A national daily newspaper has delivered a damning verdict on the customer service levels offered by UK broadband providers.

Research conducted by the Daily Mail indicates that up to 4.1 million people per year experience dissatisfaction with their current phone and internet service provider (ISP), with telecoms firms generating more complaints than any other sector.

According to the news provider, 3.3 million people have been forced to wait three months for their ISP to resolve a service problem.

The Daily Mail says common consumer concerns include incorrect billing, missed appointments by engineers, confusing customer contact procedures, long call centre hold times, a lack of basic advice and assistance and a failure to take complaints seriously enough.

It argues that "problems run through the industry", meaning UK broadband providers have work to do to improve the customer experience.

Joanne Lezemore, Senior Solicitor with consumer group Which, said a lack of communication between customer service staff is often to blame for the issues which arise.

In a more positive poll, Ofcom's Consumer Experience report revealed in December that overall satisfaction rates are continuing to increase among broadband consumers.