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Broadband users faced with costly support calls
Friday 6th March 2009, by Daniel King
Many broadband customers in the UK are paying over the odds for technical support and helpline calls to their internet service providers (ISPs), research has revealed.
According to consumer website Which?, a total of 32 out of the 45 companies investigated were found to be using higher-cost telephone support numbers.
Just six companies, including O2, BT and UK Online, have adopted freephone lines for customers looking to make an enquiry or seek help regarding their broadband service.
Meanwhile, users making calls to four providers - Tesco broadband, Supanet, Nero and Roxio - face the prospect of significant charges on their phone bills because the firms all use premium rate 090 helplines.
With demand for technical support still growing, editor of Which? Computing Sarah Kidner said too many operators are using higher-cost numbers at the expense of their customers.
"It's particularly galling to see a huge company like Tesco broadband using such expensive lines," she commented.
"If other companies can offer a freephone number, so can Tesco. After all, every little helps."
The research also found that more than a third of broadband users are left frustrated by the level of service offered when making calls to technical support lines, with many expressing dissatisfaction at the amount of time it takes to get through.
Which? reported that the average wait to speak to someone on an ISP technical helpline is one minute 33 seconds, although Plusnet customers face an average wait of almost eight minutes.
The study comes after a report by JD Power and Associates highlighted O2 as the top provider of both mobile and fixed-line broadband in terms of customer satisfaction, based on a range of criteria including performance, billing and technical support.
