Vodafone takes Which? worst mobile network award for the seventh year running

Vodafone has been rated the worst mobile phone provider in the annual mobile customer satisfaction survey run by Which? for the seventh year running, while smaller providers impressed customers on service and value for money.

The Which? survey of 3,683 members of the public found that the UK’s biggest providers – Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three – ranged from average to disappointing according to their customers, despite supplying an overwhelming majority of the market. Which? said it has repeatedly seen the smaller networks that use EE, O2, Three and Vodafone’s infrastructure (mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs) beat the big four providers on customer score.

Vodafone had the worst overall customer satisfaction score of 49 per cent, with 16 per cent of its customers telling Which? they would not recommend the network to a friend or family member. 15 per cent of Vodafone customers said they had received an unexpectedly expensive or incorrect bill, and the network was also rated worst for customer service (11 per cent).

EE finished second from bottom with a customer satisfaction score of 56 per cent, having shared the lowest ranking with Vodafone last year. 14 per cent of the EE customers surveyed pay over £50 a month for their contract, making the network’s low score for value for money unsurprising. 17 per cent of EE customers said they find their monthly bill too expensive.

O2 outperformed Vodafone and EE with a customer satisfaction score of 61 per cent, but was still a long way behind the best-rated providers. Customers’ top complaint was receiving unwanted and annoying marketing communications (18 per cent). Not all customers were put off though, as over 54 per cent said they appreciated the incentives and rewards offered by O2, such as its free priority service.

The highest ranking of the big four providers, Three (64 per cent), scored well for value for money (71 per cent approval) but 30 per cent of its customers said they had experienced a very poor signal, and a third of those who had left Three in the last two years had done so to seek better network coverage from another provider. However, 86 per cent of customers would still recommend Three to a friend or family member.

Utility Warehouse (84 per cent) topped the table this year, beating its rival Giffgaff (81 per cent) for the first time. 92 per cent of Utility Warehouse customers surveyed said they would recommend the network to a friend. Customers rated its value for money as good or excellent (84 per cent). On the £10-a-month tariff, its customers get more minutes and three times more data than on Vodafone’s 30-day sim plan which costs £13.

“The biggest providers are lagging behind smaller rivals who are doing a better job of giving customers what they want in terms of service and value for money,” said Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which? “Customers who are fed up should look to switch provider as soon as they can. New reforms will soon mean that mobile customers will be able to switch provider by text message, which we hope will make it quicker and easier for customers to seek a better deal.”