Reading complaint data
Complaints per customer explained
Short answer
- Ofcom measure
- Complaints per 100,000 customers 1
- Ofcom latest quarter read
- Q1 2026, January to March 1
- RBI denominator for non-digital complaints
- Sum of deposit and credit accounts 2
- RBI all-India complaints per lakh accounts
- 7.7 at 31 March 2025, down from 8.9 2
- FCA context data
- Complaints compared with the size of a firm's business 3
How a rate works
A rate divides complaints by a measure of size and expresses the result per 1,000 or per 100,000. The measure differs by body. Ofcom uses customers 1. The RBI uses accounts, cards outstanding, digital transactions or branches, depending on the complaint type 2.
The choice of denominator matters. The FCA says some context figures in its firm tables are based on policies sold in a shorter period, or policies in force, rather than the total 5. It says context figures for insurance and protection are particularly high for some firms 5.
Ofcom: telecoms complaints per 100,000 customers
Ofcom publishes complaints about broadband, landline, pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV providers relative to the size of their customer bases, per 100,000 customers 1. For Q1 2026 Ofcom named TalkTalk as the most complained-about fixed broadband provider, and Plusnet and Sky as the least 1.
Where providers' rates differ by less than 1 per 100,000 customers, Ofcom treats the results as comparable 1. Ofcom says overall complaints fell in Q1 2026 after a rise in Q4 2025, driven mainly by mobile complaints after some providers announced mid-contract price rises 1.
RBI: complaints per 1,000 by bank group
The RBI Ombudsman annual report for 2024-25 gives ratios by bank group in Appendix 1.5 2. A lakh is 100,000, so a rate per lakh accounts is a rate per 100,000 accounts. By state, the report gives an all-India figure of 7.7 complaints per lakh accounts at 31 March 2025, down from 8.9 in 2023-24 2.
| Bank group | Complaints per branch | Credit card complaints per 1,000 cards | Non-digital complaints per 1,000 accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public sector banks 2 | 1.11 2 | 0.114 2 | 0.037 2 |
| Private sector banks 2 | 2.29 2 | 0.420 2 | 0.079 2 |
| Small finance banks 2 | 0.74 2 | 1.141 2 | 0.046 2 |
| Payments banks 2 | 8.81 2 | Not shown 2 | 0.018 2 |
| Foreign banks 2 | 9.44 2 | 0.923 2 | 0.206 2 |
FCA: context data for UK firms
The FCA says context data helps put complaint volumes into perspective by comparing complaints with the size of a firm's business 3. Its firm-level tables for 2026 H1 include context tables for provision and for intermediation, by product group 5.
Only firms that reported 500 or more complaints in the six-month period, or 1,000 or more in a year for some firms, appear by name 3. When comparing firms, the FCA suggests looking at the size of the customer base, the number of products or policies, how fast complaints are resolved, the share upheld and the redress paid 3.
Where no rate is published
The CFPB Consumer Complaint Database page gives no rate. It tells users to consider company size and market share when assessing complaint volume 6. ASIC presents IDR complaint figures as reported counts and notes that counts vary with factors such as market share and product size 4.
This site does not build its own rates from separately published customer numbers. Where a body publishes a rate, it is quoted with the body's own denominator and period.
Common questions
What does complaints per 100,000 customers mean?
It is the number of complaints for every 100,000 customers of a provider. Ofcom uses it for UK telecoms and pay-TV providers 1.
Does the CFPB publish complaints per customer?
Its database page gives no rate and tells users to consider company size and market share 6.
Why can two rates for the same firm differ?
They can use different denominators. The FCA says some context figures are based on policies sold in a shorter period or policies in force 5.
Does India publish complaints per account?
Yes. The RBI publishes complaints per 1,000 accounts and per branch by bank group, and per lakh accounts by state 2.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@consumercomplaintstats.com.
Sources
- Ofcom: Report: Complaints about broadband, landline, mobile and pay-TV services (updated 30 July 2026)
- Reserve Bank of India: Annual Report of Ombudsman Scheme, 2024-25 (1 December 2025)
- FCA: Complaints data: 2026 H1 (22 October 2026)
- ASIC: Internal dispute resolution data dashboard (3 June 2026)
- FCA: Firm-level complaints data sortable table: 2026 H1 (22 October 2026)
- CFPB: Consumer Complaint Database
Related
- What a complaint count does not show
Why raw complaint numbers are not proof of wrongdoing, in the words of the CFPB, FCA, ASIC and FCC, with the counting rules that shape the totals.
- FCA firm complaints data explained
What the UK FCA publishes on complaints firms receive, who must report, the 2026 H1 figures, definitions and the limits the FCA sets out.
- India: RBI Ombudsman complaint data
RBI Ombudsman data for 2024-25: complaints received, how they ended, top categories, awards and appeals, plus the rules of the 2026 scheme.
- Complaint data by product
How the CFPB, UK FOS and FCA, FCAC, OBSI, the RBI Ombudsman, Ireland's FSPO and BaFin split complaints by product, with the latest figures.
- Brazil's Central Bank complaints ranking explained
How Banco Central do Brasil builds its ranking of complaints per million clients, what counts as a well-founded complaint and what the index leaves out.