[MovedGoalPosts]

It doesn't surprise me that NTL rate well for value for money (at least until the recent price increases). If you do subscribe to TV, phone and broadband, it works out quite competetive, when compared to BT phone line (even if you then have a discounted call supplier), Sky, and ADSL.

In theory ntls email, newsgroup, web sites (with broadband plus) also offer good services - when they are working. That frequent failure issue is where ntl let themselves down and no doubt slip down the satisfaction rankings, together with CS support being poor.

I doubt it's a case of the smaller ISPs necesarily being better (clara.net are quite large really, but more business orientated), but I suspect that thier users may be more computer savvy than the mass market ISPs. As a result they may call CS less often, and thus have less experience on which to base their views.