UK internet ‘frustratingly slow’, says Which?

Some 63% of people experience problems with their broadband, while 45% claim they suffer slow download speeds, according to a new report by UK consumer body, Which?. 

The study highlights poor speeds and bad customer service, and comes as Which? campaigns for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ‘Give us Broadband Speed Guaranteed’ so that customers get the speed and service they pay for.

Which? claims that 58% of people who report slow download speeds experience this “frequently or all the time”.

Meanwhile, 27% of people who reported a loss of service that was later resolved had to wait two days for this to happen, with 11% having to wait a week or more.

“We also found three in 10 (31%) who contacted their provider with a problem said they did not get a resolution at all, a quarter of those who did get a resolution (25%) were dissatisfied with how long it took, and one in five (20%) said they contacted their ISP three times or more to resolve a problem,” said Which?

The consumer organisation is now calling on broadband providers to issue customers with written speed estimates at the start of a contract, allow people to exit contracts without penalty if speeds aren’t met, and to refund people for a loss of service.

“The internet is an essential part of modern life, yet millions of us are getting frustratingly slow speeds and having to wait days to get reconnected when things go wrong. It’s less superfast broadband, more super slow service from companies who are expecting people to pay for speeds they may never get,” said Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd.