Ofcom

OFCOM has launched an investigation into at least 22 porn websites over concerns about the age checks they have in place.

Adult platforms have been forced to adopt stricter age verification rules in the UK since the end of July, which require users to share their ID or a selfie to access them.

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Sites that fail to comply with the Online Safety Act risk being slapped with hefty fines and could even be blocked from the UK.

The communications regulator is responsible for checking companies abide by the law, which is designed to protect children from easily stumbling across inappropriate content online.

Today Ofcom bosses announced an investigation into five companies that are known to collectively run at least 22 porn sites.

It’s estimated that the group receive some eight million visitors from the UK every month.

The watchdog said the sites face a “prioritised” probe because of the risk of harm they pose and their user huge numbers.

“We are now gathering and analysing evidence to determine whether any contraventions have occurred,” Ofcom said.

“If our assessment indicates compliance failures, we will issue provisional notices of contravention to providers, who can then make representations on our findings, before we make our final decisions.”

The companies include Cyberitic, LLC, Web Prime Inc, Youngtek Solutions Ltd and ZD Media s.r.o.

Some 47 sites are already being investigated by Ofcom over similar concerns.

Bosses have also revealed that they’re expanding their probe into two companies, 8579 LLC and Itai Tech, over whether they have failed to respond adequately to Ofcom’s requests for information.

The new law triggered a surge in VPN downloads as some try to get around the block.

VPNs – which are used as legal privacy tools to disguise a person’s location – are still in the top download charts.

The regulator has admitted that there’s no way to stop people from using VPNs.

THE SHOCKING STATS

Latest figures show the scale of adult content consumption online…

Ofcom stats:

• Around 8% children aged 8-14 in the UK visited an online porn site or app in a month.
• 15% of 13–14-year-olds accessed online porn in a month.
• Boys aged 13-14 are the most likely to visit a porn service, significantly more than girls the same age (19% vs 11%).
• Our research tells us that around three in ten (29%) or 13.8m UK adults use porn online.
• Pornhub is the most used site in the UK – Ofcom research says 18% (8.4m) visited it in one month.

Children’s Commissioner stats:

Of the 64% who said that they had ever seen online pornography:

• The average age at which children first see pornography is 13. By age nine, 10% had seen pornography, 27% had seen it by age 11 and half of children who had seen pornography had seen it by age 13.
• We also find that young people are frequently exposed to violent pornography, depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sex acts; 79% had encountered violent pornography before the age of 18.
• Pornography is not confined to dedicated adult sites. We found that Twitter was the online platform where young people were most likely to have seen pornography.

Image credit: Getty / The Sun

EMMERDALE has been hit by hundreds of Ofcom complaints regarding a ‘violent and tasteless’ soap death.

Viewers were left heartbroken when killer John Sugden claimed his latest victim.

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The August 21 episode saw Mackenzie Boyd shot in the back with an arrow.

The mechanic had worked out that John had killed Nate Robinson months ago.

Mackenzie fled into the woods, but John prevented his escape by firing an arrow at his back.

A final flashback saw John throw a heavy rock down at a helpless Mackenzie.

Viewers later saw blood stains in John’s van and a body covered by a sheet – seemingly confirming Mackenzie’s death.

The latest data shows Ofcom received 158 complaints following the grisly scenes.

After John’s brutal actions played out, fans soon took to X to complain.

One wrote: “Love emmerdale but this all seemed a bit much with the violence and the crossbow seemed in bad taste what with the recent real life tragedies.”

Another added: “@ofcom complaints incoming and this time you take action.”

A third said: “The writers have really crossed line bow and arrow after crossbow killings not right.”

A fourth chimed in: “Isn’t this a tad violent for early evening.”

While a fifth remarked: “A bit distasteful isn’t it having a serial killer kill someone with a bow and arrow havent you got any compassion for a presenter who lost his entire family by a bow and Arrow in real life.”

It came after the real life murder of three people by crossbow killer Kyle Clifford in July of last year.

 The Sun previously revealed that Lawrence Robb, who played Mackenzie, had filmed devastating murder scenes for his character.

A source said at the time: “The scenes are going to be really harrowing for fans to watch.

“Mackenzie has been in so many scrapes and dangerous positions but this time it looks like he’s bitten off more than he can chew. 

“Viewers will be on the edges of their seats watching what happens.”

Some fans believe Mackenzie may still be alive – as his corpse was not directly shown.

Emmerdale airs on ITV1 and ITVX.

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LOVE Island fans have been left fuming over one hunk’s alleged “bullying” behaviour in the Mallorca villa.

Viewers of the ITV2 series – which will wrap its summer season next week – have flooded social media with messages of concern about his supposed “harassment” and insisted they will contact the broadcasting watchdog.

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Returning Love Island star Blu Chegini was axed from the matchmaking show earlier in the series, yet made a recent unexpected return alongside Megan Forte Clarke.

Yet while The Sun exclusively revealed how the Irish lass had broken an unwritten show rule and discussed her time outside the show compound, Blu has been getting fans’ backs up.

The star, partnered in a friendship couple with Helena, has been accused of being “furniture” after being pied three times on his show return.

Yet now viewer complaints have escalated to his supposed “bullying” of Toni – a claim reinforced by her mother on TikTok – and as such, they have told how they are contacting Ofcom with their worries.

It came after a particularly “bitter and sarky” scene featuring the pair, which led one fan to post on X: “I’m sorry Blu is a bully! @Ofcom
will be hearing from me.”

A second quizzed: “Why is Blu in the villa???????” as a third put: “I’m reporting Blu and Meg to Ofcom for harassment. Toni wanted nothing to do with it yet they’re literally trying to force a reaction out of her for no f**king reason.”

Another urged: “Can people complain to Ofcom about Blu and Meg’s behaviour then?”

One posted: “I can’t believe it. I want to make A OFCOM COMPLAINT.”

Another concluded: “Love island why did you bring Blu back and allow him to talk to women they way is he?? HELLO????”

Before entering the villa, ITV’s Duty of Care protocol outlines training for Islanders in language, behaviour and understanding mutual respect in relationships. 

Programme contributors will be offered a full package of measures to ensure they remain supported prior to, during and after the filming period on the show. 

A welfare team is also solely dedicated to the Islanders both during the show and after.

The Sun has gone to Love Island for comment.

BLU BLUES

The original villa lad was a shock returnee bombshell last week, when he reappeared with co-star Megan.

LOVE ISLAND 2025 – ALL the dumped stars so far

LOVE Island 2025 is in its penultimate week. Here are all the dumped Islanders so far …

• Sophie Lee
• Blu Chegini (has since returned)
• Malisha Jordan
• Will Means
• Shea Mannings
• Poppy Harrison
• Caprice Alexandra
• Megan Clarke (has since returned)
• Remell Mullins
• Ryan Bannister
• Alima Gagigo
• Martin Enitan
• Chris Middleton
• Yas Broom
• Rheo Parnel
• Giorgio Russo
• Emily Moran
• Andrada Pop
• Ben Holbrough
• Tommy Bradley
• Lucy Quinn
• Lauren Wood
• Harrison Solomon (quit)
• Emma Munro
• Boris Vidovic
• Billykiss Azeez

He previously clashed with Toni at The Grafties and last night fans claimed he was “obsessed” with the American during a game of truths last night.

During one part of the challenge, Blu turned his board around and told the group: “This is directed at Toni really, because I’ve tried to give her my honest opinion and she didn’t take it. 

“I’m not scared, I’ve tried and… Toni.” 

As the Islanders burst into laughter, Toni shot back: “I still don’t care unfortunately. Sorry Blu. 

“I don’t have it in me anymore.” 

Blu replied: “That’s cool, I’m glad you don’t care,” as the awkward moment between them came to an end. 

It’s not their first clash in the villa, and now fans were quick to claim that Blu is ‘obsessed’ with Toni. 

HUGE COMEBACK

Meanwhile, there could be more potential drama for the pair after The Sun was first to report how the “entire” cast of the 2025 season will return ahead of the final.

We told how this year’s Love Island cohort will make a second entrance into the Mallorca villa.

A source told us the scenes will air on ITV2 soon and said: “The entire cast will be returning to the villa this week – just like the ‘jury’ in All Stars earlier this year.

“They’ll come face to face with the stars who dumped them, and in some cases, have slagged them off live on TV!”

Our source added of the current show twist: “It’ll be explosive and must watch TV – during All Stars Liv Hawkins spilled a secret that changed the outcome of the entire show so the cast will be VERY nervous when they realise what is about to happen!”

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Love Island viewers have threatened to report the show to Ofcom over scenes where Islander Shakira Khan was left sobbing over her treatment by the boys including Conor Phillips

Love Island viewers have threatened to “call Ofcom” as they criticised the “nasty” treatment of one girl in the villa. Fans of the reality dating show saw things take a savage turn among the residents after the latest recoupling.

Shakira Khan and Conor Phillips officially became a thing after they ditched their Casa Amor partners to couple up.

However, as the latest challenge – Couples of Sorts – saw the Islanders learn what viewers really think of them all hell broke loose. As Harrison Solomon was selected as part of a “one-sided” couple, he admitted: “I think Conor and Shakira should be up here.

“We had a conversation – me, you and H – basically what was said was, you like him more than Ty. But I don’t think you like Con as much as you like Harry.”

Moving on to another category Shakira then admitted to Conor: “I’d laugh if this was us now.” However, when she got a frosty reception from him for her joke, she then swiped: “Oh, he’s not laughing, okay.”

After the game Conor went for a chat with Harrison, Harry and Dejon, as they mulled over the events of the challenge. Following that discussion he pulled Shakira for a chat, where she slammed what the other boys had been saying to him as “b******s”.

She added: “It’s been twisted. I told you that and you just wanted to believe the boys straight away.” Shakira was then seen breaking down in tears and sobbing as she discussed the argument with Toni, saying: “Why are they trying to create this narrative like I’m obsessed with [Harry]? I don’t get it.

“They’re all just so fake! I’m surrounded by fake f*****g people who smile in your face and chat s**t about you behind your back.”

Spurred on by seeing her bestie upset by the boys the next day Toni called out Harry, Harrison and Dejon for their behaviour as she ripped into them for reducing Shakira to tears.

Viewers were left disgusted by the scenes and took to X to slam the behaviour. One wrote: “Everybody should write to ofcom because the way Shakira Khan has been treated is nasty #LoveIsland.”

A second added: “The boys reaction to Shakira being upset is telling everything about them.” A third said: “Seeing shakira that upset is so heartbreaking #LoveIsland I can’t watch these villainous men anymore.”

While a fourth social media user shared: “I’m not joking after this episode, I will write a letter to ofcom about how the islanders are mistreating Shakira.” A fifth agreed: “Ofcom will be hearing from me, these people are bullying shakira.”

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Ofcom has found that Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks breached its rules by promoting a financial technology app in an episode of the soap

Hollyoaks has fallen foul of two Ofcom regulations following its promotion of a financial technology application within the programme, the watchdog has determined. An instalment of the Channel 4 drama came under scrutiny after ClearScore, the show’s sponsor, received both spoken and visual mentions during the broadcast.

The broadcasting authority concluded that the product integration violated two separate guidelines – firstly Rule 9.10 concerning excessive prominence, which stipulates that “references to placed products, services and trade marks must not be unduly prominent”.

The second infringement involved Rule 9.9 regarding promotional content, which declares that “references to placed products, services and trade marks must not be promotional”.

READ MORE: ‘Life changing’ 48p-a-day supplement that gets rid of fatigue and leaves tummy ‘flatter’

The controversial product placement featured in the February 18 episode, where Kieron Richardson’s character Ste Hay discussed the application with his son Lucas Hay, portrayed by Oscar Curtis, whilst considering purchasing a laptop.

Viewers witnessed Ste retrieving his mobile device, displaying the ClearScore application prominently on screen whilst demonstrating its various features and capabilities before telling Lucas: “See this? They’ve shown me some options – based on my financial situation and it looks like I can get you that laptop for your studies.”

He continued: “I really want you to make a go of this, Lucas – (gesturing to the ClearScore app on his phone) and these guys are going to help me make it happen.”

The report revealed that the broadcaster acknowledged the references were made due to a product placement agreement, separate from an arrangement with the company sponsoring the soap.

Channel 4 informed the regulator that the references were editorially justified and clarified that “part of the sponsorship and product placement agreements, potential integrations into existing storylines were proposed to ClearScore by the programme editorial team, in consultation with the programme compliance team.”

ClearScore had no editorial input into the storyline of the programme”. Channel 4 further explained that Ste’s character was central to the plot at the time, as he was attempting to rebuild his family after the death of a partner and spending a year in a coma.

The broadcaster added: “part of this storyline (was) his return to work to support his family, which (included) rebuilding his relationship with son Lucas and providing for him”.

The investigation concluded that the references exceeded its editorial justifications for the storyline and became more of a “demonstration” of how to use the app rather than a passing remark. Ofcom also determined that the references were promotional as they described and demonstrated how to use the app, thereby promoting the brand.

A Channel 4 representative has acknowledged the regulator’s verdict, stating: “We acknowledge Ofcom’s decision and will review its findings carefully. Our compliance responsibilities are of paramount importance to us and we will continue to engage with Ofcom and our partners to ensure our content remains compliant”.

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The latest season of Britain’s Got Talent has triggered a surge of complaints from fans. But judge Bruno Tonioli has recently spoken against the critics in a defiant move.

Britain’s Got Talent recently attracted a series of complaints from viewers – but judge Bruno Tonioli has decided not to focus on the criticism and recommends critics “read a book.”

The final of the ITV programme airs on Saturday, May 31st – and judge Bruno Tonioli already knows who has stolen his heart. “We’ve had a variety of talent this year. The Blackouts are insane,” he says.

But it’s drag soprano Jasmine Rice who has his vote. He was so moved by her audition, he hit the Golden Buzzer. “That performance was absolutely incredible for me,” he says, “That was the most surprising, somebody that really rises to the occasion and exceeds all expectations.”

Jasmine, who spoke openly about the rejection she’s faced for performing in drag, struck a deep chord with Bruno, 69. “Being able to be calm and communicate a message without bitterness and with hope, determination – that’s very valid. I found those moments special.”

Still, BGT isn’t without its controversies. Auditions from stuntman Auzzy Blood and nudist Akira both drew Ofcom complaints earlier this year.

The semi-finals added more after Bao Cuong pulled hosts Ant & Dec on a motorbike using only his eyelids. But Bruno shrugs it off. “I don’t focus on the negative,” he says. “Social media? Forget it. ‘Life is too short,’ he adds, ‘Read a book!’”

He’s more concerned about the impact social media can have on younger generations. “If I had kids, I’d be petrified,” he says. “It’s an alternative universe. It can be fun, but we need strict guidelines, especially for children.”

READ MORE: Weight loss method backed by Dr Michael Mosley and loved by Davina McCall

Bruno doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with the other BGT judges – Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden – but he takes it in stride.

“Shows give you a range of opinions,” he says. “I may have a certain angle but I never said I am absolutely right. I only point things out. That’s why the judges are there. The decision is ultimately made by the public.”

Still, he and Simon go way back. “We’ve been friends for 40 years,” Bruno says, brushing off any on-air tension. “When you’re on-screen, you play a role,” Bruno says. “We’re both very laid-back people, actually. He’s very easy-going. But on TV, you become an extension of yourself.”

That goes for Amanda and Alesha, too. He’s particularly fond of Amanda, whom he’s known for years, but his bond with Alesha also goes beyond BGT.

The pair first met when she competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007. Back then, Bruno was a judge on the BBC One staple. Alesha eventually joined him on the panel.

“Alesha was one of our best winners. We have the biggest giggles,” Bruno says. “Though I probably exhaust her – I’m always distracting her!”

What keeps Bruno grounded is his own past – he’s stood in the shoes of every hopeful auditioning. “I have done what they do. I have done auditions and failed them,” he says. “But you learn from your failures when you take it as a way of understanding what you should do to improve.”

And he knows what it means to stand on the Royal Variety Performance stage – the prize waiting for this year’s winner plus £250,000 cash. “I’ve done it quite a few times over the years,” he says.

“Both as a choreographer and a performer.” He’s even had the chance to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla. “They’re both the most wonderful people,” Bruno says. “And she loves dancing. She has a really good sense of humour, there’s that twinkle in her eye that I find delicious. She’s cool!”

As the final looms, Bruno’s already feeling the heat – and the hilarity. This year’s top acts are a testament to BGT ’s chaotic charm: from LED dance crew The Blackouts to 11-year-old guitar prodigy Olly Pearson.

Other acts in the final include soulful singer Vinnie McKee, ping pong dancing troupe Ping Pong Pang, comedian Joseph Charm and Maya Giotea – another Golden Buzzer pick from Bruno.

Bruno’s energy remains undimmed. He’d even love to explore acting – ideally as a villain. “I’d love to do dramas because it’s another part of me,” he says.

“I’d love to play a real baddie. I love Guy Ritchie’s works, they’re brilliant and edgy. But I’m not one of those people that call their agent 25 times a day. I’ve never even had a PR or a social media manager!”

Off-screen, Bruno enjoys a quiet life. “Every Saturday, I’m in my garden. I love gardening, and I cook!” he says. But this Saturday, it’s all eyes on the BGT stage and with the knockout finalists vying for the crown, anything could happen. But who will win the nation’s heart?

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THE best and worst broadband and mobile providers for customer service have been revealed by the regulator.

All major providers were ranked on how pleased customers were with the service.

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O2, which has millions of customers was rated below average when it came to customer satisfaction for mobile providers.

The telecoms giant fell below the sector average when it comes to customer satisfaction as it scored 85% and the average is 88% 

Last year, the firm also generated the most complaints, when it had 21 complaints per 100,000 customers.

The second worst ranked mobile provider was Vodafone who had a score of 84% when it came to how pleased users were with it’s service.

The pair were trumped by Tesco Mobile and giffgaff, which both 94% for overall satisfaction.

Tesco Mobile also led in satisfaction with complaints handling and generated the fewest complaints to Ofcom, when it had just four complaints per 100,000 customers.

However, Ofcom said that the average number of complaints reduced in 2024 across all providers.

Elsewhere, the average call waiting time for mobile customers decreased in 2024, from 2mins 24s in 2023 to  1min 52s in 2024.

Ofcom said Lebara had the shortest average call waiting time in 2024 at 15s while O2’s was the longest, at 3min 27s. 

Moving on to broadband and TalkTalk had a lower-than-average overall satisfaction score of 77% and also ranked poorly for complaints handling.

However, NOW Broadband, which is owned by Sky, generated the most broadband complaints to Ofcom at 65 per 100,000 customer.

Virgin Media generated the second highest number of fixed broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, at 56.

While EE was the third most complained-about broadband provider last year with 52 complaints per 100,000.

Plusnet achieved the highest overall satisfaction score at 91%, when it came to broadband.

When it came to landline, Plusnet also had the highest overall satisfaction score at 83%.

Meanwhile, Virgin Media customers were less pleased with the service giving the provider a rating of 67%.

Ian Macrae, Ofcom’s director of market intelligence, said: “Call waiting times have come down for many providers and satisfaction with complaint handling is on the up. 

“And we’re seeing competition in action, with smaller players challenging some of the bigger, well-established providers.”

He added: “But there’s further to go. Not all companies have made the same progress and it’s still taking the industry too long to fix things when they go wrong.”

A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “Ofcom’s report shows that the vast majority of our customers were satisfied with their services in 2024, and highlights some improvements that have been made – including on complaints handling.

“While today’s data relates to the whole of 2024, we know from the regulator’s most recent statistics that the turnaround strategy we implemented in the middle of last year has led to significant improvements, with complaints about Virgin Media and O2 now at their lowest levels for several years.”

They added: “We’re continuing to make real progress through this strategy and we’re committed to giving our customers the best possible experience.”

How to complain about your service

If you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received, you’ll first need to contact your provider’s customer services department and explain the problem.

If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can make a formal complaint to the company.

You can find details on how to do this on the back of your bill or on the company’s website.

Depending on your complaint type, you’ll be able to contact the customer service team by web chat, telephone or by post.

You’ll need to let the company know what has happened and what you want it to do to put things right.

If a formal complaint gets you nowhere, after eight weeks you can ask for a “deadlock letter” and take your dispute to the appropriate Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

These are free to use and will act as an independent middle man between yourself and the service provider when an initial complaint cannot be resolved.

There are two ADR schemes in the UK – the Communications Ombudsman and CISAS. 

Your provider is required to be a member of one of these and you can find out which one your provider is covered by visiting ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/adr-schemes.

Before you can submit your complaint to it, you must have logged a formal complaint with your provider and worked with the firm to resolve it.

You must also have received a so-called deadlock letter, where the provider refers your complaint to the appropriate ADR.

You can also complain if you haven’t had a satisfactory solution to your problem within eight weeks.

To make a complaint fill in the ADR scheme claims form on its website – or write a letter if you’d prefer.

The ADR scheme then bases its decision on the evidence you and the company submit.

If you choose to accept its decision, your supplier will then have 28 days to comply.

But if an individual chooses not to accept the ADR’s final decision, they lose the right to the resolution offer.

Those interviewed told researchers about the scale of abuse they suffered and its impacts.

Participants were chosen because they had experience of abuse. Former Yorkshire cricketer Rafiq encountered abuse and threats after documenting the racism he suffered in the game.

“The abuse left me feeling incredibly paranoid, at times, and often made me question my sanity,” Rafiq says in the report.

“The impact of this experience on me as a human being and on my mental health has damaged my life to such an extent, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to quantify it.”

Aluko, who last month won the first stage of a libel case after being targeted on social media by ex-footballer Joey Barton, is not quoted in the report but did contribute to it.

Ex-international rugby referee Barnes detailed the abuse aimed at his wife, which he says “shocked” him. Much of it originated after contentious decisions taken in games, he said.

“I wasn’t active on social media. She then became the subject of the abuse, with people attacking her personally via direct messages to her social media accounts and work email address, or by posting fake and offensive friend requests. The abuse went on for some time,” Barnes said.

He said “misogynistic language” and even “threats of sexual violence” were aimed at her.

The report documents how “a female TV sports presenter will get horrendous amounts of abuse, often just about what she’s wearing”.

Another contributor said: “I didn’t leave my house for a week because of the impact of online abuse, the sort of wave [of intensity] and the amount of people that are abusing you.”

Researchers were told that the fear of receiving more abuse led to some of the contributors turning down work.

Sanjay Bhandari, chair of the anti-discrimination body Kick It Out, said: “The impact of online abuse is undeniable, and the rise in discriminatory social media reports to Kick It Out last season shows it’s getting worse.”

He said the Ofcom report showed “a culture of abuse that has become normalised”.

“It’s vital that we see social media companies step up with meaningful tools that give users real control over what they see and experience online,” he added.

THE best and worst broadband providers for customer complaints have been revealed by the regulator.

NOW Broadband and TalkTalk, which have millions of customers between them, had the highest number of complaints.

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Both had 13 complaints per 100,000 customers for their broadband services between October and December 2024.

Regulator Ofcom said NOW Broadband saw an increase in complaints compared with the previous three months, when it had 12 complaints per 100,000 customers.

TalkTalk managed to bring down its levels of complaints from 14 per 100,000 customers.

Following close behind with the third-highest number of complaints was EE, with 12 issues raised per 100,000 customers.

Virgin Media and Vodafone both had 11 complaints per 100,000, while BT had 10.

The service providers with the lowest numbers of complaints were Plusnet and Sky.

Plusnet topped the list with just five complaints per 100,000 customers, while Sky had six.

A NOW Broadband spokesperson said: “We are actively working on improvements to ensure that NOW customers receive both the best possible broadband and customer service experience.

“Although this figure represents a small portion of our customer base, we take it seriously and will continue to listen to feedback to better serve our customers.”

A TalkTalk spokesperson said: “We are committed to delivering the best possible service for our customers. While this number represents a very small proportion of our total customer base, we are naturally disappointed, and working to improve it.

“We continue to invest on behalf of our customers, making it easier than ever to get in touch with us through a variety of contact methods, and expect to see this reflected in future reports.”

What about mobile, landline and pay-TV services?

Ofcom also published its rankings of the best and worst telecoms firms for complaints related to mobile, landline, and pay-TV services.

NOW Broadband topped the list of complaints for its landline services with 10 complaints per 100,000 customers.

EE was the next most complained-about with eight per 100,000.

BT and TalkTalk had seven per 100,000, while Virgin Media had six and Plusnet had four.

The providers with the least complaints were Vodafone, Sky and Utility Warehouse.

Vodafone had three complaints per 100,000 customers while Sky had two.

Utility Warehouse had an impressive one complaint per 100,000.

For pay-monthly mobile services, O2 was the most complained-about provider with four complaints per 100,000.

Next were Three and iD Mobile with three complaints per 100,000.

The least complained-about providers were Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile with only one complaint per 100,000 customers.

For pay-TV, Virgin Media had the most complaints at seven per 100,000, while EE had six.

Sky and TalkTalk only had two complaints per 100,000 people.

How to complain about your service

If you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received, you’ll first need to contact your provider’s customer services department and explain the problem.

If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can make a formal complaint to the company.

You can find details on how to do this on the back of your bill or on the company’s website.

Depending on your complaint type, you’ll be able to contact the customer service team by web chat, telephone or by post.

You’ll need to let the company know what has happened and what you want it to do to put things right.

If a formal complaint gets you nowhere, after eight weeks you can ask for a “deadlock letter” and take your dispute to the appropriate Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

These are free to use and will act as an independent middle man between yourself and the service provider when an initial complaint cannot be resolved.

There are two ADR schemes in the UK – the Communications Ombudsman and CISAS. 

Your provider is required to be a member of one of these and you can find out which one your provider is covered by visiting ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/adr-schemes.

Before you can submit your complaint to it, you must have logged a formal complaint with your provider and worked with the firm to resolve it.

You must also have received a so-called deadlock letter, where the provider refers your complaint to the appropriate ADR.

You can also complain if you haven’t had a satisfactory solution to your problem within eight weeks.

To make a complaint fill in the ADR scheme claims form on its website – or write a letter if you’d prefer.

The ADR scheme then bases its decision on the evidence you and the company submit.

If you choose to accept its decision, your supplier will then have 28 days to comply.

But if an individual chooses not to accept the ADR’s final decision, they lose the right to the resolution offer.