Member Article

Consumers Getting 'Service Rage'

Shoddy customer service and robotic call centres are driving consumers away, warns the National Consumer Council (NCC).

Although companies say that they are focused on consumers, the everyday reality is often very different. Every year, 800,000 people make complaints to trading standards departments and more than three-quarters of consumers encounter problems with bought products.

National Consumer Council Deputy Chief Executive, Philip Cullum said: “NCC wants British business to succeed, but our research over the past year and a half reveals an extraordinary picture of companies self-harming. We’re seeing more and more ‘service rage’, with infuriated customers punishing companies for hopeless performance. The scale of company ineptitude must amount to many billions of pounds of lost profits.

This isn’t just bad news for companies, it damages our economy.“ Top consumer hates include ‘robotic’ call centres, absurdly complex systems, hard-sell marketing, missed appointments, and poor after-sales service. Philip Cullum added: “At heart, people think that too many companies have no idea what it feels like to be a customer, and simply lack common sense. But NCC’s work shows how businesses can profit if they are willing to think differently, take the risk of standing out from the crowd, and put the consumer at the heart of their business.

Consumers can do their bit by not settling for second best.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .