Virgin Media is named as the most complained about mobile operator in the UK

Both Vodafone and Virgin Media have come out on top as the most complained about telecoms providers according to the latest research conducted by Ofcom. The research essentially monitors all complaints made by customers about the UK providers that have a market share greater than 1.5 percent in the areas that they operate. Some of the most common complaints found in this research include the quality of the service, how operators deal with complaints, and billing. This research done by Ofcom has come from the idea that consumers have more information than ever, giving them the ability to make an informed decision when choosing a mobile provider and hold them more accountable.

The following statistics are from Ofcom's complaint research:

• Virgin Media comes out on top with 11 complaints per 100,000 customers, making it the most complained about mobile operator in the UK).
• BT and Vodafone both have 8 complaints.
• iD Mobile had 5 complaints.

(The above mobile operators exceed the industry average of 4 complaints per 100,000 customers)

• Three had 4 complaints.
• O2 and EE had 3 complaints.
• Tesco Mobile became the UK leader for the least amount of complaints, with just 1 complaint during the research).

(The above mobile operators are below the industry average)

Ofcom's Direct of Consumer Policy, Jane Rumble, spoke to TechRadar about the results:

"With so much competition in telecoms and TV services, companies that are falling short need to make service quality and complaints handling their priority. Customers who aren't happy with their provider can shop around and vote with their feet".

With all of this information in mind, the main thing to take from this is you do not have to put up with a mobile provider you aren't happy with. Customers should be the first priority of any organisation, and with more and more information being made available on a regular basis about each provider, the more informed we become to make the correct decision for ourselves.

When choosing a provider, the most important aspects to consider are:

• The reputation of the company.
• The network coverage.
• Good customer service.

For an example, O2 has won numerous awards for being the UK's top network provider. They also offer extremely flexible contracts, and always have great customer service reviews.