NOW Broadband becomes most complained about provider

NOW Broadband received 22 complaints per 100,000 customers in the Q1 2024 report from industry regularly Ofcom.

With an industry average of just 11 complaints, NOW Broadband has become the most complained about provider for the quarter.

Virgin Media also continued to receive higher than average complaints with 18, while NOW Broadband's parent company Sky remains the least complained about provider.

Source: Ofcom

Most complaints

This is now the third quarter in a row that NOW Broadband has seen a spike in their complaints data, with complaints reported substantially higher than the industry average.

In Q3 2023, NOW Broadband received 18 complaints per 100,000 customers, while the industry average sat at 15 for the quarter. In the following Q4 2023 report, NOW Broadband also received 18 complaints per 100,000 customers, while Virgin Media's complaint troubles kept NOW Broadband out of the spotlight.

While Virgin Media's complaints have now started to decline, NOW Broadband's complaints have continued to increase, reporting 22 complaints per 100,000 customers in the first quarter of 2024.

As the most complained about broadband provider, we can now see Ofcom's data on complaint drivers, which attribute NOW Broadband's issues to complaint handling. 47% of complaints to Ofcom about NOW Broadband were attributed to poor complaints handling, noticeably higher than the industry average of 30%.

NOW Broadband also received the most complaints about their landline service, with 12 complaints per 100,000 customers, with an industry average of 6.

A NOW spokesperson said, "We're absolutely committed to ensuring our customers have the best broadband experience - although this represents a small proportion of our customers, we're still disappointed by this number. We're making improvements to ensure that our customers are fully supported throughout their journey with us."

Fewest complaints

Sky, who also happen to be the parent company of NOW Broadband, have once again received the fewest complaints for their broadband, landline, mobile and pay TV services.

The provider received just 6 broadband complaints per 100,000 customers in Q1 2024, and just 2 complaints per 100,000 customers for their landline service.

Utility Warehouse, a new entrant in Ofcom's complaints data for Q1 2024 also received the fewest landline complaints, with just 1 complaint per 100,000 customers.

Tesco Mobile also received just 1 complaint per 100,000 customers for their mobile service, while Sky Mobile picked up just 2 complaints, against an industry average of 4.

Other providers who performed well for broadband complaints were Shell Energy, Plusnet, BT, and TalkTalk who all received the industry average or fewer complaints. However, Shell Energy Broadband customers have now been bought by TalkTalk, with customers being migrated this summer.

Ofcom's Policy Director Fergal Farragher said, "We're pleased to see a fall in complaints based on the previous quarter - and we're especially heartened by an improvement among some providers we have engaged with following previous poor performance.

"However, there is still room for improvement across many services. It's notable that a major issue for customers is how providers deal with their complaints - this drives many of the complaints we receive, so is clearly an area where providers must raise their game."

Read more about the best broadband providers for customer service in our main guide.