BRITAIN’s largest landline provider has slumped to the bottom of the customer satisfaction league tables for the first time as the backlash against its sneaky charges grows.

More than 3m BT customers say they are dissatisfied with their service, according to comparison firm Uswitch.

It comes after the phone group, with about 10m customers, raised its line-rental charge for the majority of users on April 1 for the first time in two years.

Those on BT Together Option 1, now known as the Anytime Weekend package, pay 1.5p per minute for evening calls instead of the previous 4.5p per hour – a 1,900% increase for a one-hour call.

There has also been growing resentment from customers who, if they do not pay by direct debit, are charged an additional £18 a year.

Earlier this month, Ros Fernihough, 62, from Walsall, West Midlands, lost her battle against BT after taking the firm to court over the charges. She said she will continue her fight.

Though Talk Talk has come second overall for the third year running, satisfying nearly eight out of ten of its home-phone customers, it may face a similar backlash after saying it will increase call rates from May 15.

It will replace a flat evening call charge of 4.25p to a 1.4p a minute rate – similar to BT’s 1,900% rise.

Daytime call charges outside a price plan will go up from 3p a minute to 3.9p a minute.

Talk Talk will also introduce a new £1.25 a month charge for those with paper bills, which will affect an estimated 1m customers.

Sky, part-owned by News Corporation, ultimate owner of The Sunday Times, which has been in the market for only 18 months, is ranked the best provider overall, winning in seven out of 11 categories in the survey.

Its phone package comes free with its bundled TV and broadband deal which costs £16 a month, although you still need to buy line rental costing £10 – a total of £26 a month.

From this month, BT Option 1, 2 and 3 packages have been replaced by Unlimited Weekend, Unlimited Weekend and Evening and Unlimited Anytime plans respectively, although the tariffs come with slightly different price plans.

BT has also introduced 12-month contracts for the first time, which are automatically renewed unless the customer opts out. Under the new price plans, an estimated 9m customers who receive their bills by paper will see the charge go up by 75p a month to £11.75 – netting the firm around £80m, according to Uswitch.

Customers on the Unlimited weekend package will receive free evening calls to landlines if they sign up to the 12-month contract.