More and more companies are now offering broadband internet services but consumers are being increasingly let down by poor customer service and are actively looking to switch broadband providers, that is according to a survey by research firm Point Topic.



Point Topic carried out its Broadband Consumer Survey a year ago and found that 92% of customers were very or fairly satisfied with their provider. However, just one year later and the same survey has found that number has dropped to 77%, whilst those very or fairly dissatisfied has nearly doubled to 9%.

It is the broadband providers who have entered the market offering "free" broadband who have come in for the highest levels of dissatisfaction with 17% of TalkTalk customers and 14% of Sky broadband users saying that they were very or fairly dissatisfied with the service on offer. Although these broadband providers may offer "free" broadband with cheap set-up costs and low monthly bundled fees, it is the after-sales support that is letting the consumers down.

Following the survey, Point Topic concluded that the new entrants to the broadband market were failing to meet high customer expectations, and that all ISPs were getting worse at customer service as they competed for a share in the market.

The survey also warned that more consumers were considering switching their broadband provider in the forthcoming months. In 2005 just 8% of those questioned said they were thinking of changing supplier, whilst the 2006 survey reveals that this has now shot up to around 25%. On top of this, one in 10 had actually switched broadband supplier in the last six months.

When switching broadband providers the survey found that price was the main factor for a customer looking for a new supplier. Customers are increasingly being pulled in by marketing campaigns offering "free" broadband or bundled services where they get several services, such as home phone and digital TV, from one supplier. Although this may seem like more value for money, the finding of the survey suggests that it is then when consumers are let down by poor customer service whilst still being tied down by long fixed term contracts.

As more and more consumers become aware of the problems with certain companies, and as their fixed term contracts come to an end, more customers are now looking for more reliable broadband connection providers, with speed also becoming an increasingly important factor for many consumers too.