Which? calls on Virgin Media to improve customer service
Which? is calling on Virgin Media to urgently improve its customer service as new analysis from the consumer association finds it is the worst broadband firm for customer service.
Since late 2023, thousands of consumers have been in touch with Which? to share their experiences of shoddy customer service in sectors including energy, financial services, telecoms and travel.
An overwhelming frustration shared in many of these stories is that companies are not providing prompt responses and resolutions when people get in touch about a problem.
Telecoms is currently one of the worst-performing sectors for customer service. In Which?’s 2023 customer service survey, one in five people (22%) said they were unhappy with their most recent customer service experience with a telecoms provider, one of the highest scores across energy, financial services, retail and telecoms sectors.
Which? analysed data from its latest annual broadband customer satisfaction survey, 2023 customer service survey and the stories shared with the consumer association’s customer service tool to find out how well broadband firms are performing for customer service and if they are providing timely and effective responses.
Virgin Media was the worst-performing broadband firm for customer service – coming bottom for overall customer service, quick and helpful responses and technical support. The supplier received a satisfaction score of 38 out of a possible +100 for overall customer service, 26 out of +100 for ease and speed of getting in touch and 34 out of +100 for technical support.
At the other end of the scale, Zen Internet took first place for overall customer service – with a satisfaction score of 84. Utility Warehouse and Plusnet also performed well with satisfaction scores of 74 or 72 for overall customer service.
These findings highlight just how dramatically the quality of customer service can vary between individual firms. That is why Which? has launched a customer service campaign calling on companies providing vital services to up their game if they are falling short of the standards their customers deserve.
As the worst performer in the essential broadband sector, Which? claims that Virgin must make urgent improvements and demonstrate that it is making it easier for customers to get timely and effective solutions to their problems when they need help.
Says Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy:
“Customer service has hit rock bottom – with some customers stuck in endless loops just trying to get help.
“Virgin Media was named the worst broadband firm for customer service in our research – faring particularly poorly for technical support and providing quick and efficient responses. This is particularly unacceptable when the company has enforced mid-contract price hikes of almost nine per cent this April, on top of an increase of almost 14 per cent last April.
“While many consumers will rightly consider switching, firms that are falling short must urgently make improvements so all customers are getting the standard of service and support they need and deserve.”
A Virgin Media spokesperson replies:
“We are investing and making changes across our business to deliver tangible customer service improvements and ensure all customers receive the best possible service. For example, we’re multi-skilling our teams and rolling out new IT platforms that make it easier for customers to get support and have issues resolved the first time they get in touch.
“On average, customer calls were answered within two minutes last year and we resolved 95% of complaints during a customer’s first initial call.”
