ISPreview UK Survey Predicts More Broadband ISP Switchers in 2014

A new survey of 3,345 ISPreview.co.uk readers has found that UK consumers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the reliability and quality of customer support provided by their current broadband ISP, with more expecting to switch (migrate) to another ISP in 2014 than in 2013.

The online poll found that consumers were least happy with the quality of their ISPs customer support, connection reliability and service speeds. As a result the proportion of people that expected to swap ISP in the coming year has risen from 32.3% in 2012 and now stands at 37.6%.

However it’s worth noting that Ofcom’s 2012 Consumer Experience report revealed that in the end only 9% of fixed line broadband consumers actually switched provider during 2012, although this did represent an increase from 7% one year earlier. ISPreview.co.uk’s readers are perhaps much more likely to consider a move but in the end many still appear to hesitate when it comes to decision time.

Which aspect of your ISP makes you least happy?
Support – 30.1%
Reliability – 30%
Speed – 18.9%
Price – 9.7%
None – 6.9%
Service Restrictions (fup) – 4.1%

How much do you pay just for broadband (monthly) – pick closest?
£20 or more – 75.4%
£15 – 11%
£10 – 6.7%
£0 to £5 – 4.4%
Don’t know – 2.3%

Will you switch ISP in 2014?
Maybe – 47.1%
Yes – 37.6%
No – 15.2%

Broadband speeds have improved a lot, at least for some people, over the past couple of years and this is largely thanks to the adoption of a new generation of ‘super-fast’ (Next Generation Access) connectivity. But speed, which was once the most important consideration, has never been the only significant factor for consumers. Just look at how things have changed from last year’s study.

[Q4 – 2012] Which aspect of your ISP makes you least happy?
Speed – 40.2%
Reliability – 17%
None – 14.5%
Price – 13.7%
Support – 7.3%
Service Restrictions (fup) – 7%

Some of the biggest ISPs have been attempting to keep their customer churn under control by adding new TV content (e.g. BTSport, TalkTalk TV), although it’s clear from our survey that Internet providers must now be much more mindful of their customer support quality and service reliability if they are to hold onto their users.

Meanwhile this month’s new survey asks about your current broadband speed and whether or not you’d pay extra for a 30Mbps+ connection if you could already get 15Mbps? Vote Here.