The best and worst mobile networks for customer service in the UK
Communications regulator Ofcom has published its latest report on customer service in the telecommunications sector, which is aimed at helping people make informed decisions about which provider is best for them.
The report covers customer service levels and experiences for residential telecoms customers in 2024, and compares them with levels in 2022 and/or 2023.
The data shows that mobile customers were the most likely to be satisfied with their overall service from their provider, with 88% saying they were satisfied and only 4% saying they were dissatisfied.
By comparison, 84% of broadband customers and 73% of landline customers were satisfied with their service, with dissatisfaction levels at 7% and 6% respectively.
Customer service kings
88% of mobile customers were satisfied with their service overall in 2024, unchanged compared to 2022. As in 2022, giffgaff and Tesco Mobile customers were more likely than average to be satisfied with their overall service (both 94%).
In 2024, O2 (85%) and Vodafone customers (84%) were less likely than average to be satisfied with their service overall. Satisfaction levels were in line with the average for all other providers.
In line with 2022, 4% of mobile customers said they were dissatisfied with their service overall. Over a third (36%) of these customers said poor reception or coverage was the main reason for their dissatisfaction, followed by about a quarter (23%) mentioning poor customer service.
Tesco Mobile customers were more likely to be satisfied with their mobile reception or signal strength (88% vs 80%). O2 customers (73%) and Three customers (70%) were less likely than average to be satisfied. Satisfaction on this measure for all other providers was in line with the average.
However, it should be noted that Tesco Mobile uses the O2 mobile
network. This metric reflects customers’ perceptions of reception and signal strength, which in some cases may be determined by factors other than actual network performance, such as user expectations, how people use their phones and user demographics.
Recommend to a friend
83% of standalone mobile customers were satisfied with the value for
money of their mobile service, consistent with 2022. Lebara (95%), Tesco Mobile (95%) and giffgaff (94%) customers were more likely than average (83%) to be satisfied with this aspect of their mobile service, while O2 (75%) and Vodafone (77%) customers were less likely to be satisfied. All other providers were in line with the average.
Giffgaff, Lebara, and Tesco Mobile customers were more likely than average to recommend their provider to a friend in 2024, while O2 and Three customers were less likely than average to do so.
In 2022, O2 was in line with the average, and EE and Vodafone had a lower-than-average ‘recommend to a friend’ score. EE and Vodafone therefore improved their positions in 2024, while O2’s worsened.
