Survey reveals Britain's broadband bugbears

Nearly half of UK broadband users feel let down by their ISP

A new survey from Broadband Choices has revealed that the quality of a broadband connection is the key concern when users enter into a new contract.

Around 34 per cent of respondents said that the reliability of their connection is their first priority, followed by value for money, cited by 23 per cent, and speed, cited by 30 per cent.

However, these priorities may change over time, according to the survey, which found that 7.6 million UK broadband customers are disappointed in the service they are getting from their internet service provider (ISP).

More damningly, 47 per cent of those who answered the survey felt that their ISP had failed them. The most number of complaints (70 per cent) were about connection speeds, while a third were disappointed with the reliability of their service and 36 per cent by the customer service they received.

"It is surprising to see that broadband users value connection reliability ahead of value for money, customer service and even speed," said Michael Phillips, product director of Broadband Choices.

"Nine years after broadband was first introduced in the UK, it is troubling to find that nearly half of broadband customers claim that the service is not living up to their expectations.

"The most disappointing finding from our research was that 55 per cent of respondents who had lodged a complaint with their ISP felt that it did not reach a successful resolution."