Mobile phone providers fail to impress

Not a single mobile phone network provider scored highly enough to achieve Best Buy status in a recent customer satisfaction survey by which.co.uk.

While Tesco scored the best for pay as you go (PAYG) deals, and Virgin for pay-monthly options, neither lived up to the standards required of a Which? Best Buy.

Things were worse at the other end of the table where Vodafone and Orange received the poorest scores for overall satisfaction in both categories. T-Mobile PAYG customers were just as unimpressed.

Jess Ross, Editor, which.co.uk, says: "Long gone are the days when mobile phones were just for talking and texting; they now double up as MP3 players, digital cameras and personal organisers, too. But, without a single mobile phone service awarded a Best Buy in our survey, clearly the industry has some catching up to do when it comes to meeting its customers' expectations."

The quality and speed of response to queries were particular problem areas for pay monthly customers. Virgin was rated best, but only 33 per cent and 38 per cent respectively of its customers thought these aspects of service were very good.

People having problems getting through to their provider should persist, though, particularly if their call relates to mobile theft or security. More than a quarter of people wrongly think their provider covers them for the costs of calls made after a phone is stolen but before they report the theft. In addition, six out of ten owners have no security measures in place for their handset, such as using the handset's PIN code.

which.co.uk has some simple security steps to help owners protect their handsets:

Keep your phone out of sight when you're not using it
By using the handset's security lock (Pin) code, thieves are unable to use it
Keep a note of the phone's unique 15-digit IMEI number - it's normally printed under the battery
If your phone is stolen, report it straight away to the police and your network provider!
Register the phone at immobilise.com, as this enables the police to return stolen property.