The research, conducted by consumer group Which?, found that nearly two-thirds of Virgin Media customers experienced issues with their broadband services.

The latest results of the group’s broadband research, which surveyed more than 7,000 customers, found that price increases, slow speeds, router problems and connection dropouts were the most common grievances across the UK’s 12 biggest providers.

Failing Consumers

While Virgin Media customers were the most likely to have been affected by connection issues, nearly two out of three TalkTalk and Sky Broadband consumers also told Which? they had experienced problems.

Price increases were the biggest problem for Virgin Media customers, according to the survey, with almost half (45%) complaining about price hikes. More than one-fifth (21%) of customers at Virgin also cited router problems as their second-biggest concern.

One in six customers (16%) said they were left without an internet connection for up to several hours at a time; which others reporting this could last for days.

Sub-Standard Services

TalkTalk broadband services also proved to be problematic for consumers, with 64% of survey respondents reporting an issue. According to the survey, ‘very slow speeds’ were the biggest concern for TalkTalk customers, with more than one quarter (28%) of respondents complaining.

Similarly, Sky customers are also being let down by services, the report said. Up to 63% of respondents reported issues, with one-third claiming price increases to be the most common problem.

Overall, the report said, a majority of broadband customers have experienced some issues with services in the past year. Of the 12 providers included in the report, Zen Internet users had the fewest complaints about services or various associated issues. Nonetheless, one-third of Zen customers still reported problems.