1 March 2007
Figures from a recent survey carried out by research group Point Topic have revealed that 77% of British consumers are either fairly or very satisfied with their broadband provider.
However, this marks a 15% drop on the comparative figures gained just 12 months ago, showing that internet service providers are struggling to keep up with consumers' demands.
The majority of unsatisfied customers appear to have joined the relatively new players in the broadband arena, with 17% of TalkTalk customers and 14% of Sky broadband users stating that they were very or fairly dissatisfied with their service.
After-sales support was noted to be worsening across the board and Point Break researchers deduced that customer service standards were slipping for the majority of broadband suppliers.
The amount of choice on the market had also resulted in consumers feeling more confident about what they should expect from a broadband service provider. The report noted: "Consumers, as they spend longer as broadband customers, are likely to become less tolerant of problems."
While price still dominated the majority of consumers' choice on which provider they picked, the report also showed that internet reliability was coming a close second and that the level of customer service was having a vital impact on whether or not customers remained loyal.
Point Topic's research correlates with the findings of a customer satisfaction survey carried out by the price comparison and switching website uSwitch.com, which found, among other statistics, that TalkTalk and Orange's free broadband promises offered in 2006 had led to a customer service nightmare – leading to a record 2.8 million subscribers stating that they were not satisfied with their broadband service.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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