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

Now Broadband attracted the most gripes while Utility Warehouse generated the least, 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 January and March 2024, so it won't cover any recent major faults or issues that customers might have endured.

The report revealed that Now Broadband generated the highest number of complaints, with Ofcom receiving 12 complaints per 100,000 customers.

That represents an increase from 10 in the previous quarter as the firm has struggled to get on top of its complaints process.

According to Ofcom, poor complaints handling (54%) was by far the biggest reason why customers felt the need to escalate their issue to the telecoms regulator.

Interestingly, it was a similar story for its broadband customers who also listed poor complaints handling as their main gripe, indicating it might be a broader problem for the company.

Sitting just above Now Broadband in the complaints table were EE and Virgin, which both generated 11 complaints per 100,000 customers.

TalkTalk (eight) was the only other firm with complaint levels above the industry average of six 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 at just one per 100,000 customers.

That was a remarkable achievement given that it was the first time the company was included in the tables (Ofcom only reviews companies that control 1.5% market share and Utility Warehouse has now surpassed this threshold).

That relegated Sky to second place in the tables  – 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.

Shell Energy was third with four complaints per 100,000, followed by Vodafone, BT and Plusnet (five).

These were the only firms to come in under the industry average.

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.

*This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently.

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