The UK's best and worst pay-monthly mobile firms based on complaints
O2 customers had to make the most complaints yet again while Sky and Tesco Mobile customers made the least, latest figures show.
New quarterly figures from the telecoms watchdog have revealed the companies faring the best and worst in terms of customer complaints.
Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile both generated the lowest number of official gripes, while O2 finished bottom of the pile for the sixth quarter running.
According to Ofcom, the most common issues related to O2's poor complaints handling (28%), service issues (24%) and problems when switching providers (17%).
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Total complaint figures far higher
The graphic from Ofcom below highlights how all the major networks compare and covers the three months between October and December 2024, which are the latest figures available.
It's worth pointing out that, while the number of complaints appears low for all mobile providers, these are issues that customers have needed to escalate to Ofcom as they've been unable to resolve their issues directly with their provider.
The actual number of complaints made directly to network providers is far higher: Ofcom's data suggests that around one in eight (12%) mobile customers said they had a reason to complain over the last 12-month period.
Best & worst mobile firms: complaints per 100,000 customers
Source: Ofcom
As mentioned earlier, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile shared top spot after both generated just one official complaint per 100,000 customers.
Both these companies consistently feature near the top of the tables, so could be a good option if you really value good customer service.
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There was also a tie for second between EE and Vodafone, with both responsible for a total of two complaints per 100,000 customers each.
At the bottom of the table, O2 was responsible for four complaints per 100,000. This was, at least, a slight improvement on the previous quarter (5), but still means it has finished bottom of the pile for one and a half years now.
Which providers offer consistently good service?
Ofcom publishes data on the number of complaints it receives about each of the big telecoms providers every three months.
Looking at such a short period can be unreliable – any provider can have a temporary problem that dramatically skews the figures.
In order to give you a clearer picture of how the mobile network giants consistently fare, we've listed the complaints figures for the last six quarters (18 months) in the table below.
If you're fed up with your provider, take a look at our pain-free guide to cancelling your contract then search for a new mobile phone deal on Uswitch or another comparison site.
Complaints per 100,000 customers over the last 18 months
|
Provider |
Q3 2023 |
Q4 2023 |
Q1 2024 |
Q2 2024 |
Q3 2024 |
Q4 2024 |
|
Vodafone |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
iD Mobile |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
|
Three |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
O2 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
|
EE |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Tesco Mobile |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Industry average |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
*Ofcom did not publish data for this provider in these quarters
Mobile coverage
Practically speaking, the most important thing to keep in mind when signing up for any phone contract is the coverage and reception offered by the operator (you can read about the best networks for signal and speed here).
Ultimately, an extremely helpful call centre is of little use if you can't even phone them in the first place!
To make sure you don't live in a particular network's 'blackspot', the links below will take you to each network’s coverage map or coverage checker, so you can get a decent idea of the coverage you can expect where you live.
Finally, find out which other telecoms providers you should be dodging by reading our regularly updated roundups of The UK’s worst pay TV providers, The UK's worst home phone providers and The UK’s worst broadband providers.
If you're fed up with your provider or simply need a new phone, why not compare deals with Uswitch? (note: we may receive a small commission for any purchase you make, but it won't affect the price you pay)
This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently.
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