Why it's time to switch away from the 'Big Four' broadband providers

Together, the UK's four biggest broadband providers - BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media - supply more than 20 million households. Their customers often stick with them for long periods,  and many have never been with a different provider.

But we've found their customers are also often far from satisfied with their service - the 'Big Four' received scores that ranged from pedestrian to pathetic in our customer satisfaction survey. Read on to learn why their dominance is not deserved, and why you should consider a smaller provider for your next broadband contract.

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You can find a cheaper deal 

In our survey of nearly 4,000 broadband customers earlier this year we found that customers of the Big Four were some of the most likely to be paying large amounts for their broadband deal. 

On average, BT, Sky and Virgin Media customers paid larger amounts than the typical broadband customer. TalkTalk was the exception – the provider is known for offering affordably priced broadband and we found its customers do typically pay less than average. 

We've even found that some customers of the Big Four could save nearly £200 per year simply by switching to a different broadband provider. When we interrogated the savings of more than 3,700 customers who had switched provider in the previous 12 months, we found that those who departed Virgin Media saved over £190 a year, while those who left BT reported a saving of almost £160 a year and those who left Sky saved almost £100. 

TalkTalk was the only large provider where customers who switched away reported paying slightly more - though this was just £8 over the course of a year (just 67p a month), proving that it's not impossible to find other providers that are fairly competitive on price.

If you're with one of the UK's biggest broadband providers, the likelihood is you can find a better deal - smaller providers are often much more competitively priced, and regularly offer deals to encourage customers on board. 

Get help finding a great value connection using our round up of the best broadband deals 

Loyalty doesn't pay 

Customers of the Big Four are some of the most likely to have been with the same provider for long periods. Some 41% of Sky customers told us they'd been with their provider for more than three years - in line with the overall average. But the numbers were higher for TalkTalk and Virgin Media – in both cases 49% of customers had been with their provider for at least three years, and the same was true of a whopping 56% of BT’s customers. 

Our research has shown that those who stay with the same broadband provider for long periods are more likely to be paying high amounts for their deals. All of the Big Four automatically increase their price of at least some of their deals at the end of a minimum contract period, meaning customers who stay out of contract with their provider are particularly at risk of overpaying. 

BT and TalkTalk have also introduced annual price rises, so even customers who are within their minimum contract period will see the price of their deal rise by 3.9% (BT) or 3.7% (TalkTalk) plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation every Spring. In past years this made for a relatively modest price rise, but this year's were over 9% and, with CPI hitting 10.1% this month, next year’s price rises are also likely to be substantial. 

If you've been with a Big Four provider for a long period of time, it's worth weighing up whether your loyalty is being rewarded. If not, considering switching. Smaller providers like Hyperoptic, SSE and Zen Internet all promise to keep your tariff the same for the duration of your contract. 

Make sure you're getting the best value from your deal using our 10 ways to save money on your broadband and TV bills.

Get better customer service and support 

In our broadband customer satisfaction survey, the Big Four broadband providers earned middling ratings for customer service. But for three of them, technical support was even worse – Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media received miserable two star ratings in this category. 

Sky and Virgin Media customers were more likely to have experienced issues that might require support in the past year – for example, slow speeds or connection outages. They were also more likely to tell us they’d had issues getting in touch or resolving queries with their provider than the typical customer. 

Meanwhile, customers of several smaller providers including Utility Warehouse, Vodafone and Zen Internet awarded them four stars for either their customer service or technical support - read our broadband provider reviews for more information on how 14 of the UK's widely-available broadband providers compare.

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It's easy to switch 

While the idea of switching broadband providers can feel like a hassle - particularly if you've been with the same one for some time - in the majority of cases it's straightforward. When we surveyed nearly 4,000 members of the public about their experiences switching broadband providers, the majority of those who had done it said they found it easy. 

If you're switching between the many providers that use the Openreach network - such as BT, EE Broadband, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone - you only have to contact one provider. Long periods of downtime between connections is uncommon and you can often switch without requiring an engineer visit. 

We've broken down switching into four simple steps. Get started using our guide on how to switch broadband provider.