Most Complained About
What UK consumers complain about most, from official sources. Updated each quarter.
Autumn 2026 edition. Every figure on this page comes from an official body and is shown with its source, the period it covers and the date we read it. We do not add our own estimates. We publish figures about our own cases separately, and only when there are enough real cases (see our results).
Financial Products People Complained About Most
Source: Financial Ombudsman Service · Period: April to June 2026 (Q1 2026/27) · Published: 22 July 2026
The Financial Ombudsman Service said it received 53,600 new complaints between April and June 2026. These were the five products with the most complaints:
| Product | New complaints |
|---|---|
| Current accounts | 8,900 |
| Credit cards | 5,783 |
| Hire purchase (motor) | 5,647 |
| Electronic money (e-money) | 2,305 |
| Personal loans | 2,103 |
The Ombudsman also said it upheld 26% of the cases it resolved this quarter in the consumer's favour, or 30% excluding motor finance commission cases. These figures count complaints about products, not about named firms.
Official source: Financial Ombudsman Service (opens in a new tab). Read by CPUK on 4 October 2026.
Phone, Broadband and Pay-TV Providers: Most and Least Complained About
Source: Ofcom · Period: January to March 2026 (Q1 2026) · Published: Page last updated 30 July 2026
Ofcom ranks providers by complaints made to Ofcom per 100,000 customers. Its text for the quarter names these providers:
| Service | Most complained about | Least complained about |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed broadband | TalkTalk | Plusnet and Sky |
| Landline | Plusnet and TalkTalk | EE, Sky, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Vodafone |
| Pay-monthly mobile | Sky Mobile | EE, Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Three and Vodafone |
| Pay-TV | EE and Virgin Media | Sky and TalkTalk |
The exact complaint rates per 100,000 customers are in charts and downloads on Ofcom's page, so we link to them rather than copy them. These are complaints made to Ofcom, not all complaints made to providers.
Official source: Ofcom (opens in a new tab). Read by CPUK on 4 October 2026.
Rail: Complaints Made to Train Companies
Source: Office of Rail and Road (ORR) · Period: 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 · Published: 25 June 2026
The ORR reported that train operators closed 336,332 complaints in the year to 31 March 2026. It said punctuality or reliability was the most common cause of complaints.
The ORR's data portal gives each operator's complaint rate per 100,000 journeys and the reasons for complaints.
Official source: Office of Rail and Road (ORR) (opens in a new tab). Read by CPUK on 4 October 2026.
Where to Find More
For Journalists
You are welcome to use these figures with a link to the official source. Download this edition as a spreadsheet (CSV). For comment, email info@consumer-protection.org.uk with “Press” in the subject, or phone 0300 102 9488. See our press page.
Next edition: after each source’s next quarterly release.
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