Watchdog on three: How to get the broadband speed you're promised

Exclusive research for BBC Watchdog carried out by ComRes reveals that almost half (45%) of 18-34 year olds have complained to their provider about the speed of their broadband connection. It also shows younger adults are more likely than older adults to say their broadband is not good enough to do everything they want to do online.

Lisa Clarke

Lisa Clarke from Birmingham joined Sky in January 2016. She says her broadband was fine for a few months but then it stopped working properly. She tells Watchdog: "At one point it took me a week to download a box set".

Lisa checked the speed of her broadband and the download speed was actually less than 1Mbps (Megabits per-second) when it should run between 2-4Mbps.

It’s not just the fun stuff either. It’s the mundane day-to-day jobs like banking, paying bills and food shopping that can cause a headache as well.

Brian Gray from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides uses provider BT for his internet. He says his broadband has been really slow for the past three weeks. Living on an island means he relies heavily on the internet.

He tells Watchdog: "You can’t do anything without the internet. When I’ve not got internet I don’t know how much money I’ve got in the bank, I can’t track packages from the mainland, it’s horrendous and has a very negative effect on my day-to-day life because everything is dealt with online."

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‘Up to’ speeds…? I never get anything near that!

Advertising rules state that broadband providers can advertise ‘up to’ speeds as long as 10% of their customers do actually receive that service.

So, what about the other 90%?

Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert from uSwitch tells Watchdog, "Slow broadband connection can have a real impact on peoples’ lives. Students might not be able to download coursework material, miss out (again) getting that Glastonbury ticket and be unable to stream the latest Black Mirror or whatever it is their friends are all watching. You can end up feeling really cut off".

Watchdog research shows that 42% of 18-34-year-olds say they received a slower speed of connection than they pay for.

Well, there are some things you can do, that might just help increase your speed.

How to boost the speed of your broadband

• Where is your router? Don’t have it on the floor or tucked away, try to place it somewhere high
• What’s next to your router? Electronic devices such as televisions, telephones, microwaves and baby monitors can affect its performance
• Broadband providers often supply you with a router when you first join them. Ask them if they’ll upgrade you, it might make a difference
• Find out whether you can get fibre broadband. Whilst 97% of the UK can get it only 27% have it. The price difference between fibre and normal can start from £5 a month. For a large family this can make a big difference.

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If that doesn’t work, can I leave my provider even though I’m still in contract without paying a penalty?

Yes, if you aren’t getting the speed which was guaranteed to you when you entered the contract.

Last year Ofcom, the communications regulator, updated its Voluntary Code of Practice: Broadband Speeds. When broadband providers sign up new customers they must give a guaranteed speed they will receive – probably different to the ‘up to’ speed advertised.

When you sign up to a provider you should take a screen shot or keep a print out of the speed guarantee. If you want to complain about your connection speed to your provider you need to do the following things:

• Run a speed test over a period of days, at different times of the day. Record the speeds and note down each time the signal drops out. There are loads of free speed checkers online such as
• Ring your provider and ask them to look into the problem. Make notes of conversations
• If they can’t fix it and you’ve given them enough time rectify it then you can leave your contract without penalty
• If you need to take the matter further you can go to the Ombudsman. Providers are with one of two schemes

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Ewan Taylor from uSwitch says, "If you’re not in contract and getting a poor service then go out there and see what you can get. A lot of companies give cheap introductory rates.

Find out what the provider’s guaranteed speed is for you, rather than relying on the ‘up to’ speeds that only 10% of people can get. The more people that do this, the more it will increase competition and will make sure all providers do their jobs better."

What do the broadband providers say?

A spokesperson from Sky says: “Before anyone joins Sky Broadband they receive their own speed estimate so they can make an informed decision. We also help them understand the many factors that can affect someone’s broadband speed. We will always do whatever we can to try to resolve a customer’s issue.”

A spokesperson from BT says, “We apologise for the slow broadband speeds Mr Gray has experienced. We have attempted to help him to boost his speed by recommending a wired connection to his home PC and changing some settings on his Home Hub. While this has helped, we appreciate that Mr Gray still receives a slow connection, which is largely due to the remote location of his home.”

Watchdog is on BBC One, Wednesday 8pm. If you have a story you think we should investigate please email us at Watchdog@bbc.co.uk