Eir grievances: Telecoms firm topped public complaints league in 2023
TELECOMS company Eir was the most complainedabout business in Ireland last year, a new consumer watchdog report has revealed.
Eir was mentioned in 546 contacts to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) helpline last year, more than any other firm.
It was followed by airline Ryanair (515), electronics retailer Currys (458), mobile provider Vodafone (453), and Harvey Norman (423).
The number of complaints to the CCPC also spiked by 20% last year, with 39,172 consumers getting in touch with the helpline.
Problems with faulty goods and services topped the list of consumer queries and complaints in 2023.
The CCPC also provided a breakdown of the industries that people were likely to complain about.
Vehicles & transport (4,501 contacts) topped the list, followed by telecommunications (2,559), home building and improvements (2,229), holidays and travel (2,019), and then clothing, footwear and accessories (1,886).
The CCPC said 8,731 consumers were referred to the Small Claims Court, including more than a thousand people who had problems with domestic appliances.
Gráinne Griffin of the CCPC said: ‘Whether you’re buying a T-shirt, signing up for a streaming service or hiring a car, you have rights as a consumer. Those rights are stronger and last longer than many people expect.
‘Know your rights, contact the seller not the manufacturer, complain in writing, and if you’re unsure, give us a call,’ she added.
The report also revealed that almost half a million people (445,492) used the CCPC’s online Mortgage Comparison Tool, which allows users to compare up-to-date rates, repayments, fees and charges across a range of available mortgages.
While mortgages and equity release topped the list of personal finance queries to the CCPC helpline again in 2023, there were notable increases in consumer contacts over motor insurance and loans.
Last month, the CCPC surveyed 4,537 people, asking them to recall problems that cost them money, caused them stress, or took up their time in the past 12 months.
Of those surveyed, 39% reported experiencing detriment. Of that 39%, 81% reported being moderately stressed by the problem, 62% spent some work time resolving their problem, and 10% were still experiencing a problem more than six months later.
The estimated financial loss to consumers for their most serious problems came to €968million. The survey also found that when consumers contacted the trader about the problem, one in eight had it resolved in less than a day, and one in three in less than a week.
CCPC chair Brian McHugh said: ‘We will use all the tools at our disposal to protect and empower consumers. New laws and more resources mean we can increase inspections, increase enforcement and ultimately save consumers money, time and stress.’
A spokeswoman for Eir said: ‘Eir has invested in significantly improving our customer service, which has led to an 80% reduction in complaints over the last five years, as recorded by ComReg’.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone said: ‘Vodafone Ireland is focused on improving our services and very much regret the impact on individuals where issues do arise. We have a structured approach to resolving customer experience issues and will be using those complaints to the CCPC in that process.’