PERTH-BASED internet service provider, Westnet, has trumped local rivals Amnet and iiNet to win the ‘Best ISP’ prize at the recent PC Authority awards in Sydney. PC Authority magazine polled 14,000 technology buyers and consumers from Australasia to determine ‘best in breed’ for a range of categories covering all aspects of the PC-related product and service marketplace. It was thought to be the biggest technical survey ever attempted in Australia and companies needed to poll at least 100 votes to be recognised. About 95 per cent of Westnet members surveyed said they were satisfied with its customer support, 95 per cent with its reliability, and 76 per cent with value, while 93 per cent of members said they would recommend Westnet to a friend. Westnet was the only ISP to score six stars in the ‘overall’ category. iiNet scored four stars in all categories, while Amnet had an overall rating of four stars, performing better in customer satisfaction but lower in customer support. Telstra BigPond was one of the worst performing ISPs with two stars overall. Fifty-three per cent of its customers said they were satisfied with customer support, 27 per cent were satisfied with the value on offer and more than half of its customers said they would not recommend BigPond to a friend. Dodo was another to perform poorly in the survey, scoring one star in each category. Westnet chief executive officer Peter Brown said he was proud of staff, agents and members who had helped put the company in a winning position. “This accolade means a huge amount to Westnet as it’s driven by real experiences in the marketplace, from customers. We are pleased to perform well in categories representing a broad set of criteria, not just customer service. “We will now take it upon ourselves to try to maintain this positive experience felt by our members, so we can continue to delight members and rate strongly next year,” he said in a statement. Jenelle Carter