THE best and worst mobile phone suppliers have been revealed in a new annual survey, with the biggest providers slipping down the list.
Consumer website Which? asked thousands of customers to rate their experiences with 16 major providers.
Customers were asked to consider a range of factors including customer service, technical support and network reliability.
EE, O2, Three and Vodafone were all largely outshone by smaller rivals like Smarty, Voxi and Lebara.
Provider Three came bottom of the rankings for the second year in a row, receiving a customer score of 63%.
The firm ranked poorly on network reliability, customer service and value for money when roaming.
Meanwhile, only two in five Three customers said they had not experienced a problem in the past 12 months – fewer than for any other provider.
O2 and Vodafone fared slightly better with customer scores, earning 68% and 69%, respectively.
Customers said O2 rated poorly for customer service, ease of getting in touch and technical support.
Vodafone also received mediocre scores and was rated particularly poorly for communication with customers, network reliability, and incentives and rewards offered.
EE fared better than the other big providers this year, coming in mid-table with a customer score of 71%.
The firm still received mostly average scores across the board, but was rated well for download speeds.
Incentives and value for money when roaming were rated poorly, with just two stars out of five.
It comes as the “Big Four” providers are hiking their annual prices, with O2 hitting customers with an annual increase of £1.80 a month for Sim-only contracts.
This compares to £1.50 a month for EE customers, £1 to £1.50 for Three customers and £1 to £1.80 for Vodafone customers.
At the other end of the scale, most smaller providers are not imposing mid-contract price hikes, making their cheaper, more flexible Sim-only deals even better value, Which? said.
This includes Smarty, Voxi and Talkmobile, which all received customer scores of 80% or more.
Smarty topped the table with a score of 82%, with customers rating it highly for value for money.
Voxi and Talkmobile followed just behind with scores of 81% and 80%.
Both networks performed particularly well for network reliability, value for money, download speeds and quality of communications.
Both firms also offer affordable deals without mid-contract price hikes.
Which? said the results of the survey showed how the smaller mobile firms are outperforming their bigger rivals in several areas, especially regarding value for money.
It said rolling monthly Sim-only contracts for the Big Four networks start from £19, whereas these are available for less than £5 from some of the top-performing smaller firms, with more data included.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our research shows that smaller providers are outshining the biggest mobile network firms across the board.
“Many smaller providers offer better customer service, more reliable connections and cheaper Sim-only deals without any mid-contract price hikes – giving their customers more certainty about what their monthly bill will look like.
“Any customers who are nearing the end of their contract and are unhappy with their current provider, or could stand to make savings, should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a different provider.”
The Sun asked EE, O2, Three and Vodafone for further comment.
How to slash your mobile bill
It’s worth checking whether you qualify for a social tariff, available to those on certain benefits like Universal Credit.
They’re usually cheaper than standard mobile phone packages and could save you hundreds of pounds a year.
You can find out the list of providers that offer either type of tariff on the Ofcom website.
If you can switch to SIM-only deal, it’s worth doing as well, as this will most likely save you money each month.
Really think about how much data you need each month too, so you don’t end up paying for internet you don’t actually need.
Which providers come with no mid-contract price rises?
SEVERAL mobile networks offer plans with no mid-contract price rises.
Here are some networks that typically don’t implement mid-contract price rises:
- Asda Mobile: Historically, Asda Mobile has not increased prices mid-contract, but this is not guaranteed.
- Giffgaff: Offers fixed prices for the duration of its 18-month contracts, but 30-day rolling contract prices can change.
- Honest Mobile: Not only avoids price rises, but reduces your monthly bill over time (by up to 30% each month).
- iD Mobile: SIM-only plans are generally protected from mid-contract increases, but handset contracts are subject to price rises.
- Lebara: 12-month contracts have fixed prices for the duration of the contract term.
- Lyca Mobile: Offers fixed prices for its 12-month contracts, with no increases pledged until at least 2026.
- Sky Mobile: Promises fixed prices for the duration of the contract term. However, those out of contract will face price rises.
- Talkmobile: No mid-contract price rises.
- Tesco Mobile: Tesco Mobile customers with a Clubcard Price contract can continue to avoid mid-contract price increases. Other contracts may be subject to price rises.
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