Ofcom names Vodafone as most complained about UK operator

For the second quarter in a row, Vodafone has been named the most complained about UK operator by Ofcom. 

 

Vodafone received 26 complaints per 100,000 customers, far above the average of 14 for fixed ISPs.

 

This was, however, four less complaints than they received in the previous quarter.

 

Market leader BT was just below average at 13, with Virgin Media not faring much better than Vodafone with 20.

 

It is easy to name and shame Vodafone following this report, but the reality is that the market as a whole continues to perform poorly in the field of customer service.

 

“While Vodafone are bottom of the league, few providers have much to crow about, with customer service standards seemingly declining across the industry,” said Mark Pocock of broadbandchoices. “It appears that two years after Ofcom very publicly called for a huge improvement in customer service, lessons have yet to be learned.”

 

But learn they must. 

 

With an increasing number of competitors in the market, telcos are having to fight harder than ever to attract and retain customers. Innovations like eSIM and the introduction of options like ‘text-to-switch’ are set to make it very easy for customers to seamlessly jump ship to a more appealing service provider.

 

“It’s also never been easier to switch your service,” said Fergal Farragher, Ofcom’s director of consumer policy. “Companies that don’t prioritise great service could see customers leaving them for ones that do.”

 

As operators continue to diversify into new services, the importance of customer service will only be pushed further into the limelight and, right now, there is a lot of room for improvement.