IMDA: StarHub receives the most complaints for broadband services

StarHub received the highest rate of complaints for its broadband services, according to a recent report by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) with statistics on telecom service providers’ (TSP) handling consumer feedback for the period from August to September 2022. Quoted on Channel NewsAsia, IMDA's report stated that a complaint is defined as "any expression of dissatisfaction with a telecommunication service that requires follow up by the service provider".

According to IMDA’s latest report seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, StarHub received a rate of 8.76 and 5.09 complaints per 10,000 customers in August and September respectively for its broadband services. This is considered high when compared to other broadband providers such as MyRepublic, M1, Singtel and ViewQuest that were also included in the report. MyRepublic had 0.31 and 0.20, M1 logged 0.20 and 0.10, Singtel received 0.25 and 0.14, and ViewQwest recorded a rate of 0.70 and 0.70.

StarHub's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it is committed to its subscribers’ interests, and values their feedback.

"We endeavour to resolve customers’ issues quickly and fairly. We are also heartened to see that StarHub is the Mobile Network Operator with the highest percentage of complaints resolved in the first zero to five days - at 96% for mobile, 94% for broadband and 92% for fixed line services, alongside being ranked first by Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore study in Customer Satisfaction for Mobile and TV for 2022," the spokesperson added.

The telco also thanked its customers for their support, adding that it will continue dedicating efforts in delivering quality service experiences.

Among all the telecommunications companies, ViewQwest took the longest to sort out broadband issues, with 100% of customers waiting more than two weeks for both August and September.  Most of Singtel and StarHub's subscribers had their issues resolved within five days, while most MyRepublic and M1 subscribers had their issues solved within two weeks. 

StarHub had the longest waiting time of 5.72 minutes, followed by M1’s 4.30 minutes in August. However, StarHub's waiting time dropped to 1.53 minutes and M1’s waiting time increased to 6.50 minutes. MyRepublic, Singtel and ViewQwest have waiting times of the range between 0.33 minutes to 1.72 minutes for both months.

For mobile services, VIVIFI received the highest number of complaints of 19 and 23 per 10,000 subscribers in August and September respectively. CMLink came in second with 16 complaints in September from three complaints in August. The remaining companies including Circles.Life, MyRepublic, M1, redONE, SIMBA, Singtel, StarHub and Zero1 have a range between 0.01 to 3 complaints per 10,000 subscribers.

SIMBA took the longest to resolve the complaints in August, with 56% of customers waiting for more than two weeks. For waiting time for an average hotline or live chat, SIMBA’s subscribers waited up to 15 minutes. 

There wasn’t many complaints for the companies’ fixed line services. Generally, complaints are also resolved within 14 days for MyRepublic, M1, Singtel andStarHub. StarHub had the longest waiting time of 4.55 minutes in August and it dropped to 1.10 minutes in September. M1 had the longest waiting time of 6.50 minutes in September and 4.30 minutes in August. The objective of this report is to provide consumers with information on TSPs’ performance in handing complaints, while encouraging TSPs to improve their customer service standards. Subsequent reports will be published on a quarterly basis.

Related articles: 
StarHub and TSLA part, new creative pitch called
StarHub collaborates with BLKJ Havas to slide into Roblox virtual universe
Singtel's Gomo drops original beat with Benjamin Kheng
Huawei and IMDA tie up to groom startups in building customer-centric products
IMDA: SG brands and merchants using SMS communication will need to join SMS Sender ID Registry