. Average household costs are from 2012 and were published by Ofcom in March 2013.
6. We believe that ISPs should not charge consumers when their internet service is down, or they should refund broadband charges, and if a customer doesn’t have internet access for 14 days, they should be allowed to leave their contract without penalty.
7. Visit the Which? Consumer Rights website to see our guide on how to complain about your broadband speed.
8. Our latest Broadband Satisfaction Survey rates the UK’s broadband and home phone suppliers and finds that smaller providers top the table for customer service and fast speeds, keeping their customers much happier than the big four providers – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. Summary of findings from our survey. Please find the image attached to this press release.
Package information correct on 3 March 2014. Prices listed exclude any introductory offers. We list the cheapest broadband and home phone packages. Prices includes line rental.Which? provider ratings Apply to the provider in general, not to specific packages. Customer score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend to a friend. Ratings based on a December 2013 survey of 947 customers with a broadband and home phone bundle. We require a minimum of 30 responses to give a rating or score on any particular measure - an n/a rating means that we didn't receive enough responses to give a star rating.
*******
For more information, please contact:
Robyn Margetts
Press Officer, Which?
E: [email protected]
T: 0207 770 7697