lovemoney staff
,27 June 2014
,Lovemoney.com
The UK's worst mobile phone provider
We take a look at the worst (and best) mobile network operators.
The mobile phone has evolved substantially since the days it resembled a brick. And likewise, the amount we rely on our cellular friends has changed. Indeed, for many people, if their mobile stops working, so do they.
Which is why receiving good customer service from your mobile operator is now more important than ever.
Ofcom complaint figures
Ofcom publishes data on the number of complaints it receives about each of the big telecoms providers, including mobile phone networks, each quarter.
It's now reporting complaints separately for Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go providers.
These are its results for Pay Monthly mobile phone providers from the most recent report, covering January to March this year.
|
Provider |
Complaints per 1,000 customers (Q2 Apr-Jun 2013) |
Complaints per 1,000 customers (Q4 Jul-Sep 2013) |
Complaints per 1,000 customers (Q4 Oct-Dec 2013) |
Complaints per 1,000 customers (Q1 Jan-Mar 2014) |
|
0.14 |
0.13 |
0.13 |
0.12 | |
|
0.07 |
0.09 |
0.07 |
0.07 | |
|
0.04 |
0.05 |
0.05 |
0.05 | |
|
0.09 |
0.06 |
0.03 |
0.04 | |
|
0.03 |
0.03 |
0.03 |
0.04 |
EE yet again tops the complaints table, racking up double the complaints of the rest of the market. Complaints largely centred on complaints handling, billing and issues with changing provider.
As Ofcom receives very few complaints about Pay As You Go providers (which, by their nature, are far easier to switch), it doesn't provide a company-by-company breakdown. It says it receives fewer than 30 complaints per month per provider (except EE), which means the statistics are subject to small fluctuations and, as such, could be rendered meaningless.
Which? research
Last year the consumer group Which? carried out its own research into mobile phone operators by speaking to 8,000 customers. These stats not only took into account the handsets, costs and clarity of bills offered by providers, but also included a wider range of operators.
Here are the results for contract and SIM-only phones:
|
Network |
Customer service |
Resolving issues |
UK call costs |
Network coverage |
Handset range |
Accuracy of bills |
Incentives |
Customer Score |
|
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
5/5 |
4/5 |
72% |
|
|
Talkmobile |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
67% |
|
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
4/5 |
63% |
|
|
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
4/5 |
4/5 |
57% |
|
| Three | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 |
3/5 |
3/5 | 56% |
| T-Mobile (now part of EE) | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 56% |
| EE | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 56% |
| Orange (now part of EE) | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 55% |
| Vodafone | 3/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 55% |
Here are the results for Pay As You Go:
|
Network |
Customer service |
Aftersales care |
UK call costs |
Network coverage |
Handset range |
Incentives |
Customer Score |
| GiffGaff | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | - | 3/5 | 81% |
|
Asda Mobile |
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
3/5 |
2/5 |
2/5 |
74% |
|
4/5 |
4/5 |
3/5 |
3/5 |
3/5 |
3/5 |
71% |
|
| Three | 3/5 | n/a | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 65% |
| O2 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 63% |
| Vodafone | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 62% |
| Orange | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 56% |
| Virgin Mobile | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 56% |
| T Mobile | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 52% |
So Tesco is the most onsistent performer at the top end.
The survey also shows that pay as you go operators emerged slightly better than their contract counterparts when it comes to customer service.
But customer service and price aren’t the only factors you should keep in mind when shopping around for a new mobile phone.
Mobile coverage
Practically speaking, the most important thing to keep in mind when buying any mobile phone is the coverage and reception of the handset and operator. However, when it comes to comparing the best networks for this, the answer gets a little tricky as so much of signal strength depends on location.
The links below take you to each network’s coverage map or coverage checker so you can get a decent idea of what coverage you can expect.
This is a lovemoney.com classic article which is regularly updated
Compare mobile phone deals at Recombu
What really happens when your mobile phone is stolen
How to make cheap mobile phone calls home from abroad
Say no to 0800, 0808, 0870: how to call them free from your mobile
