As we enter the last weekend of Christmas shopping, a new online YouGov survey shows that a whopping 74% of UK consumers don’t feel informed of their statutory rights.
- 66% of people have experienced bad customer service in 2018
- 1-in-5 Brits are still reluctant to complain, even when faced with a service issue or faulty product
- More than 2 in 5 people have complained as a result of poor customer service or late deliveries
As Brits, our relationship with complaining is tenuous at best. The fear of creating a fuss sees us nodding with approval in the face of poor service, rather than standing up for our rights as a paying customer. And it’s not surprising. According to a recent YouGov poll conducted on behalf of consumer complaints platform Resolver, almost three quarters of us would like to know more about our statutory rights when it comes to making complaints.
“It’s not surprising so few people are aware of their rights. People tend not to think about it until there’s a problem and they don’t always know where to look,” says Ian Creasey, CEO of Resolver. “Because rights vary from sector to sector it really is up to individuals to find out for themselves — but it’s certainly worth the effort.”
Nevertheless, it seems this isn’t happening. Despite 66% of people experiencing bad customer service in 2018 alone, 1 in 5 of us are still reluctant to complain. 17% cite that our reasons for not complaining are that it’s too much hassle, 18% think it’s not worthwhile and 17% believe the outcome is never worth the effort. And it’s little wonder when 18% reported that their complaints are rarely resolved.
Unsurprisingly, over 2 in 5 of complaints are as a result of poor customer service (48%) or late deliveries (44%). After all, who hasn’t experienced the long wait at home only to be told that the package is delayed, the driver is lost or, even worse, the delivery was attempted but nobody was home? And then there’s the daunting prospect of sitting in a phone queue.
“What’s interesting is that the results show that 81% of people are unlikely to purchase products or use a service again following the poor handling of a complaint,” adds Creasey. “So brand loyalty isn’t necessarily the result of the initial experience. Properly resolving an issue following a complaint is paramount to reinforcing those consumer relationships.”
