Which? has released figures from their 2018 consumer study ranking mobile phone operators based on the levels of customer satisfaction.
The figures make good reading for some of the smaller players in the market with Utility Warehouse scoring highest with a satisfaction rating of 84% and GiffGaff not far behind at 81%. Mobile giant Vodafone came last with other market leaders EE, Three and O2 all being judged to provide an “average” or “disappointing service”.
The smaller networks have once again shown that they are able to provide a higher level of service than the larger players. One interesting thing here is that the highest fairing companies are known as mobile virtual network operators which means they they use the network infrastructure of the one of the ‘big four’.
Executives at Vodafone will surely be sick of the sight of the annual Which? consumer survey after they slumped to the foot of the table for the 7th year in a row with a customer satisfaction score of 49% this year. Out of the respondents to the survey, one in six people said they would not recommend Vodafone.
“Improving service for our customers is a top priority and we have been working hard to deliver results,” a Vodafone spokesman said.
“These findings published by Which? really don’t match up with what our customers are telling us, with our own, independently verified, customer satisfaction scores jumping 13 points from last year to their best ever level.”
Last year Vodafone had company at the bottom with EE tying for last place. This year however the latter of the two dragged itself into a slightly better position with a customer score of 56%, putting some daylight between themselves and Vodafone. The report found that many EE customers did not think they were getting value for money with their contracts with 17% saying they believed their contract was too expensive.
Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services, said: “The biggest providers are lagging behind smaller rivals who are doing a better job of giving customers what they want in terms of service and value for money. Customers who are fed up should look to switch provider as soon as they can.
“New reforms will soon mean that mobile customers will be able to switch provider by text message, which we hope will make it quicker and easier for customers to seek a better deal.”
The latest figures continue the trend in not only the mobile but also the energy industry of new, agile companies coming in and stealing away market share from the traditional household names through superior levels of customer service.
Overall Rankings
Utility Warehouse (84%)
giffgaff (81%)
Sky Mobile (79%)
Asda Mobile (77%)
Tesco Mobile (75%)
Plusnet (65%)
Three UK (64%)
iD Mobile (63%)
BTMobile (62%)
O2 (61%)
Virgin Media / Mobile (58%)
EE (56%)
Vodafone (49%)
