Landline complaints: the UK's best & worst home phone providers

EE attracted the most gripes while Utility Warehouse generated the fewest, according to the latest Ofcom complaints tables.

Some might say that the humble home phone has had its day, as many of us now opt for the convenience of mobiles to keep in touch instead.

That said, most households still need a landline to receive broadband, which is why many internet bundles come with one as standard.

But which providers should you go for and which should you avoid?

While price is obviously a key concern, reliability and the quality of service you can expect to receive should also be front of mind.

Before we look into the latest customer complaint trends from Ofcom, it’s important to flag that these figures only reflect the complaints escalated by customers to the telecoms regulator when the provider has failed to resolve the issue.

So, while these figures may look low, the total number of complaints filed with each provider will likely be far higher.

You can compare broadband, phone and pay TV deals with Sky, or ditch the landline and compare mobile deals with Carphone Warehouse.

Worst landline providers UK

Ofcom's latest data looks at all complaints received between the three months between April and June 2024, so it won't cover any recent major faults or issues that customers might have endured.

The report revealed that EE generated the highest number of complaints by some distance, with Ofcom receiving 15 complaints per 100,000 customers.

That represents an increase from 11 in the previous quarter as the firm has struggled to get on top of its complaints process.

According to Ofcom, service issues (41%) were by far the biggest reason why customers felt the need to escalate their issue to the telecoms regulator.

Sitting just above EE in the complaints table is Now Broadband, which generated 10 complaints per 100,000 customers.

TalkTalk (eight) and BT (seven) were the only other firms with complaint levels above the industry average of five per 100,000.

Best UK landline providers 2024

At the other end of the scale, Utility Warehouse was the landline provider with the lowest number of complaints.

Remarkably, the firm generated no complaints over the quarter, which is the first time we have seen that happen in the many years we've been covering the Ofcom tables. 

Sky was the runner-up for the second quarter in a row – you can compare phone, broadband, and pay TV deals with Sky here (this is an affiliate link) – with the company generating two complaints per 100,000.

Vodafone was third with three complaints per 100,000, followed by TalkTalk and Plusnet (five).

See below for the complete complaints league table, according to Ofcom.

Complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 landline customers

So, there you have it, your round-up of the worst (and best) landline firms.

If you'd like to find out which firms topped the broadband complaints list then head this way, while this article will highlight the worst Pay TV providers.

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