Canceling the contract with a home Internet provider to switch to another is a more complicated process for Spaniards than changing electricity or gas companies, according to a survey carried out by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC).
Among the 12.3% of consumers who stated that they had changed cable or fiber Internet companies during 2023, 14.2% think that the process was difficult or very difficult. This figure exceeds the complexity perceived in the change processes between energy companies, but also the complications experienced in changes of mobile telephone providers, where 11.7% believe that it was difficult to change mobile service.
This Household Panel carried out by the CNMC also highlights that the main reason for changing the fixed broadband provider was savings (for 67.5% of respondents). This figure rose more than 4 percentage points compared to the previous year, so the price of the fiber service is making dissatisfied users opt. This is followed by dissatisfaction with the quality of service and wanting to increase Internet speed.
The following image shows the percentage of users who changed companies in each sector in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Regarding mobile telephony, savings was also the main reason for switching between one company and another. In this segment, a vast majority (75.3%) of users did not consider changing telephone companies, as in 2022. 8.4% did consider the change but did not make it, while 4% started the portability process but finally backed out, possibly due to a counteroffer from the exit company.
According to the households and citizens surveyed for the same study in recent years, changing fiber companies has been the most difficult process to carry out since 2021, surpassing energy and mobile telephony every year. The good news is that the process has been improving since that year, progressively decreasing the number of complications perceived from 19.3% in 2021 to 14.2% in 2023.
Even so, the change is easier than in 2021
Therefore, it follows that home Internet providers are improving their bureaucracy to make it easier for customers to make the decision to abandon the service. The other positive metric is that fewer users wanted to change Internet companies than changed energy companies, and the number has been progressively decreasing since 2021, which is not the case for other services.
Specifically, while 12.3% of users switched to another telecommunications company in 2023, 13.9% changed electricity companies, and 14.4% left their gas company. Fiber providers, it is understood, are capable of building customer loyalty better than energy companies, although mobile phone companies do even better, with only 11.4% of respondents wanting to change mobile line providers.
The survey from which these data are derived was carried out in the fourth quarter of 2023, and included 5,148 households and 8,601 individuals.
