Companies Not Hearing Consumer Complaints

Half of all consumers decide to take their business elsewhere rather than complain about bad customer service, reveals a new survey.

Many companies are failing at customer service and nearly 50 per cent of consumers choose not to complain because the process is too complicated, according to a survey from the National Consumer Council (NCC).

Customers are said to be annoyed by being kept on hold for long periods, being passed around by voice activated phone systems and then being made to talk to staff who are too arrogant, condescending or simply incompetent at their job.

"Over 80 per cent of consumers tell us they would be only too pleased to help companies get better, but many businesses still seem distant and unaware of customers' real experiences," said Philip Cullum from the NCC.

The worst offenders for poor customer service were local councils, NTL, BT, British Gas and Royal Mail.

"It's time for businesses to get smart and put their customers at the heart," Mr Cullum added.

But some companies know what it takes to keep customers happy as Tesco came top on customer service in the survey, followed by Asda, BT, first direct, Nationwide and Virgin Group.