Customers sick of getting bad service blamed on Covid

7 July 2021, 11:32 | Updated: 7 July 2021, 11:35

UK customers are sick of being told they have been given poor customer service "because of Covid", research has found.

According to the UK Institute of Customer Service, the number of complaints about poor service in the last six months has reached the highest levels since 2009.

Of the 10,000 who took part in the study, a quarter of firms had used Covid-19 as an excuse.

Complaints are highest in the transport, telecommunications and local public services sectors.

The transport sector saw the highest level of problems, followed by local public services such as GP surgeries, local councils and Police services.

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Jo Causon, CEO at The Institute of Customer Service, said: "Saying 'because of Covid' is not a good phrase. Organisations must not hide behind this blanket statement."

She added: “We are at a critical juncture for the UK economy.

"As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, customers have become ever more discerning with where they spend their money and it is essential that organisations pay close attention to their full service offering.

"Whilst we have seen improvements in complaint handling, which is important it is still evident that too many brands are failing to get to grips with the root causes of their customer service issues.