THE best and worst performing broadband companies have been revealed by Which? as prices are set to soar.
The consumer website surveyed almost 4,000 broadband customers to get their opinion on 12 providers.
Which? has ranked 12 broadband providers on its customers satisfaction levels
Customers were asked how they rated their companies when it comes to connection, customer service and technical support.
And the company to come out on top was Zen Internet.
Its customer satisfaction score was 81%, with the firm achieving high scores across the board.
It also received the best results for customer service and technical support.
Meanwhile, TalkTalk came out at the bottom of the pile, with a customer satisfaction rating of 51%.
Customers gave the firm the lowest possible ratings for technical support, customer service and speed.
The firm is set to hike its broadband prices by 14.2% for millions of customers from April 1.
Virgin Media came tenth out of the list of 12 with an overall score of 54%.
The firm scored poorly for customer service and substandard technical support.
It also had some of the lowest ratings when it came to value for money.
Virgin’s monthly costs will go up by an average 13.8% in April but it is also introducing RPI inflation-based mid-contract price rises next year.
Sky did a little better, coming eighth out of 12, with a customer score of 56%.
Customers said they were most likely to have experienced an issue with their connection in the past year, according to Which?’s survey.
Sky is hiking its broadband prices by 8.1% from Saturday.
BT came fifth, with a customer score of 59% – it scored low on its customer service and value for money.
Hyperoptic (65% customer score) and Utility Warehouse meanwhile (63%) came second and third in Which?’s survey.
Soaring inflation means millions of broadband customers are facing increases of more than 14% within days.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “It’s unacceptable that the major broadband firms are hiking prices for their mediocre services by such huge sums during this unrelenting cost of living crisis.
She added: “With just days to go until inflation-busting price hikes take effect, customers who are out of contract should take action now to switch away, cut costs and avoid paying a lot more for their current service.”
A BT Consumer spokesperson said: “We understand that price rises are never wanted nor welcomed, but recognise them as a necessary thing to do given the rising costs our business faces.
“With the average price increase just above £1 per week, and over 3 million of our customers exempt from the rise – we’re also doing all we can to ensure our services are accessible to the widest group of customers possible through our market leading social tariffs.”
A TalkTalk spokesman said: “We’re disappointed by Which?’s approach to research data and would urge them to use more considered and representative evidence.
“These findings are counter to TalkTalk’s recent encouraging trends in customer experience, following significant investment and improvements in customer service in recent months.
“We’re also seeing our lowest ever levels of customers leaving us.”
We approached Virgin Media and Sky.
How to complain about your energy company or to switch
Any complaints about your broadband company should be taken to the Communications Ombudsman.
It’s a free service and handles issues between customers and suppliers.
If you’ve tried to resolve a problem with your provider and you’re getting nowhere, the Communications Ombudsman will look at your case and see if they can help you deal with the complaint.
If they help take your complaint on, they can only help back bill you for 12 months.
That means you won’t be able to get help getting money back before this.
If you straight up want to leave your current provider, the first thing to do is check whether you are out of contract.
If you are, you should be fine to switch without any extra costs.
If you’re not, you might have to pay some hefty early exit fees – so make sure you find this out.
The next thing to do is find the best deal – comparison sites are usually the best bet to help you with this.
Websites like uswitch, moneysupermarket and moneysavingexpert.com are worth using.
Once you’ve decided on the best deal to match your needs, you’ll need to contact your new provider about their offer.
You might have to contact your existing provider too, if you’re switching to or from a completely separate network.