TalkTalk subject of most complaints

The TalkTalk Group was the most complained-about provider of landline and broadband services during a five-month period, according to new figures released by a watchdog.

Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the communications industries, today issued complaints statistics from October 2010 to February this year.

The number of complaints were published as a proportion of each provider's customer base - enabling consumers to compare providers on a level playing field, Ofcom said.

The data showed that, across landline providers with a market share of 5%, Ofcom received most complaints about TalkTalk, with 1.78 complaints per 1,000 customers.

Complaints about TalkTalk peak in November 2010, following its investigation into the company for incorrectly billing consumers for cancelled services, it said.

The least complained-about provider was Virgin Media, with 0.21 complaints per 1,000 customers.

In between, BSkyB had 0.41 complaints per 1,000 customers and BT Retail 0.37.

TalkTalk topped the list for broadband complaints, with 1.27 per 1,000.

Virgin Media had the fewest complaints, with 0.20 per 1,000 customers.

3UK was the most complained-about mobile provider, with 0.15 complaints per 1,000 customers.

T-Mobile was the second most complained-about network, with 0.13 complaints per 1,000.

O2 emerged as best, with just 0.04 complaints.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "Consumers should have access to as much information as possible to allow them to choose between providers and to take full advantage of the competition in the sector.

"By publishing complaints data, Ofcom aims to provide useful information to consumers, and also to give telecoms providers an incentive to improve their customer service."

TalkTalk has been dogged by customer service problems following its takeover of rival Tiscali's UK business in 2009.

The group apologised to those customers who were affected.

It said: "We recognise that in the period in question - October 2010 to February 2011 - not all customers received the service they deserved as we completed the complex task of moving them to our network and a new billing platform.

"We're sorry for the disruption this caused and, while it's encouraging to see the number of complaints decreasing towards the end of this period, we continue to work tirelessly to improve."