Major mobile providers ranked best to worst for service – a lesser-known supermarket brand beats them all

THE best and worst mobile providers ranked on customer satisfaction have been revealed by Which?.

The consumer champion’s latest research is based on a survey of 3,739 customers in January 2024.

It comes as some of the UK’s biggest providers hiked prices by up to 8.8% mid-contract earlier this month, bringing fresh bill worries to households.

Customer scores were based on satisfaction and likelihood to recommend, and people also rated aspects of service such as value for money and network speeds.

Which?’s research suggests consumers could be better off choosing one of the smaller mobile providers that piggyback on the infrastructure of a parent network as they performed exceptionally well.

Most of these companies also shun the unpredictable inflation-linked price hikes which the Big Four have been using for years.

Three scored 60% and plummeted to the bottom of the table, dropping from a 66% rating last year.

The smallest of the Big Four networks, it received only two stars in all categories.

Nearly half (46%) of Three customers reported having a problem in the past 12 months.

This compares poorly to top-performing networks such as iD Mobile and Tesco, where only 11% and 12% of customers had issues.

Vodafone scored 68%. It received just two stars for the incentives and rewards it offers but was rated four stars for network reliability.

O2 scored 68% overall, but its incentives and rewards, as well as its technical support rating, dipped to two stars, but all other scores remained at three stars.

EE scored 69%. The UK network with the most customers returned a solid but unspectacular result.

A mixture of two-star and three-star ratings showed that customers were not hugely impressed – its main highlight being a four-star rating for network reliability. 

At the top end of the table, a running theme was providers offering excellent value for money.

All but one of Which?’s Recommended or Great Value providers got five stars for this metric. 

Tesco Mobile received the highest customer score of 83% but was not a Which? Recommended Provider because customers who are not signed up to one of its Clubcard-connected plans face inflation-based mid-contract price increases.

Smarty scored 82%.

Almost two-thirds of Smarty customers rated it as excellent value for money. Smarty is owned by Three – rated as the worst provider in the survey – and uses its mobile network. 

GiffGaff scored 80%, and is a strong option to consider, while Voxi, 77%, iD Mobile, 77%, and Lebara, 76%t, all performed well.   

Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our latest annual mobile provider survey has seen smaller firms triumphing over the Big Four and being commended for their excellent value for money. 

“Consumers unhappy with their current provider should consider switching, which is easy to do, and can save them money and improve their customer experience.

“When it comes to the unpredictable mid-contract price hikes used by many of the major telecoms firms, the writing is on the wall, and they should put an end to this practice immediately rather than kicking the can down the road and allowing more customers to face unfair and unpredictable price increases.”

Find out a full breakdown on Which?’s research by visiting www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone-providers/article/mobile-phone-provider-reviews/best-mobile-networks-overview-amhDx1F0z41t.