Watchdog says consumers are keener than ever to pursue complaints

Figures from the first ever Consumer Action Monitor show that there were 38 million complaints about products and services in 2013 – a complaint every 1.2 seconds.

Britons were found to be keener to take action when they have a problem, with 32 per cent saying they are more likely to complain about poor service now than they were a year ago.

The most common sectors for complaints were energy (17 per cent), retail (17 per cent) and internet telecoms (14 per cent), with transport (five per cent) and holidays (six per cent) also rubbing consumers up the wrong way.

But the new measure, from Ombudsman Services, also reveals that many who have a problem still take no action, with 40 million problems not pursued.

These disgruntled customers deem the process of complaining to be potentially tiresome, with time and effort identified as the main reasons holding them back. The legal process also daunts consumers, with only six per cent of problems addressed through the small claims courts.

Cynicism about companies adds to this sense of frustration, with 36 per cent of people believing that big businesses are only interested in money and do not care if something goes wrong with a product or service. Those who do take action are most likely to contact the company responsible first, but many disputes are now escalated to other independent third parties, with ombudsmen an increasingly popular route.

Ombudsman Services reports that energy complaints alone have doubled in the last year.

Millions of consumers are also resorting to more direct action to get their problems dealt with, with social media frequently used
as a way to gain companies’ attention.

Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: “Given that consumer trust in companies is low, the time is right for businesses to embrace third parties as a means of resolving disputes.”