TalkTalk Named Worst Major UK Broadband ISP in Which? Survey

Consumer magazine Which? has published a partial summary of the results from their latest biannual 2023 survey of the best and worst broadband ISPs, which once again named Zen Internet as the best overall provider (customer satisfaction score of 81%), while TalkTalk were found to be the worst of the major players.

The survey itself was conducted online during January 2023 with 3,975 members of the public, which means it isn’t big enough to cover many ISPs (they needed at least 50 responses to be included). Sadly, Which? has long since stopped providing a usefully structured public summary of the results, and thus we only get partial details for a handful of providers. As usual, you have to buy the magazine to see everything.

Otherwise, the survey itself asked customers to rate each provider across several different categories, including speed, reliability, value for money, ease of contacting, customer service and technical support. ISPs were also awarded an overall customer score (%), which is based on satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

The full survey actually covers twelve broadband ISPs. But Which? made no mention of Zen being the best in their official news release, and instead only summarised some limited results for the biggest four providers. However, rather than mentioning the survey results in any useful detail, most of the magazine’s commentary seems to be focused on the recent price hikes.

Which?’s Summary of the Big Four

➤ TalkTalk customers gave it the lowest possible ratings for technical support, customer service and broadband speed. One in five of those who had switched away from TalkTalk put this down to their connection being too slow, while a fifth of current customers also told us they would not recommend TalkTalk to others. Meanwhile, TalkTalk is set to hike its broadband prices by 14.2% next month courtesy of its inflation-based, mid-contract price rise structure.

➤ BT uses a similar pricing structure, so many of its customers will see a 14.4% price hike next month. It’s unsurprising then, that nearly four in ten customers who had departed BT told us this was due to a price rise. Overall, BT managed better ratings than the other ‘Big Four’ providers but it was easily outshone by smaller competitors. Customer service and value for money were particular weaknesses.

➤ Virgin Media is introducing tricky-to-avoid inflation-based mid-contract price rises in 2024, however it has announced that current customers will see costs rise by an average of 13.8% next month. This year, affected customers are still able to switch away. Our survey suggests that might be worth considering – Virgin Media received lacklustre ratings from customers, particularly around customer service and technical support. Alongside that, two in five Virgin Media customers told us they pay more than £40 per month for their connection, going some way towards explaining why this provider had some of the lowest ratings when it came to value for money.

➤ Sky Broadband has avoided putting clauses covering inflation-based price rises in its contracts, so customers can switch away penalty-free when notified of price hikes. This year’s price increases come into force this Saturday, with the average increase sitting at 8.1% – substantial, but lower than the other Big Four providers. Sky fell between BT and Virgin Media in our rankings. Its customers were the most likely to have experienced an issue with their connection in the past year, though it was considered easier to contact than both TalkTalk and Virgin Media.