Complaints to the main mobile and broadband service providers increased by a staggering 101% year-on-year, and almost 47% compared to the last quarter.
Each quarter the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) issues its Consumer Line Statistics Report, which compiles the latest data and figures relating to customer issues and complaints made about mobile, broadband, TV and home phone service providers in Ireland.
The report itself helps to clarify for consumers which providers' customer service, on the one hand, goes above and beyond, while whose, on the other hand, lags behind.
The latest report from Q3 has shown a stark rise in the number of complaints registered across both mobile and broadband providers. But fear not!
In this blog, we'll break down the most important information for you, giving you a better picture of how companies are faring.
So without further ado...
Best and worst mobile providers
As in the first two quarterly reports from ComReg in 2020, the most common complaint about mobile providers was around the issue of billing.
While the second most common complaint about Eir had to do with contractual matters, both Three and Vodafone's second highest complaint this quarter was around service issues.
The issue of number portability and accessing the unlock code in order to switch provider was also a common complaint for Eir customers, but less so for Three and Vodafone customers.
As can be seen in the below table, Eir had by far the highest number of complaints registered this quarter, jumping significantly from Q2. Eir still has the most complaints even after the figures have been adjusted to take account of its larger customer numbers, as can been seen from the results below.
Meanwhile, both Eir and Vodafone resolved a complaint in around 10 days on average, while it took Vodafone 14.
*The figures below don't include complaints about premium rate numbers or subscriptions to premium services which are calculated separately.
|
Provider |
Number of complaints |
Complaints per 100,000 customers |
Average no. days to resolve a complaint |
||
|
Q3 2020 |
Q2 2020 |
Q3 2020 |
Q2 2020 |
Q3 2020 |
|
|
Eir |
322 |
199 |
27.9 |
17.0 |
10 |
|
Three |
189 |
177 |
8.0 |
7.5 |
14 |
|
Vodafone |
70 |
102 |
2.7 |
3.9 |
10 |
|
Total |
581 |
478 |
|||
Best and worst fixed providers (broadband, TV and home phone)
The most common complaint when it came to broadband, TV and home phone providers last quarter was also around billing. Three out of four providers had the most complaints about this, while Sky's top complaint for the quarter related to service issues.
Similar to the table above, Eir also had by far the highest number of complaints registered in this quarter when it comes to the provision of broadband, TV and home phone services. While it's difficult to deny the effect of the pandemic on already stressed customer service departments, the data from Q3 continues to support the anecdotal evidence that Eir's customer service isn't quite up to scratch.
Virgin Media has also slipped this quarter with complaints more than doubling for the provider since the previous quarter (albeit from a low base), potentially owing to the possibility of more customers switching to it during the pandemic or people simply having more issues now that they're working from home.
While Sky's complaints have incrementally increased this quarter, the provider has significantly improved its numbers over the past couple of months, which are down significantly from Q1 2020 and Q4 2019, and it comes out on top this time around.
That being said, Virgin Media is still miles ahead of the other providers when it comes to customer service if you take previous quarters into account. The numbers don't lie!
|
Provider |
Number of complaints |
Complaints per 100,000 subscribers |
Average no. days to resolve a complaint |
||
|
Q3 2020 |
Q2 2020 |
Q3 2020 |
Q2 2020 |
Q3 2020 |
|
|
Eir |
1,062 |
618 |
194.6 |
113.8 |
10 |
|
Sky |
44 |
38 |
23.5 |
19.8 |
11 |
|
Virgin Media |
88 |
32 |
27.5 |
9.8 |
11.5 |
|
Vodafone |
183 |
127 |
97.1 |
66.3 |
12 |
|
Total |
1,377 |
815 |
|||
Switch with bonkers.ie today!
If you've been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic you'll be aware not only how important a good broadband connection is, but also how good your respective suppliers' customer service is.
With more and more demand on service providers in the last number of months, what with more sign up requests and customer issues and queries, it's never been more important to do some research on the supplier you'll be signing up with.
And remember, if you're still struggling with a poor connection, lots of lag, or simply unsatisfactory customer service you can use bonkers.ie to switch today. And what's more, we can now run a broadband availability check for you across all networks in seconds.
Compare the best deal for you across all the main providers in Ireland using our broadband, phone and TV comparison tool today. All you need is your address or Eircode!
Tips for switching
Before making the switch, you may want to check out the following guides, which will help you make an informed decision:
- Have a look at some of the most common questions we get asked about the broadband switching process.
- If you want to know how exactly to switch broadband providers, just follow these few simple steps.
- There are a few things to keep in mind when comparing the best broadband deals on the market. Here’s a list of 7 factors to consider when assessing your options.
If you’re thinking about changing your mobile phone provider, take a look at these 10 things to consider when choosing a plan or discover what the best SIM-only deals in Ireland are right now.
Let us know what you think
Are you satisfied with the service from your current provider? Let us know in the comments below!
You can also get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
