THE companies that have let down customers the most in the past year have been revealed.
Which? has named the firms that have disappointed customers the most this year in its annual Shoddy Awards.
Which? has published its annual list of companies letting down customers the most Credit: Getty
The firm asked its experts to put together a list of the worst-performing firms Credit: Which?
A whole host of companies have been named and shamed by the consumer group, including airlines, broadband firms and major retailers.
The list is compiled by experts who forward companies they felt have let consumers down over the past year and need to do better.
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A panel of judges then whittled down the list to 14 award-worthy disappointments.
While there are a range of wrongdoings among the winners, several of the Shoddies have been awarded to companies caught out on sneaky pricing practices.
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Harry Rose, Which? magazine editor, said: “People expect decent products and reliable services when they part with their hard-earned cash – not hidden frustrations, poor performance and disappointing value.
“These companies have been named and shamed because it’s time they raised their game and gave customers the standards they deserve.”
Read on for the full list.
Pied piper of price rises – BT
BT hiked prices by up to £4 a month in a blow to broadband customers Credit: Getty
In July BT was the first major telecoms giant to announce that its monthly prices would rise by £4 this year – up from £3.
Four other major providers then bumped up their prices, as well as BT’s two subsidiaries.
Meanwhile, in 2020 BT was the first major provider to introduce above-inflation price increases and the first to move to the £3 a month rise.
BT disputes that it leads the industry, and said: “We make independent pricing decisions based on our own costs, investment needs and service we provide our customers.”
Better alternative: WRP Zen Internet maintains a fixed price through customers’ minimum contract terms.
Mid-contract Mayhem – O2
O2 increased its annual price rises for customers mid-contract from £1.80 to £2.50 Credit: BalkansCat
O2 was the only mobile network to spring an increased annual price rise on customers mid-contract.
The telecoms giant upped bills from £1.80 to £2.50 a month – an increase of almost 40%.
It applied the price rise to all existing customers, whereas other telecoms firms only applied the increase to new and re-contracting customers.
O2 said: “We appreciate that price changes are never welcome, but we have been fully transparent with our customers, writing directly to them and providing the right to exit without penalty if they wish.”
Better alternative: 1p Mobile, Giffgaff, Lebara, Smarty, and Talkmobile have all committed to no mid-contract price rises.
Giffgaff operates on the O2 network, so the signal will be the same as if you had an O2 contract.
Sneaky sign-ups – Debenhams
Debenhams was adding sneaky extra costs to its customers’ baskets Credit: Alamy
Debenhams was caught adding sneaky extra costs into its customers’ baskets this year.
Although the retailer disappeared from the high street in 2021, it continues to operate online after being purchased by the Boohoo group, which has since been rebranded to Debenhams group.
If you had made a purchase from Debenhams, Boohoo or PrettyLittleThing you may not have noticed that a box called ‘Worry-Free Purchase’ had been ticked.
The add-on gave customers an extended returns window and compensation for delivery delays.
It also included a full refund if the order didn’t arrive as described, was lost or damaged in transit – which are protections you are already entitled to through consumer rights law.
But under rules from the Competition and Markets Authority businesses “can’t use pre-ticked boxes or other forms of automatic opt-in for optional extras if that means the customer will have to pay for them unless they take action to opt out”.
Debenhams later replaced the service with Deliver+, which appeared in customers’ baskets as “Continue with Deliver+” and “Continue without Deliver+”.
Debenhams said: “Deliver+ is an optional service for customers who would like additional peace of mind.
“It is not mandatory, and customers can choose to add or remove it before completing their purchase.
“Customers who have opted in have the opportunity to cancel the service within 24 hours of placing their order.”
Slow on scams – Meta
Meta has been criticised for not taking action against scams Credit: Getty
Meta was awarded a Shoddy award for the third consecutive year for its inaction on scams.
The company owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp – which were home to more than half of scams in the UK in 2023, according to the most recent data from the Payment Systems Regulator.
Documents leaked to Reuters at the end of 2025 showed that Meta estimates it makes $7billion a year from scam ads.
In 2024 it estimated that 10% of its revenue would come from scam ads.
Which? has previously reported on a range of scams on the Meta platforms including peddling crypto investments, dodgy investment firms and delivery scams using verified WhatsApp accounts.
Better alternatives: To avoid being scammed don’t give out personal or financial information on social media.
Loyalty doesn’t pay – Boots and Superdrug
Boots and Superdrug have been criticised for misleading customers about sales Credit: Getty
Which? analysed more than 7,000 online loyalty deals on branded products at Superdrug and Boots between March and August 2025.
It found hundreds of deals that risk misleading loyalty members into thinking they are saving more money than they are.
For example, at Boots the L’Oréal Paris Spot Fading Serum-Cleanser 150ml was £11.24 on promotion for those who have a loyalty card.
It usually costs £14.99.
But just before the promotion all customers could get it for £8.99 and after the promotion it cost £7.49.
Boots said: “We are fully committed to making sure that our promotions comply with all relevant laws and guidance.”
Meanwhile, at Superdrug an Oral-B pink electric toothbrush and travel case cost £34.99 on loyalty promotion.
It usually cost £69.99.
But it was also available for £34.99 before and after the promotion.
Superdrug said: “We offer regular promotions to all customers, alongside favourable members-only pricing, meaning members can access our competitive pricing more frequently and for longer periods through member-only offers and events.”
Shady supplement sellers
Sellers were caught flogging dodgy supplements on second hand platform Etsy Credit: Rex
Which? Found strange listings on Etsy’s supplements section with little or none of the legally required information for food supplements.
When it ordered and lab tested the pills it found that the medications were for erectile dysfunction, which are illegal to sell without a prescription.
Meanwhile, other pills it ordered arrived without the proper paperwork or packaging.
Etsy took down the listings and closed the shop the pills were purchased from.
It said: “Medical drugs, medical devices, and any other items that claim to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure or diagnose a disease or medical condition are prohibited on Etsy.”
Despite this, the owner of the shop reopened it under a new name.
Better alternative: Avoid buying medications or supplements from online marketplaces and speak to your GP if you develop symptoms you are concerned about.
Re-sale rip-offs – Viagogo and Stubhub
Viagogo and StubHub were caught allowing sellers to flog tickets at eye-watering prices
Viagogo and StubHub were caught allowing ticket resellers to snap up concert tickets and pass them on at eye-watering prices.
Oasis tickets were listed for as much as £3,499 on StubHub and £4,442 on Viagogo.
Other sellers listed tickets they didn’t even have.
Both platforms said speculative listings are prohibited and removed the examples that were flagged.
A draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill was included in the King’s Speech but has not yet come in to law.
Better alternative: Other resale apps, such as Twickets, cap prices at face value, while some direct sellers like Ticketmaster also offer resale tickets.
Baggage claim – Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air
Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air have mislead customers over baggage charges Credit: Getty
If you’ve ever been hit with a charge for an oversized bag at the airport then you know how it can dampen your holiday spirit.
Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air list starting prices for their cabin bags but Which? was unable to find them when it checked more than 1,500 flights.
EasyJet had advertised cabin baggage prices starting from £5.99 but the cheapest Which? could find cost £23.49.
It reported easyjet to the Advertising Standards Authority, which agreed the claim was misleading and removed it.
Wizz Air said you could get a bag for free but when asked it said prices started from €10.
Which? found that the bag was only available on two of 338 flights.
Ryanair said its bag cost €12 but this was only available on two out of 634 flights.
Driven to despair – Stellantis
Thousands of motorists were told to stop driving their vehicles due to faulty airbags Credit: Getty
Tens of thousands of drivers with cars from Stellantis subsidiaries Citroën and DS were hit with a stop-drive recall last year as their airbags were faulty and could explode.
Drivers had to wait months to get their cars fixed despite being told not to drive their cars until the issue was repaired.
Stellantis has still not provided any information about a compensation scheme for the safety lapse.
It said it “discusses options with each and every customer” and “gives priority to those with the most urgent needs”.
Delusional discounts
Very led customers to believe they were getting better discounts in the saleCredit: Not known clear with Picture Desk
Very was caught using “was/now” prices to make customers feel that they had bagged a bargain.
Which? found that the “was” price wasn’t always an accurate reflection of the usual selling price as the product hadn’t cost that amount immediately before it went on sale.
It had only cost that much for a relatively short period of time, often months before.
Very said: “We understand how important promotions are to our customers.
“For many of our products, including televisions, prices can change in line with market conditions, like when new models launch or major promotions go live.”
