There were around 18.5 million complaints made to retailers in the last 12 months, the Ombudsman Services’ annual Consumer Action Monitor has revealed.
The figure was split evenly between online only and bricks and mortar retailers.
The number of complaints made about products and services across all sectors increased 74 per cent to 66 million during the last 12 months, driven by the growth in ecommerce, which removes human interaction from many purchases and makes issues more likely, and social media, which gives customers the opportunity to campaign directly if they have a problem.
According to the survey of 2,050 adults aged 18-plus, 5.2 million complaints were made last year via Facebook, Twitter and consumer forums.
Most disgruntled customers air their grievance directly with the supplier of the product or service, although an increasing number of complaints are being made to third party dispute resolution organisations.
This trend is echoed in Ombudsman Services’ own data, which shows a rise in the number of complaints handled across all the sectors it works in.
“With the number of complaints almost doubling in the last year, it’s clear to see that customers are less willing than ever to stand for poor service and poor quality,” Lewis Shand Smith, chief ombudsman at Ombudsman Services, says.
“In 2015, as new legislation brings alternative dispute resolution services, such as ombudsman, to more and more sectors, there will be more routes for customers to seek redress.
“This can only be a good thing, not just for consumers, but for forward thinking companies that value their brands and reputations.”
Despite the increase in consumer activism, the report unearthed an additional 71 million problems that were never acted upon, with customers choosing to suffer in silence.
Almost half of these complaints were left unaddressed due to the perception that complaining simply ‘isn’t worth the hassle’.
Public cynicism and mistrust towards corporations also appears to play a part in customers not following up complaints, as 33 per cent of people believe big businesses are only interested in money and don’t care if something goes wrong.
Yet it’s pride rather than money that makes people complain, as most would favour an apology over financial compensation, suggesting common courtesy can be a solution to many grievances.
The top 10 most complained about sectors in the UK are:
1. Retail (28 per cent / 18.5 million complaints).
2. Telecoms (15 per cent / 9.9 million complaints).
3. Energy (11 per cent / 7.3 million complaints).
4. Banking / finance (seven per cent / 4.6 million complaints).
5. Public transport (five per cent / 3.3 million complaints).
6. Leisure / tourism (three per cent / two million complaints).
7. Tradesmen (two per cent / 1.3 million complaints).
8. Property (one per cent / 660,000 complaints).
9. Post (one per cent / 660,000 complaints).
10. Professional services (one per cent / 660,000 complaints).
