Understanding Ofcom’s Complaints Figures

Ofcom recently published their latest complaints figures, which show that broadband customers are the most disappointed in their service, with more complaining about their connection than about their landline, pay-monthly mobile, and pay-TV. With BT receiving the most complaints — 36 per 100,000 — this can be seen as being a little worrying, especially for businesses looking into more niche and specialised services like leased lines which are currently only offered by a select few internet service providers. However, it’s important not to be worried about this information, and here’s why:

Social Sharing

Regardless of whether it’s leased lines or a local restaurant, as a nation we’re more inclined to share bad reviews than good ones. In part because a bad experience stays on our mind, and in part because we want a response; we want to know why we’ve received a service that didn’t live up to expectations. This is evident by the fact that Ofcom have released complaint figures, and yet haven’t released satisfaction figures for the same period. We’re more interested in the negative, but at the same time we could be missing out on a very suitable and efficient service by focusing upon these complaints figures.

The Other Side of the Coin

If we’re looking at complaints, it’s only fair to look at non-complaints, too. Consider that BT received 36 complaints per 100,000, and that Virgin Media received 11 complaints per 100,000. That’s 0.036% and 0.011% respectively. This means that for the 3 months that the report covers, 99.96% of customers did not complain about BT, and 99.98% did not complain about Virgin Media. Sounds better, right?

What’s the Solution?

The solution is simple: don’t trust negative reviews online. Don’t trust positive ones, either. When it comes to services, rather than simple, in-your-hands products, there’s a lot of scope for subjectivity. There will always be happy customers, and there will always be unhappy customers. It’s just a part of life. Nobody can tell you if an internet service provider and their products (broadband, leased lines etc.) will be right for your business; that’s something you need to work out for yourself. The good news is that there are tools that make this simple, such as the Leased Line Comparison tool which provides an in depth overview of different providers and packages to ensure you’re making the best choice for you.