How to know it's time to switch your broadband provider

Broadband has become an essential in our everyday lives, yet our broadband satisfaction survey has shown that many customers simply aren't happy with the service they receive. 

But many people who expressed dissatisfaction and gave their provider low ratings had been with the same company for three years or more. Less than half of those we surveyed said they were likely to switch providers in future, while some 47% said they'd never switched at all. 

If you're one of the people struggling with a poor connection, you may be wondering whether changing to a different provider is worth it. 

To help you weigh it up, we asked those who had switched what made them take the plunge - if any of their reasons speak to you, you may find that it's time for you to switch broadband provider, too.

Discover which broadband providers we recommend and which are worth avoiding using our round-up of the best and worst broadband providers for 2023.

Avoiding broadband price rises

Price rises were the top motivation for customers to ditch their provider for a new one - 29% of customers who switched told us it was after being hit with a price hike.

Customers that had left three of the biggest providers were the most likely to say a price hike had driven them away - around four in ten of those who had departed BT, Sky and Virgin Media said this came down to a price rise.

A few of the major providers (including Sky and Virgin Media) have announced price rises this year. If an unexpected price rise is greater than inflation, you should be given the right to switch away, even if you're still within the fixed term specified in your contract. 

However, it's increasingly common for broadband providers to include annual price hikes in broadband contracts - and these can't be avoided if you're within your minimum contract period (despite them usually being greater than inflation) unless you pay a hefty exit fee. BT and TalkTalk have both been putting prices up annually for a couple of years now, and Virgin Media is following suit from next year.

Another 4% of respondents told us they'd changed providers because their introductory offer they'd been on had ended - which also often means a jump in price. Many of the big providers offer affordable introductory deals, with the tariff rising at the end of a 12, 18 or 24-month fixed term. Our analysis of deals has found that jump can be quite large - as great as 90%.

Getting a faster broadband connection 

Slow broadband was the second most-common motivation for customers to change providers, with some 15% giving this as their reason for switching. No single provider was more likely to have customers depart for this reason than the other providers covered in our customer satisfaction survey.

If you're suffering from slow broadband there are steps you can take to try to improve things - use our guide on how to speed up slow broadband to get started. 

But it's also worth considering whether it's worth upgrading to a new faster connection. Fibre is both faster and more reliable than standard broadband. Around 73% of those who have access to superfast/partial fibre connections (30-99Mbps) have currently signed up, but only 25% of those who can access full fibre connections (up to 1,000Mbps or more) have taken one up.  

Find out more about the different types of fibre and which might be right for you, using our guide to the benefits of fibre broadband.

Resolving connection problems 

We now rely more on broadband connections for work, school and to stay in touch with friends and family than we ever have before so it's essential that it's reliable. But some 37% of broadband customers told us they'd experienced frequent connection drop outs in the past year. Some 13% of those who had switched, told us that lack of reliability was the main thing that drove them away from their old provider. Customers who left TalkTalk and Vodafone were the most likely to say that connection problems had prompted them to switch.

If you're experiencing issues with your connection, our advice on how to fix your broadband can help you diagnose and fix problems as they arise. 

But if those issues become a regular occurrence and you've had enough, it's time to switch provider.

Finding a better broadband deal

Nearly one in ten of those who had switched told us they'd done so simply because they'd found a better deal with a new provider. Customers that had switched away from BT were the most likely to give a better deal as their main reason for switching.

If you've been with the same provider for a long period, you're more likely to be paying too much for your connection than people who have switched regularly. Check our guide to the best broadband deals for expert picks on a range of different broadband services. 

Escaping poor customer service

While only 7% of customers overall switched after experiencing poor customer service, this rose to 11% of Virgin Media customers and 17% of TalkTalk customers. But our customer satisfaction survey shows that several providers struggle with decent customer service and technical support - quite a few earned paltry two-star ratings for one or the other.

And in a report discussing customer service on offer from broadband providers throughout 2022, Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said there's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the way companies resolve complaints, with a large proportion of complainants having to contact their provider multiple times in order to get a resolution.

While there is work for many companies to do, our broadband provider reviews will help you compare what's currently on offer and see what other customers have to say about their provider's customer service.

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