The shoddy service backlash

Two weeks ago Money Mail called time on firms using Covid-19 as an excuse for failing customers. Now, readers have had their say. Today, we name and shame the worst offenders

MONEY MAIL readers have spoken. And you are truly sick of terrible customer service. Last month we called on Britain’s biggest companies to stop using the virus crisis as an excuse for letting customers down. It came six months into lockdown as we found 50 major companies still blaming call-waiting times, refund delays or reduced opening hours on Covid-19.

Since then, Money Mail readers have flooded our postbag with tales of woeful service — from waiting more than two months for a replacement washing machine, to having to make weekly calls for five months to get a £15 refund.

In all, you told us you were waiting for refunds totalling more than £74,000.

THE SAME FIRMS CAME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN

WE RECEIvED close to 200 letters about the shoddy service you had suffered. And five company names came up repeatedly.

Over a quarter of all letters and emails complained about telecoms giant virgin Media, catalogue firm Easylife, electrical retailer Currys PC World, British Gas and holiday firm Iglu Cruise. Around 12 pc of all complaints were about virgin Media.

Some customers claimed they had spent months trying without success to leave the broadband giant and switch to another provider to get cheaper deals.

And others faced difficulties when virgin, which generated more than £5 billion in revenue last year, tried to send out new Sim cards to customers when it updated its network.

Some struggled to speak to someone when their Sim card didn’t work, while other cards were sent to the wrong address. Easylife was the second most complained about firm — with 6 pc of letters and emails from readers moaning about the catalogue retailer.

Some claimed to have waited months for orders to arrive, while others were growing impatient for refunds for returned items.

Lesley Mercer, 64, ordered three bra tops worth £15 in May but struggled to get a refund after returning them because they did not fit. She phoned Easylife’s customer service line every week and sent several emails that were not acknowledged.

The dog walker from Southampton wrote: ‘At first, I was reasonably sympathetic to the company’s apologies and excuses of “staffing difficulties due to the lockdown” as the reason for the delay, but now feel this is beginning to wear very thin.’ It was only on Monday that a cheque for £18.94, which included postage, finally arrived.

Complaints about Currys and British Gas made up around 5 pc each of the total. Many of the Currys complaints related to late refunds, while several British Gas customers struggled to book their annual service. Several readers who wrote in about Currys were especially frustrated by its decision to shut down its customer service email address and replace it with a Webchat.

WHEN WILL WE GET OUR MONEY BACK?

ONE in four readers who got in touch were waiting on refunds — totalling £74,147. Holidaymakers who had booked cruises before coronavirus were seeking the largest amounts of cash.

Indeed, Iglu Cruise, a specialist travel agency, accounted for 4 pc of complaints. When Cornelia Reid’s two- week Baltic cruise was cancelled due to the pandemic and she claimed a refund, she was told she would receive her payment of nearly £11,798 within 60 days, then 90 days, and she has now been waiting for more than 120 days.

In desperation, she attempted to claim the money back by going to the providers of the two credit cards she used, through Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

But so far only one card has refunded her, so she is still £3,848 short. She wrote: ‘My patience has run out. I need the money.’

Any holidaymaker who booked a cruise which lasts longer than 24 hours should be protected by

Package Travel Regulations for both their transport and accommodation. Firms that cancel trips should refund customers within 14 days, even if it’s for a reason beyond their control. But several cruise companies are asking customers to wait months for their cash.

James Daley, of consumer group Fairer Finance, says: ‘Some cruise companies will not survive, but for those that do there will be reputational damage if they don’t do the right thing.’

TIRED OF THEIR FEEBLE EXCUSES

CONSUMER experts say customers are fed up with the pandemic being used as an excuse. Adam French, consumer rights expert at

Which?, says: ‘While Covid initially caused significant upheaval, six months down the line it’s no longer acceptable to blame it.

‘How businesses treated customers during the pandemic won’t be forgotten, and those that do not make customer service a priority are likely to find people will take their business elsewhere.’

James Daley says firms should publish more data about their customer service performance, such as average call-waiting times, so customers will have an idea about what they are signing up to.

But Helen Dewdney, who runs advice website The Complaining Cow, says customers who are better informed about their rights could force companies to change. ‘Online shoppers who know their contract

is with the retailer will not be fobbed off by someone telling them to contact the courier firm,’ she says.

THERE’S NOBODY WE CAN TALK TO

BEING unable to speak to a member of staff — often because nobody picks up the phone or emails go unanswered — was the most common bugbear for Money Mail readers.

One in three who complained of shoddy service had struggled to speak to someone on the phone, with several finding emails also received no response.

National Savings & Investments (NS&I) customer Roy Forbes wrote to the Government’s savings arm to inform it of a change of address.

NS&I responded with a letter sent to his new home, but it also stated that it could not accept his change of phone number in writing during the pandemic and he would have to telephone or log in to his account.

But the 76-year-old retired business consultant was unable to make the changes online, as his account kept timing out. He has spent days trying to get through to the customer service team — over seven hours on hold in total.

The Shrewsbury pensioner wrote: ‘How many days should I call them before I can either change my number or withdraw my money, whichever comes first?’

Some readers claimed they had been unable to find a telephone number or email to contact a firm about a customer service query.

Martyn James, of complaints site Resolver, described such practices as ‘deeply unfair’ adding: ‘It should be an automatic obligation for any firm to provide a way to directly contact a customer service representative — either by phone or email — or both.’

A Virgin Media spokesman apologised for longer waiting times, adding: ‘Coronavirus safety measures meant we had to close some of our contact centres which had a considerable impact on call and webchat waiting times.’ An Easylife spokesman apologised for the difficulties Lesley Mercer faced making contact, adding: ‘Our staffing was severely impacted due to social distancing, reducing our capacity at times by 50 pc.’

A Currys PC World spokesman confirmed its call centres still weren’t at full capacity, adding: ‘ We have upskilled 700 members of retail staff to join our customer service teams across our concierge, social and webchat services.’

British Gas says it was pushing back non- emergency appointments to adhere to Government guidelines, adding: ‘We have now caught up on all of these and they have taken place with the appropriate protective clothing and safety precautions.’

An Iglu Cruise spokesman says: ‘Where we have failed to refund money within the timescale advised, we sincerely apologise.’

An NS&I spokesman confirmed it would investigate Roy’s case, adding: ‘We are sorry that some of our customers are experiencing delays when trying to contact us.’