We have tens of thousands of words of written reviews from real Australian broadband customers. When you read enough of them, the same handful of complaints come up again and again. So we counted them.
This is what Australians actually complain about when they write a review, measured across 521 written reviews submitted since 2021. It is a useful map of what goes wrong, and what to check before you sign up.
| What they complain about | Written reviews that mention it |
|---|---|
| Price and value | 103 of 521 |
| Customer and tech support | 101 of 521 |
| Slow speeds | 52 of 521 |
| Outages and drop-outs | 50 of 521 |
| Billing problems | 7 of 521 |
| Contracts and fees | 4 of 521 |
Price and support are neck and neck at the top
Two complaints dominate, and they are almost level. Price and value comes up in 103 reviews, and customer or tech support in 101. That is about one in five written reviews each. The price gripe is rarely about a single fee, it is the feeling of paying too much for what you get. As one Belong customer in WA wrote: “speed issue and with the competition these days, price is expensive.”
The support complaints are often the more heated. An Internode reviewer in South Australia summed it up in three words: “customer service has collapsed.” A Mate customer in Victoria described the experience: “after 4.5 hours on hold, a couple of emails during this time, it was the online chat that finally told me to hang up and someone would call me back.”
Speed and outages: the technical half
Slow speeds (52 reviews) and outages or drop-outs (50) make up the next tier, each in roughly one in ten reviews. These are the complaints that send people to our most reliable providers ranking. A TPG customer in NSW: “the internet often drops out, especially when you are watching videos online.” This is exactly the kind of thing the reliability score is built to capture.
What Australians barely complain about anymore
Here is the surprise. Lock-in contracts and exit fees, the thing people used to dread, show up in just 4 of 521 reviews. Setup and activation fees are almost never mentioned. That is a real change. Most NBN plans are now month-to-month with no lock-in, so the trap that worried people a decade ago has mostly gone. The cost complaint that remains is the ongoing monthly price, not hidden one-off fees. If you have been putting off switching because you are scared of fees, the data says that fear is out of date.
How to use this
If you are unhappy, work out which of these is your sticking point, then check the relevant ranking: reliability for drop-outs, support for service, most recommended for the all-round picture. Then, if you decide to move, switching is straightforward and you keep the same connection.
Frequently asked questions
What do Australians complain about most with their broadband?
Two things stand out and are almost tied: price and value (103 of 521 written reviews) and customer or tech support (101). Slow speeds (52) and outages or drop-outs (50) come next, each in roughly one in ten reviews.
Do people complain about lock-in contracts and hidden fees?
Surprisingly little. Only 4 of 521 written reviews mention contracts or exit fees, and almost none mention setup or activation fees. Most NBN plans are now month-to-month with no lock-in, so the old fear of being trapped has largely gone. The cost complaint that remains is the ongoing monthly price, not hidden one-off fees.
How was this measured?
We counted how often each theme comes up across 521 written reviews submitted since 2021. A single review can mention more than one thing, so these are frequencies, not exclusive buckets. It is a read on what is on people’s minds, drawn from what they actually wrote.
Which providers avoid these complaints?
The providers that top our reliability, support and recommendation rankings get far fewer of these complaints. If price or support is your sticking point, that is where to look.
