Practice Makes Perfect

By: John Gray

This week industry regulator Ofcom have published a code of practice for fixed line broadband providers, and revealed that a similar code is being considered for mobile broadband.? The code is just voluntary but Ofcom have said that if the voluntary code is not effective, Ofcom have said that it will consider introducing formal regulation.

Ofcom have said that it was concerned that consumer satisfaction of ISPs had fallen over the past year, with customers being misled or misinformed by headline speeds that are higher than users can actually receive in practice.? 90% of service providers have signed up to the voluntary code which will require ISPs to give consumers a clearer understanding of the speeds they can get and to make sure they sign up to an appropriate broadband package.

O2 have welcomed the publication, as their own research has shown that connection speeds and customer support are the two factors which frustrate customers the most.? The research also revealed that customers do not feel they are being provided with a quality product, a quarter of Britons are unhappy with their broadband service and one in eight users admit that they intend to switch provider in the next six months.

Almost a quarter of people in the O2 survey said that the most frustrating thing about their broadband service is the connection speed, although only half of those questioned actually had an idea what speed their broadband is. ?

O2's Best Plan makes sure that customers only pay for the broadband package that is right for them. ?An initial line check estimates the speeds the customer can receive to ensure they are placed on the correct package before they sign up to broadband.? This is then checked again after connection to ensure once again that the customer is on the best package for them, and that they only pay for the package with the speed their line can support.

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