RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Britons willing to complain, but not all the way to the bank

28th January 2014 Print

Britons have become Europe’s consumer champions and will stand up to bad service, according to research conducted by Nationwide Building Society.

They are more likely than their European counterparts to send food back and complain about bad service:
 
The research shows that Brits:

Are most likely to send food back if they are not completely happy with it (48% will do so compared with 20% and 14% from France and Italy respectively)

Will openly complain when they are unhappy about service – 47% will complain, more than any other nation

Are the least likely to tip if they are unhappy with service (just 15% will always leave a tip).  A third of Germans (35%), however, will always tip even if they are not happy
 
Phil Smith, Nationwide’s Head of Current Accounts, said: “Britons are traditionally seen as unwilling to complain and would rather keep quiet than make a fuss. However, this research has challenged that stereotype. In fact, we’re more likely to stand up to bad service than our European counterparts.”
 
Despite this, when it comes to complaining to their bank, Britons are the second least likely group to complain about bad service, just behind the Germans. Just 17% of respondents said they would be likely to switch their banking provider in the near future, with a third (32%) citing that they believe there is not much difference between one bank to the next as the reason for not switching.
 
Phil Smith continued: “It’s surprising that us Brits are less likely to put up with bad service and will send food back in a restaurant, but will put up with bad service from a bank.
 
“If you’re unhappy with the service you receive from your financial provider, we would encourage you to stand up to this and consider other options. The new Current Account Switch Service means it has never been easier to move current accounts.
 
“Nationwide has been independently rated as having the best customer service on the high street and, as a mutual, our members are at the heart of what we do. Combine this with a range of highly competitive current accounts and Nationwide stands out as the main alternative to the big banks.”