Virgin Mobile hit with most complaints of any operator, but standards are rising

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The volume of complaints about British mobile operators remains at record lows, with Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE recording just one grievance per 100,000 customers.

Virgin Media was the most complained about mobile operator with 4 complaints per 100,000 customers, followed by Vodafone and Three, but the industry average of just 2 per 100,000 customers was the lowest in all four sectors monitored by Ofcom.

Sky, EE and BT were the least complained about broadband and landline providers, but TalkTalk and Shell Energy had the most issues in both markets.

Ofcom complaints

However, complaint volumes were reduced or at the same level in all sectors.

This suggests that providers either have more satisfied customers or are getting better at handling or solving grievances.

Given the increasing importance of connectivity to society since the pandemic, with mobile and broadband connections essential for work, education, and everyday life.

“It’s encouraging that overall complaints remain at record lows, but that doesn’t mean customer service is where it should be across the board,” said Fergal Farragher, Ofcom’s Consumer Protection Director.

“There are still big differences in performance between some providers. So it’s definitely worth shopping around and voting with your feet, if you’re not happy with the service you’re getting.”

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media.