Orange makes customers feel blue

UK customers are still far from satisfied with their home phone and broadband services despite promises from operators that services are improving, according to the latest Customer Satisfaction Report from uSwitch.com.

TalkTalk and Orange, together owning 14 per cent of the UK broadband market with over two million customers, have failed to pull themselves out of the bottom two spots in the league. 

Orange came last for the second time running, with a customer satisfaction level of just 65 per cent. The operator has seen its rating drop by 18 per cent over the past 14 months, coinciding with the launch of its 'free' broadband service.

Orange also experienced a recent blow when the Advertising Standards Authority found the firm guilty of misleading advertising. 

TalkTalk, meanwhile, seems to have yet to reap the rewards of its £15m investment in customer service. Just 69 per cent of its customers are satisfied, a drop of one per cent since October.

This fall comes despite the company's own assurances that connection queues have disappeared and call centre waiting times have shortened.

The performance of both companies suggests that 'free' does not necessarily ensure happiness, as customers paying directly for broadband services appear to be more satisfied than those who do not.

While overall home phone customer satisfaction rose by four per cent, broadband satisfaction has continued to plummet. For the first time, a quarter of customers reported being unsatisfied with their broadband provider.

Standards have dropped by three per cent since October 2006 and 10 per cent since March 2006, the last survey before 'free' broadband was launched.