Virgin Mobile Named As Worst Mobile Provider By Ofcom

Virgin Mobile named as worst mobile provider by Ofcom

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has named Virgin Mobile the worst mobile provider for customer service in its latest report on complaints from April to June.

Virgin is top of the list with eight complaints per 100,000 customers, according to Ofcom customer complained most about the service when dealing with complaints.

Customers also complained about other issues too, such as billing and pricing problems as well as connection issues.

This is quite a high number of complaints given that the industry average is three complaints per 100,000 customers.

With the likes of BT (British Telecoms) and Vodaphone both with six complaints per 100,000 customers, well above the industry average.

The lowest number of complaints in Ofcom’s report was actually from Tesco Mobile, with only one complaint per 100,000 customers.

Here is more mobile phone provider’s number of complaints that came in below the average;

• Three – Two complaints per 100,000 customers
• Sky – Two complaints per 100,000 customers
• O2 – Two complaints per 100,000 customers
• iD Mobile – Two complaints per 100,000 customers
• EE – Two complaints per 100,000 customers

Looking at these numbers it’s really put into perspective just how shocking Virgin’s performance has been in the last report.

With four times the number of complaints as EE, Sky and O2.

Making them a questionable network provider for your next smartphone or broadband package.

Virgin Broadband

Virgin has been named the worst mobile provider by Ofcom comes to a surprise to most of us who use Virgin broadband.

For many years there broadband services have been exceptional, with lightning-fast speeds and great reliability.

Virgin home broadband offers the fastest speeds here in the UK, and they even offer short-term 30-day contracts.

That being said it is the customer services side of the company which has been most complained about.

We have to say when dealing with Virgins support team for broadband queries we have found it to be rather difficult.

We sometimes found that wait times to get through to Virgin’s support would be high.

Then being compensated for long periods of downtime was often not possible.

However, when conducting our Virgin Broadband Review we spoke to a couple of customer services advisors who were extremely pleasant.

They guided us through the setup process without being pushy with other products.

I think that Virgin dominate the space with there ridiculously fast 350MB broadband packages.

However, when it comes to using them as a mobile network they are a little behind the times.

You can check out our full review of Virgin Broadband and our other Broadband Reviews right here on our website.

How To Switch Broadband Providers

If you’re considering moving broadband providers but don’t know where to start, Ofcom offers the following advice;

• Check your contract to see if you’ve been with your provider long enough to switch without paying a penalty fee.
• If you have bought your phone from the provider, you should also have the option of keeping it after you switch (if you’ve completed your contract), but keep in mind that it might be locked to that network. Mobile providers have different policies and processes for unlocking phones, so you’ll need to check with your provider.
• If you want to keep your number when you switch providers, you can easily do so by requesting a PAC number for your current provider. Just text PAC to 65075 and your providers should reply to the text quickly. You then need to give the code to your new provider and they’ll arrange for the switch to be completed.

Switching between broadband providers is usually quick and painless.

Often if your new provider runs from the same line there is no need for an engineer.

This is usually the case with the likes of BT, EE, TalkTalk and more.

Allowing you to simply change via the website, and then they will swap the line over usually within 14 days.

Alternative Mobile Providers

Ss Virgin mobile named as the worst mobile provider by Ofcom, now what?

Well, there are many other mobile network providers to choose from, with the likes of Sky, O2, EE, Vodaphone and many more offering great incentives.

For example, EE offers the luxury of having BT sports on their Smart Plans.

Whilst three offer the benefit of being able to roam abroad and get free travel upgrade with EasyJet.

With the mobile phone network space being so competitive, providers are giving consumers much more than they bargained for.

So a network is no longer just the phone and coverage, but a bunch of tasty incentives to get your teeth in to as well.

EE has been voted the best network here in the UK for years now, with Sky winning the most awards in 2019.

Sky also offer longer 30-month contracts, meaning you can pay less for your mobile phone over a longer period of time.

Summary

It is rather disappointing for us to find Virgin mobile named as worst mobile provider by Ofcom.

I have personally used Virgin for my mobile phone contract in the past and found that they were sometimes difficult to deal with but for the most part, my experience was pleasant.

However, since switching over to EE and being with them for the last two years.

I have noticed a significant increase in my 4G speeds, making for much faster internet browsing.

EE has been the number one network here in the UK for many years now.

Whilst they do cost a little more than the average phone network, the service you get is second to none.

I find that my coverage is fantastic, I have not been many placed in the UK where I have not received a great signal.

If you are currently with Virgin and are thinking about a switch, then EE would be my recommendation to you.

Having had problems in the past with other providers, I find that EE has the most reliable network; friendly customer services team and fastest speeds for browsing the web.