Orange gets the wooden spoon

High-speed connections in broadband Britain may be cheaper and faster than ever before, but half of subscribers are unhappy with the service they are getting.

The survey, conducted by price comparison service uSwitch, found that four out of nine providers have less satisfied customers this year than last and that four million customers are dissatisfied with their ISP.

Topping the sin bin list were BT and Orange, which were ranked the poorest for value for money and the worst broadband provider respectively. More than a third of Orange’s broadband customers indicated they were not satisfied with their service at all.

BT-owned PlusNet, achieved the most favourable rating, with 86 per cent customer satisfaction. The ISP walked away with nine out of a total of 11 categories including best technical support and best customer service.

The survey also indicated that an increasing gap between best and worst, with a difference of almost 21 per cent in customer satisfaction ratings, representing an eight per cent increase on the year before.

"The 21 per cent gap between the best and worst provider shows just how important it is to choose a provider on service and not just price. Despite prices falling by 36 per cent in four years, over five million have never switched their broadband provider," said Steve Weller of uSwitch.com.