WE ARE COMPLAINING MORE ABOUT SHODDY SERVICE THANKS TO

We are complaining more about shoddy service – thanks to the Recession.

A record number of shoppers say they are prepared to complain about shoddy service.

Three out of four shoppers polled in a recent survey say they won’t suffer in silence any more – and will stand up to sloppy staff.

A major new survey by the Business Intelligence company Retail Active says 59 per cent of shoppers think service in the UK has worsened over the past year.

Retail Active’s director, Julian Chamberlain said: “This remarkable survey has given us a highly revealing snapshot of the effect of the recession on customer service and shoppers’ reactions.

“One very interesting factor is that 71 per cent said they would complain about bad service. This is the highest figure we have ever recorded and it shows British shoppers are no longer prepared to suffer shoddy service in silence.

“We are becoming more like the Americans and Continental Europeans in speaking out about the quality of service.

“More than a quarter, 27 per cent, of those polled said they complain more now than they did before the recession hit!

“A significant majority say they also expect more for their money in the current economic climate.

Eight out of ten shoppers went on to say they would refuse to shop again at stores with poor service.

However an astonishing seventy-eight per cent said they were prepared to spend more in businesses where they receive great service.

“The reasons for this decline in service standards could lie in demotivated staff, staff cuts and lack of investment in customer service and training.

“These findings will make essential reading for retailers. If they cut back on customer service and training, they do so at their peril. The figures show shoppers are put off by bad service and are taking their business to retailers who offer better service and value for money.

“Retailers are having to fight for every pound in tough conditions and just can’t afford to let standards of service slip.”

Julian Chamberlain said: “The survey shows that customers think the deterioration in service is due to lack of staff, demotivation, lack of training and staff being unhappy.

“The majority of customers said they were upset most by discourteous staff with more than half complaining about being kept waiting and being ignored.

“Inefficiency, poor presentation, lack of focus and staff chatting to each other, all rated highly on the customers list of dislikes.

Retail Active Mystery Shopping is one of the UK’s leading Customer Intelligence and Mystery Shopping companies. It sends out thousands of agents every year to monitor customer service standards for a wide variety of clients in the retail, leisure, automotive and travel sectors.

Clients include household names Porsche, Lexus and Toyota, P&O, Asda, and Center Parcs.

Julian Chamberlain said: “We can call on thousands of experienced consumers to give us rapid and accurate survey results.

“We specialise in working with our clients to monitor standards of customer service and to pinpoint areas where improvements can be made.

“As our survey clearly shows – customer service could be essential to survival in the current trading conditions. Customers are quite rightly demanding higher standards and their shopping behaviour is being influenced by how they are treated by staff.”