BT/EE/PN broadbands top the complaints table, Q3 2016

BT's broadband services received the most complaints during the third quarter of 2016, show figures from regulator Ofcom.

It received 36 complaints for every 100,000 broadband customers - higher than the industry average of 20.

BT-owned companies, Plusnet and EE, came second and third in the broadband complaints table.

Link.

The rankings come soon after BT chairman Sir Michael Rake said it had more work to do to improve customer service.

"We apologise to customers we've let down," said BT in a statement. "BT cares about the service it gives to customers and we know we need to do better."

Funny how it could get this bad if they care so much!

Oddly the fact that TalkTalk and Sky have such low complaints suggests that maybe Openreach is not the root cause of the big difference that BT and Plusnet have, since its supposed to be equal treatment to all providers, and if anything plenty claim BT Consumer get favourable.

The data certainly suggests that the remedy is less to do with a seperate Openreach and more to do with how big providers differ in how they handle complaints.

Couple of issues for me with these figures:

1) 36 out of 100,000 maybe above average but its still a very small percentage of complaints

2) How do we know these are genuine and not people for example moaning about wifi speeds when its their own internal wiring at fault?

In reply to a post by bobble_bob:

How do we know these are genuine and not people for example moaning about wifi speeds when its their own internal wiring at fault?

I have no experience of BT as an ISP, but as a phone line provider they have no real customer care.

I can tell you EE have the worst customer care I have ever come across and Plusnet are pretty poor.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

The data certainly suggests that the remedy is less to do with a seperate Openreach and more to do with how big providers differ in how they handle complaints.

Perhaps it is just easy for ISPs to blame OR, but they certainly blame them a lot in my experience and their claims seem very plausible. It's a pity customers have no direct line to them to verify their complaints.

My latest example :-

"Checking our Supplier systems the phone service shows as being ceased, but the Broadband Asset is still showing active with Plusnet according to BT Wholesale."

Edited by hk11 (Wed 21-Dec-16 08:04:45)

In reply to a post by bobble_bob:

2) How do we know these are genuine and not people for example moaning about wifi speeds when its their own internal wiring at fault?

You would expect issues like that to be similar across ISPs so shouldn't massively weigh towards a single one.

+1 million Andrew.

ISP's blame Openreach to cover their own incompetence as they know it can never be verified by the consumer.

You would expect, but there may be demographics at play - i.e. people who believe you HAVE to buy from BT also being the least technically savvy too, thus more upset and likely to complain

NOTE: Not saying the BT level is good at all, but needs some more analysis as to root cause, i.e. classification of complaints as this would help to show the level that are down to the underlying common factor such as the local loop

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Oddly the fact that TalkTalk and Sky have such low complaints suggests that maybe Openreach is not the root cause of the big difference that BT and Plusnet have, since its supposed to be equal treatment to all providers, and if anything plenty claim BT Consumer get favourable.

The data certainly suggests that the remedy is less to do with a seperate Openreach and more to do with how big providers differ in how they handle complaints.

Although not worth much my experience has shown me that there is no difference in connections between TT and BTO. It has to be down to the providers, but if BT have more compaints than PN that would suck because they charge in effect double what their cheaper arm does.

This is based on £22.50 for PN and £48,99 for BT for 80/20

Where are you seeing Plusnet is £22.50? Their standard pricing according to the website for 80/20 is £30 if you sign up to an 18 month contract which goes to £37.98 once 18 months is up (so standard price is £37.98 with £30 being a promotion).

BT aren't currently doing a promotion on Infinity 2 but they may well do again soon.

Also, existing customers pay varying levels so my current Infinity 2 carries a fairly decent discount which brings it to about the same as the current Plusnet promotion.

Headline figures mean little in the broadband world as many people are on special deals of one kind or another.

I cannot find Plusnet for 80/20 at that sort of money.
Even Moneysavingexpert have them down for £25 a month for 38/2 on an 18month deal. (Buy LRS and it goes down to £23 something)

I cannot find Plusnet for 80/20 at that sort of money.

Unlimited4; Fibre Extra Special Offer from £30.00 a month 18 month contract £6.99 P&P applies. Towards the bottom of the page.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Where are you seeing Plusnet is £22.50?

It was on the homepage not 3 weeks ago as an offer but just the Fibre price. When I do a order now I get offered the Fibre for £12.01 a month!. £30 all in with line rental at £17,99!

That's very very cheap!.

https://postimg.org/image/vrt8idw8z/

Edited by deleted (Wed 21-Dec-16 19:41:14)

So not £22.50 then. Which was my point. £30 is 33% more.

I think prices change almost daily and I have no doubt the OP saw it at the price he quoted.

In reply to a post by georgelnx:

So not £22.50 then. Which was my point. £30 is 33% more.

I did say that was for the Fibre ONLY! - god man chill out.

It's now £12.01 a month - as you can see above. £30 with line rental is pretty awesome, shame they are so far down the latter and their gateway problem would drive me insane probably.

Andrew

It would be interesting to know if ( BB ) compliants about Openreach ( Provision and Repair) were logged against BT. There is no indication in the figures that OFCOM log faults where people are complaining about OR as a seperate category. It may be this explains some of the big difference between top and bottom ISPs where they are using the same service.

Ian72 stated 80/20 was available for £30 to which you replied "I cannot find Plusnet for 80/20 at that sort of money." I was simply pointing you to where you could see this for yourself. That 80/20 @ £30 is 33% more than £22.50 is irrelevant to my post, I was simply providing you with the link that you were unable to find for yourself having queried Ian72's post.

But you were comparing it in your earlier post to a BT price that does include line rental. You need to compare like for like when you are saying one provider is twice the price of another.

In reply to a post by ian72:

But you were comparing it in your earlier post to a BT price that does include line rental. You need to compare like for like when you are saying one provider is twice the price of another.

Plusnet include line rental in their prices, BT currently don't and Plusnet is £30 all in broken down to £12.01 for BB and £17,99 for LR

BT still advertise £30 for BB and £18,99 for LR but state it's £30 + £18,99 so not all in

What's so hard to understand?

This is BTs page for new customers wanting broadband. Notice all the prices include line rental. Also, it seems they have now started a promotion on infinity 2 for £44.99 on a 12 month contract (it was £49.99 yesterday). Where are you seeing current BT advertising that doesn't give the cost of broadband and land line - please provide a link?

Where packages are only available at the price where you have to have phone line included then the actual "split" between broadband and phone is irrelevant as actually you are paying a single package price. The broadband is only £12.01 if you get the line rental as well - get line rental from elsewhere and you will be paying more so the rental is subsidising the broadband.

Fibre broadband without line rental at PlusNet is £22.49 per month on an 18 month contract.

yup ok- whatever

Edited by deleted (Thu 22-Dec-16 12:17:11)

So, you can't point to where BT are advertising packages that don't include rental then and agree that BTs advertising that I pointed to (the main adverts on their site) do include line rental in the headline price in the same way that PlusNet's do? Or does you response suggest I am still wrong but you don't have the will to post a simple link to show I am?

In reply to a post by ian72:

So, you can't point to where BT are advertising packages that don't include rental then and agree that BTs advertising that I pointed to (the main adverts on their site) do include line rental in the headline price in the same way that PlusNet's do? Or does you response suggest I am still wrong but you don't have the will to post a simple link to show I am?

More like I don't have the time, having a job N all.

In reply to a post by ian72:

You would expect issues like that to be similar across ISPs so shouldn't massively weigh towards a single one.

Of course that assumes that all isp' etc log the complaints.
Perhaps BT are just better at logging complaints.
The report would have more weight if it covered resolved complaints.

Working in a customer facing role. I know the daft things people complain about that have to be logged and can really mess up the figures.

In reply to a post by 23Prince:

Plusnet include line rental in their prices, BT currently don't and Plusnet is £30 all in broken down to £12.01 for BB and £17,99 for LR

BT still advertise £30 for BB and £18,99 for LR but state it's £30 + £18,99 so not all in

What's so hard to understand?

Well if BT are doing that then they are breaking the new regulations on pricing...

But this clearly shows LR included....

In reply to a post by JohnR:

In reply to a post by 23Prince:

Plusnet include line rental in their prices, BT currently don't and Plusnet is £30 all in broken down to £12.01 for BB and £17,99 for LR

BT still advertise £30 for BB and £18,99 for LR but state it's £30 + £18,99 so not all in

What's so hard to understand?

Well if BT are doing that then they are breaking the new regulations on pricing...

But this clearly shows LR included....

Scroll down to the bottom of the page you linked to. Click Tariff guide >> Unpackaged broadband >> Broadband options. Though as far as I can see it doesn't mention that the line cost has to be paid to some CP or other.

It's only packages that require an all-in price.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Scroll down to the bottom of the page you linked to. Click Tariff guide >> Unpackaged broadband >> Broadband options. Though as far as I can see it doesn't mention that the line cost has to be paid to some CP or other.

See our tariff guide for details of all our standard prices.

With a nice list of their products.
As we all know you can't get hard wired BB without a phone line. So its obvious that you will have to pay rental for that as well.

But of course some people will argue anyway.....

Not quite sure what point you are trying to make?, As the post I quoted said BT were not including line rental in the BB cost. Which clearly they are.. As linked in my post.
Which would make it a PACKAGE....

Funny that it is headed "Unpackaged Broadband" if it's a package.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Funny that it is headed "Unpackaged Broadband" if it's a package.

Eh?

I linked to the packages.... Which is what the other poster said BT were not doing....

In reply to a post by JohnR:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Funny that it is headed "Unpackaged Broadband" if it's a package.

Eh?

I linked to the packages.... Which is what the other poster said BT were not doing....

When I looked last they were not which was a few weeks ago and after the changes were announced, BT was one of if not the last to follow suit. I didn't have time yesterday to link so I thank you for doing so. It used to say £30 for inf 2 + £18,99 underneath.