UK consumers lose nearly £300 million due to poor energy and broadband customer service, says Which?

A staggering £298 million was lost by UK energy and broadband customers over the last year, according to a new report by consumer watchdog Which?.

The research, which surveyed over 4,000 people, sheds light on the financial, emotional, and time costs of substandard customer service across essential sectors, prompting calls for urgent improvements.

The report highlights that millions of consumers struggled to resolve issues with their service providers, resulting in wasted time, financial harm, and emotional distress.

Poor customer service left 1.2 million energy customers and 950,000 broadband customers financially worse off, with average losses of £137 and £93, respectively.

Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, expressed her concern: “Our research lays bare the dire state of customer service in the energy and broadband sectors – with nearly £300 million lost to poor service in a single year. The impact in terms of wasted time and on people’s emotional wellbeing is just as concerning.”

Financial and Emotional Toll

The financial losses from unresolved issues are only part of the story. Customers also spent an estimated 27.3 million hours trying to resolve service problems—13.9 million hours for energy customers and 13.4 million for broadband. Over a third of respondents reported encountering time-wasting hurdles such as long call waiting times, being passed between departments, or having calls disconnected.

In addition to financial and time costs, the emotional toll on consumers was significant. Around 8.9 million energy customers and 9.2 million broadband customers reported emotional harm, with many feeling frustrated, angry, or helpless. One respondent described their ordeal: “It took two months to get it resolved and no compensation… It made me feel stressed, anxious, frustrated, and angry.”

Calls for Urgent Change

The findings paint a grim picture of customer service in vital sectors. Scottish Power, Virgin Media, and British Gas were singled out by Which? as some of the worst offenders, with the consumer group urging these companies to make immediate changes.

Though British Gas and Virgin Media have pledged to improve, many customers remain dissatisfied, according to Which?’s latest research.

“There’s no excuse for poor service in essential sectors like energy and broadband, where millions of people depend on reliable service every day,” said Rocio Concha. “Companies must step up and provide the level of service their customers deserve.”

Which? continues to monitor the situation and push for improvements, advocating for consumers who are tired of wasting time and money due to inadequate service from these essential providers.