VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Data giants must do more to

We have never been more reliant on a decent internet connection.

Not just to binge-watch boxsets but to work, shop, pay bills, stay in touch with family and friends – and crucially, as the Daily Mail’s Computers for Kids campaign highlights – to ensure children can study at home.

Good broadband is no longer a luxury — it is as fundamental to everyone as water and power.

Lockdown essential: Good broadband is no longer a luxury just for those who can afford it – it should be as fundamental as water and power

So it is welcome news that many major providers are beginning to offer extra help to struggling families in lockdown.

But as we report here, much more still needs to be done to ensure the poorest and most vulnerable households have the online access many take for granted — and getting this help shouldn’t be so complicated.

Meanwhile, as our overflowing mailbag will testify, providers also need to work harder when it comes to basic customer service.

One reader, Sarah, wrote to us in desperation last week after her 89-year-old grandfather was left without internet for almost month. He is deaf and the internet is the only way he can communicate with his family, she says.

Despite being flagged as a priority customer, Virgin Media repeatedly failed to fix the issue. And his tale is far from unique.

Even reporting a complaint can be a headache in itself.

Research for Money Mail last year revealed that a quarter of broadband customers were unhappy with the service they had received, with 7 per cent left on hold for more than an hour.

And then there is the matter of soaring bills. Research by comparison site uSwitch shows that some firms are failing to make it clear when contracts have ended, leaving scores of households paying over the odds.

Given these firms are supposed to specialise in communication, they would do well to brush up on their own skills.

Cheques, please!

Last week Mel Stride, chair of the Treasury committee, warned that NS&I would need to work hard to win back customers who have fled the state-backed bank due to desperate rate cuts and diabolical customer service.

A good place to start would be to row back on plans to axe Premium Bond prize cheques. 

There is no doubt that receiving prize money directly in your bank account has its advantages – and as time goes on more and more customers will probably switch to this.

But why the rush to abandon cheques altogether when so many loyal savers still prefer them?

Customers deserve a choice.

Voucher fix

After nearly year of intermittent lockdowns, I was surprised to find some major retailers, including Boots and Sainsbury’s, still do not allow customers to use gift vouchers when shopping online.

Money Mail reader Lynn Insley says: ‘I am shielding. The Boots gift card was bought to prevent me going into a shop for lipstick and vitamin tablets.

‘I am left with a card that cannot be used. I would expect a health company to understand that point.’ Surely there is an easy fix?

Praise for LV=

Proof that sometimes insurers can get it right.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Money Mail reader Patricia Thomas called car insurer LV= to add a friend’s name to her policy in case she needed help getting to hospital appointments.

A lady named Jess dealt with the matter swiftly and even helped Patricia save a little money now she wouldn’t be driving as much.

A few days later, Patricia returned home to find a gift box with a note that read: ‘Dear Patricia, I was so taken back on our call on Monday 14. Your courage and frame of mind was inspiring.

‘You sound like the sort of person who won’t give up when times are tough. You aren’t alone and I wish you the best. Please accept this small gift to help you relax when times get tough.’

Patricia says: ‘I cannot find the words to adequately express what such kindness from a stranger means to me. Perhaps you could pass my thanks to Jess and LV through your column.’

As I have written in this column before, small gestures such as this really do make a difference when times are tough. Well done LV=.

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This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk