Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie [2], comments: “The
cold hard truth of this report is that many of the major broadband
providers have been struggling to get the basics right when it comes to
their customers.
“Both Sky and Virgin Media have suffered significant outages since the
spring, with Virgin in particular facing criticism for the sheer number
of connection breakdowns, hot on the heels of imposing a mid-contract
rise of nearly 14 per cent back in April.
“This is totally unacceptable and the industry should do more to
address the imbalance of power between big companies and the consumer.
“Ofcom should toughen up its rules on compensation, meaning customers
can start to claim as soon as their internet has been out of action for
24 hours, rather than the current 48. As things stand, millions of
Virgin customers will have experienced multiple disconnections this year
but received nothing in return.
“Providers should also be made to amend their contracts to new
customers so that regular outages mean they can leave their deal without
paying an exit fee. Hopefully these changes will see broadband contracts
come down in length and providers working harder to prove they can
deliver value for money.”
