Some news stats are out, and it appears that the UK’s best broadband is Plusnet. That’s according to the latest awards from the team at Broadband Genie, who have placed the BT-owned Internet Service Provider (ISP) at the top of the charts. In a strange twist, BT itself is nowhere to be seen in the list of gongs which have just been announced today.
Plusnet has not only taken home the award for Best Provider but also grabbed Most Reliable Provider and Most User Friendly as well.
“You won’t find any fancy frills with Plusnet, such as TV or phone bundles,” said Alex Tofts, Strategist at Broadband Genie.
“And while flashy rewards for new switches are few and far between, its straightforward ‘broadband only ‘ deals are a real win. No set-up costs, no line rental, great support, and the peace of mind that comes with good customer service if anything goes wrong. Take to the podium, Plusnet!”
Along with Plusnet, there have been some other big winners in this latest round of awards, including Virgin Media.
The UK ISP picked up a total of 5 trophies, including Fastest Widely Available Provider and Best Provider for Online Gaming.
Vodafone also grabbed a duo of gongs and Sky’s NOW Broadband won Best Customer Service.
Here are the full list of Broadband Genie winners
Best Provider: Plusnet
Fastest Widely Available Provider: Virgin Media
Fastest Wireless Provider: Three
Best Value for Money: Vodafone
Best provider for Speed Satisfaction: Virgin Media
Most Reliable Provider: Plusnet
Best Customer Service: NOW Broadband
Best Social Tariff: Vodafone
Best Provider for Home Working: Virgin Media
Best Provider for Online Gaming: Virgin Media
Best Provider for Streaming: Virgin Media
Most User Friendly: Plusnet
Along with revealing the big winners, the new survey also showed the providers and areas where improvements need to be made. According to Broadband Genie, customers were overall least satisfied with their provider’s customer service. This category has the lowest scores of any with providers Direct Save (58%) and Zen Internet (64%) significantly below the average in this area.
Bill payers also felt they should be getting better value for money; with this category having the second-lowest average score. Virgin Media (64%), BT (64%), TalkTalk (67%) and Sky Broadband (68%) which form the majority of the broadband market were well off the pace of the front-runners.
“It’s no surprise that in a year when customers are once again having to swallow hefty mid-contract price rises that they feel they’re not getting value for money,” added Tofts.
“This is more evidence and only affirms our stance that Ofcom needs to ban mid-contract price rises.”