to think that 'high street name' companies should deal better with customer service and complaints?

[complainingcommuter]

In the last few months I've had cause to complain to 2 major uk companies. Without going into the minutiae of each complaint, common themes were I was promised callbacks/ emails that didn't happen, given incorrect contact details, advisors spoke over me during calls, tried to pick holes in what I was saying, and asked for irrelevant information claiming it was essential, oh and inferred I was 'confused' about a previous discussion. Then when I tried to submit a complaint either refused to provide an email address or said they wouldn't take complaints by email for security reasons .

So far, so shit. But you'd think when it got to the complaints team things would improve - ha! Rather than investigate a complaint and give a decision (which is how the company I work for, also a large well known brand, operates) they all want to speak to you over the phone, want you to talk them through the complaint! Jesus Christ, just read the bloody email it's not difficult. And then they talk over you again, or go over the same stuff in the same way you've already complained about...

So then I'm almost having to complain about the way the complaint was dealt with, on and on in an endless cycle! I do get why you might need to check something or have a couple of questions that maybe neither the notes or the complaint didn't address, but there is no justification Imo from effectively forcing a rehash of the complaint and a discussion of the merits of the same especially when the complaint was only made a few hours earlier and you clearly haven't read all the file.

I don't think I'm expecting too much surely?

They obviously don't feel the need to keep their custom. I think good customer service is the foundation of any company. Poor customer service gets more bad reviews than poor products.

I just don't get why their standards are so poor.

Refusing to accept complaints by email is laughable.

Complain on social media. As an employee of a very large high street name I can tell you your complaint is 100 times more likely to get sorted, or at least seen in a more serious light. Not the way it should be at all though. Large companies don't like their complaints (especially one like yours which has been escalated with no solution) plastered online. They have teams specifically for dealing with those types of complaints. Hope they get sorted xx

I have found a quick tweet usually does the job. Even 8 weeks int o a BT complaint one tweet and it got sorted!

But what happens after the tweet? You still presumably have the complaints dept dealing with your complaint, and if they're numpties it just ends up in the situation I've described. Where you're still having your time wasted and being patronised over the phone.

I've made CEO complaints. You still end up with Dimwit Dave responding telling you he needs to get up to speed so can you fill him in on the detail.

It's infuriating.