Customer service: Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas criticised by watchdog Which? over poor service

• Which? has contacted the CEOs of three widely used utility companies about their poor customer service
• Recent research found these companies to be the worst performers in their sectors
• The watchdog's survey highlighted issues such as long wait times, limited contact options and poor issue resolution
• The poll indicated that the energy and broadband sectors remain among the worst for customer service
• Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas have all claimed to be making improvements, citing investments in customer service and increased staffing

Which? has revealed that it has contacted the leaders of three widely used utility companies regarding their poor customer service.

The consumer advocacy group has urged the CEOs of Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas to address their companies' "consistently poor performance" following recent research identifying them as the worst performers.

In May, the watchdog conducted a survey of 4,101 people, focusing on factors such as the time taken to reach a helpful representative, the range of contact options, the seriousness with which the issue was handled, and the effectiveness of the resolution.

The Yonder poll revealed that the energy and broadband sectors continue to be among the worst performers, with net satisfaction in customer service interactions at +51 and +52, respectively.

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said the watchdog is calling on the firms “to give consumers the customer service they deserve and clearly communicate the steps they are taking to improve”.

Virgin Media was identified as the worst performing broadband firm, receiving +29 for overall customer service – significantly lower than the sector average of +52.

50% of Virgin Media customers experienced at least one customer service issue, which included waiting a long time on the phone to speak to an adviser, being passed between departments without a helpful response and speaking to unhelpful or dismissive advisers.

Scottish Power and British Gas remained the worst performing energy firms, receiving +34 and +43 respectively for overall customer service, the survey found.

Both firms’ scores improved since Which? last looked into this area, the consumer watchdog said, noting that the firms are investing in their customer service.

But Scottish Power still came bottom across the board and British Gas received scores well below the sector average of +51 for overall customer service.

More than half (55%) of Scottish Power and half (50%) of British Gas customers said they had experienced at least one customer service issue in the last year.

Concha said: “Our research lays bare the dire state of customer service – with some companies simply not up to scratch. Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas remained the worst performing broadband and energy firms for customer service.

“It is never okay for firms to provide sub-standard customer service, but in essential sectors providing vital services millions rely on every day such as energy and broadband, it is completely unacceptable.”

What have the companies said?

Virgin Media has said it is making “real changes” across its business to deliver customer service improvements, and is “already seeing tangible results that wouldn’t be reflected in this old survey from Which?”

The company added that the survey “represents less than 0.01% of our customer base,” and it has “boosted the number of agents, including in specialist teams that handle the most complex issues, and are investing more money in customer-facing areas of the business.”

Scottish Power said it has “worked tirelessly to improve and enhance our services for all of our customers and will continue to do everything we can to help them.”

British Gas also took umbrage with the Which? survey, claiming “it included less than 500 of our customers and is based on data that is up to a year old.”

“We’ve invested £50m in our customer operations since the start of the energy crisis,” the company said.

“This includes hiring 700 more UK-based contact centre staff at the end of last year, introducing longer call centre opening times and providing additional training to our dedicated colleagues on supporting customers in financial difficulty.”

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