How to boost your speed
New rules stop providers exaggerating their internet performance in ads, but Sam Meadows finds you still need to be alert
If you have been shopping for broadband in the past week you may have noticed things looking a little different. Tough new rules on advertising came into force last Wednesday, giving internet providers less room to exaggerate the speeds most customers will actually experience. Previously, if just 10 per cent of customers could achieve a speed, the package could be advertised as “up to” that level.
Now the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that at least 50 per cent of a provider’s customers must be able to achieve the speed. Companies will also have to give an “average” speed between 8pm and 10pm, peak time for internet use.
Figures from thinkbroadband. com, the advice website, reveal the extent that providers were routinely overstating speeds. The analysis looked at “up to” speed claims and compared them to the new “average” speed claims.
Looking at providers’ basic packages, the biggest difference was Zen Internet whose ADSL2+ package dropped from up to 17Mb/s to an average 6Mb/s, a decrease of 65 per cent. Thinkbroadband.com said this was partly because the company includes wireless connections in its testing, when most providers do not.
Claimed speeds for BT, EE and Plusnet dropped by 41pc, while Talktalk, Sky and the Post Office dropped by 35pc. Virgin Media’s stated average speed was actually 8pc higher than the previous “up to” speed, partly because of the way speeds were previously calculated.
Martyn James, of Resolver, the consumer complaints service, said: “Broadband providers have been bamboozling their customers for years with misleading ads and wildly variable speeds. The new rules should change that, but don’t assume you’re getting what you’ve paid for. Check your internet speed and don’t get ripped off.”
Andrew Ferguson, editor of thinkbroadband.com, said: “There is still the risk that, if providers miss out some heavily-congested areas, or where distance affects internet speed, the averages may not be representative of the Uk-wide picture.
“Half of people will still be seeing slower speeds than the average. This is an improvement on the nine out of 10 before, but there is the risk of people misunderstanding their rights.”
The Internet Service Providers’ Association, whose members include BT, Sky and Virgin Media, said companies were committed to enforcing the rules.
Andrew Glover, the chairman, said: “While this is a significant move towards greater consumer understanding and informed expectations of broadband speeds, there are a number of other issues at play. Broadband speeds are impacted by factors in the home outside the provider’s control. Consumers should view speeds as one part of the overall package available to them, and also consider reliability, price and customer support.”
How do I make sure I’m not being ripped off?
Broadband is commonly the focus for consumer complaints, said Mr James. In the three and a half years since its launch, Resolver has received almost 30,000 complaints about internet services, including 12,971 in 2017-18, a 38 per cent year-on-year increase.
A third of the complaints related to speed, while others were linked to missed engineers’ appointments and poor customer service.
There are several ways to check your internet speed and make sure you are not being overcharged.
Numerous apps and websites offer free speed tests. You should test your speed at different times of day, including peak times.
Your speed may look lower than the average being advertised by your provider if you’re connecting via Wi-fi. The averages given are commonly tested using a wired connection, which is usually quicker.
Mr Ferguson said you should check the results of your speed test against the estimate given when you signed up.
If it’s not up to scratch you should check your router is plugged in properly and also check your speed using an Ethernet cable.
He said if this drastically increases the speed then you could ask your provider for a better wireless router, or purchase some additional Wi-fi boosters to place around your house.
Can I leave for free?
If after testing your speed you find it’s not up to scratch then you can complain to your provider and ultimately ask to leave your contract. Usually, if you break a broadband contract early there will be a charge, and this can be sizeable.
However, if your speed is lower than expected and your provider can’t fix it, then you do have the right to leave for free.
Your first point of call will be to complain to the company, which will then run tests to attempt to diagnose the problem. Currently companies have an unlimited amount of time to attempt to fix the issue before you are able to leave for free, meaning there is little clarity over what a consumer is able to demand.
Ofcom, the communications regulator, has plans to beef up these rules, reducing that time limit to just 30 days. These come into play in March next year and will give customers more clarity when it comes to knowing their rights.
Providers are also obliged to provide a “minimum guaranteed speed”, but at the moment this only takes place after the sale has been agreed, or earlier if a customer knows to request it. The new Ofcom rules will mean this information must be provided upfront.
If your service is sub-par, and the company is unable to improve it within a month, then you will be able to leave for free.
Customers are also able to leave their contract for free within 30 days of the announcement of a price increase, if you are on a fixed-price contract. Some providers increase prices several times a year.