ORANGE are the UK's worst mobile phone providers, according to a consumer survey. In the UK Mobile Study of pre-pay and contract customers, Tesco and Virgin were the best phone firms.
The survey asked 3340 mobile phone users throughout the UK to rate their providers on image, cost, call quality, promotions, handsets and customer service. The companies were then given an overall consumer satisfaction score. Researchers JD Power found that 20 per cent of contract customers intended to switch provider, compared with 10 per cent of pre-pay customers.
The research, carried out during February, also revealed that companies' environmental credentials are becoming more important to mobile customers. Caspar Tearle, director of service industries research at JD Power, said: "Being green is an increasingly important requirement of today's mobile telephone service providers. "It will be interesting to track how customer expectations for greater environmental friendliness will shape the industry within the coming years."