Virgin celebrates 'best mobile operator' accolade

NEWS Virgin mobile has been singled out by Oftel as the UK's best mobile phone operator in terms of customer satisfaction. According to the regulator's independent figures Virgin Mobile received far fewer complaints per 1,000 customers. Second on the list were Orange and Vodafone followed by O2 and T-Mobile in joint fourth. Virgin Mobile was the subject of just 0.02 complaints per 1,000 customers - compared to the figures for the others companies of 0.1 and 0.2 - a fact which Virgin claims is the result of increased efforts with its customer service. In a statement, David Edmonds, director general of Oftel, said: "This information provides an important incentive to telephone companies to improve the quality of the service they offer their customers." "We received around 50, 000 complaints or enquiries in the period between October 2002 and March 2003 and publishing this data can provide an incentive for companies to resolve any problems their customers have, quickly and efficiently." "I would like to see companies doing more towards improving their customer relations, so fewer consumers contact Oftel with queries or complaints," he added. A bullish statement from Virgin Mobile quoted corporate affairs director Steven Day. Day said: "We offer the best service in the industry - that's not just us saying it, the Oftel report proves it." "The benchmark of our performance against our competitors shows that Virgin Mobile has the most satisfied mobile customers in Britain, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our team. And our great service is one of the main reasons Virgin Mobile is the fastest growing mobile network in the UK," he added.