Media Release: Resolver reveals what 1.3 million people complained about last year

A record 1.3 million people contacted Resolver, the UK’s largest free complaints
service to get a complaint sorted in the last financial year, according to new figures
out today.

Resolver’s 1.8 million users have now made 2.2 million complaints since the
service began just over three years ago.

Because people can complaint to Resolver about any product or service, the results
are a unique insight in to how businesses in Britain are treating their customers.

Though long-standing problems with PPI, flight delays and packaged bank accounts
continue to top the ‘most complained about’ list, Resolver has seen massive increases
in complaints about a diverse range of services, including mobile and broadband,
restaurants and takeaways, utilities and package deliveries.

A few of the big stats…

• In the calendar year 2017, Resolver has seen complaints increase by an unprecedented 132%, from 568,685 to 1,317,596.
• PPI complaints continue to dominate with 729,378 people registering a complaint. 100,000 people have used Resolver’s PPI checker – the only free tool that works direct with the banks to track down missing PPI policies.
• Flight delays account for 120,000 new complaints this year, a moderate increase as a direct result of claims managers aggressively targeting people in this area.
• Profiteering from claims managers resulted in almost three-quarters of a billion in profits last year despite the fact they add no value to a complaint.
• Increasing numbers of people are asking for help with shops and retailers – also responsible for 120,000 cases. Complaints about online shopping are up 90% to 60,986, while the high-street prompted 60,213 complaints, up 87%. As more of us shop for goods online, 11,382 people made a complaint about a package delivery (up 181%).
• Holidays continue to result in a huge increase in cases, with complaints about tour operators up by 69% (to 4,964) and travel agents up 105% (to 10,373).
• Dining and restaurant complaints are up 87% to 27,829. Meanwhile, takeaways – driven largely by home delivery services – are up 88% to 20,288.
• Not all increasing complaint numbers reflect problems. Both HM Courts and Tribunal Service and the Gambling Commission have worked with Resolver to make it easier for people to make complaints, resulting in increasing numbers – but significantly increased satisfaction with their sectors.

James Walker, founder of Resolver says:

For too many years, complaints have been viewed by businesses negatively – as a sign of failure or something to be avoided or ignored. Bad customer service has resulted in people losing faith with brands and businesses across all sectors. But it’s not all bad news.
Our 1.8 million users are telling us that the businesses that listen to their complaints and respond quickly and effectively are winning back their trust. And in the years to come, the most successful businesses will be the ones that prize their customer’s loyalty. And those that don’t will increasingly be left behind.