You CAN beat the customer complaints robots: Sick of chatbots, being left on hold and email addresses you can't find? Here's how to fight back

Long gone are the days when you could pick up the phone and speak to someone about a complaint.

Today, customers are routinely forced to spend hours on hold, or promised callbacks that never come.

Some firms make it very difficult to track down their contact details, hoping you'll give up. Others push customers towards computer 'chatbots', where robots rather than humans try to answer their queries.

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Customer service crisis? Long gone are the days when you could pick up the phone and speak to someone about a complaint

In the worst cases, firms have even introduced a two-tier system where customers have to pay extra for basic service. 

Or they are reducing the hours they are available to speak to people by phone or face-to-face.

Consumer rights website Resolver says out of the 3.2 million complaints it has handled, two-thirds involved poor service.

Typical grievances include struggling to find a contact phone number and being forced to fill in unwieldy online forms.

Are we facing a customer service crisis?

THE ONLINE CHATBOTS WITHOUT A CLUE

A growing number of firms now rely on 'chatbots' to field customer questions. People are usually offered this option when trawling a website's help page.

The computer programs mimic human conversation and use keywords to attempt to resolve a complaint or query.

But this automated service is typically only able to help with very simple issues, meaning customers often find their conversation goes around in maddening circles before being referred to a helpline.

About 56 per cent of Britons have ditched an online chat as the issue is too complex for the bot, the 2018 Global Consumer Customer Service Survey from software firm Computer Generated Solutions found.

 

Resolver spokesman Martyn James says a chatbot should identify if it can help in a few simple interactions. If it cannot, it should connect you to a person who can.

Victoria Davies, who works in PR, tried to use Amazon's online live chat to report a potentially counterfeit designer Lulu Guinness umbrella that she had bought for a friend. 

But Victoria, 34, from London, says the chatbot could not understand her. She says: 'It was able to direct me to information about a refund but gave me no option to report the seller. I tried using different words such as 'fraud', 'fake' and 'counterfeit', but it didn't understand.'

Amazon declined to comment directly on Victoria's experience but says customers can get a refund if the item is damaged, defective or not as described.

TIP: Chatbots could be a quick way of requesting a phone number or email address. Or try typing in that you want to speak to a real person.

STILL HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE

Even if you are able to call a company with a complaint, you are likely first to have to deal with an automated service that will try to push you online. 

And if you are lucky enough to be transferred to a real person, be prepared to wait.

HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) automated service directs customers to its website before connecting them to an adviser. 

When Money Mail called the tax helpline this week it took nearly 21 minutes to reach a real person.

Energy firms can be just as bad. Last year, campaign group Which? revealed Utilita customers typically waited 24 minutes and 19 seconds, with one call-waiting time being 72 minutes and 40 seconds.

Npower was the worst of the 'big six', with an average hold time of 20 minutes, 31 seconds.

HMRC says its digital services are popular. The average hold time on the phone has been five minutes throughout the year, it says. Utilita says waiting times measured by Which? were at a busy time of year. It says it is always striving to improve its performance.

Npower says it has improved call waiting times, with more than 60 per cent now answered within 60 seconds.

TIP: Try calling at off-peak times. Avoid first thing in the morning and lunchtimes. To check if a number is toll-free, visit: gov.uk/call-charges

'They wanted to avoid talking to me at all costs' 

Retired primary school teacher Gordon Butterworth was told he would have to wait up to 50 minutes to speak to the Harveys Furniture customer service team.

Gordon, 70, who lives in Lancaster, ordered a £224 chair on December 12 —but had to contact the furniture chain when the wrong model was delivered.

It was two days before Christmas, and all Harveys stores closed for the festive period. When Gordon tried to call customer services afterwards, an automated voice informed him that the waiting time was 46 minutes.

By mid-January Gordon became frustrated, returned the chair and cancelled the order completely.

The grandfather-of-two says: 'Two weeks after I cancelled, there was no sign of a refund. When I rang the customer service number again, they said the waiting time would be 50 minutes.'

Even when Gordon visited a Harveys store, staff said they could only contact the number he had and that any emails they sent would not be answered for five days.

Gordon only got the refund at the end of January, after emailing the customer services team.

'I must have tried to ring customer services at least half a dozen times,' recalls Gordon. 'It was a relatively simple problem but they were trying at all costs to avoid that person-to-person service.'

A Harveys spokesman says: 'We always, above all else, have our customers' best interest in mind, and endeavour to respond to customer complaints as quickly as possible.

'We were very sorry to hear about Mr Butterworth's frustration with the handling of his case.'

The spokesman added that delays were in part due to a 'refresh' of its IT systems and that anyone who emails its customer service team should receive a reply within 72 hours.

NO EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU WANT REDRESS

Customers often want to complain by email, but many firms do not offer the option. Some have restrictive online forms, instead, that insist on information you may not have to hand, such as customer reference numbers. 

Others offer links to social media pages, numbers to text, or insist on a letter.

This can deter people from making a complaint — particularly about smaller issues — as it is just too much hassle.

Argos, Apple and Parking Eye are all examples of firms that do not provide an email address on their help or contact web pages.  

Other firms, such as Sky make it difficult to find email addresses, although, it insists they exist. 

It says customers can also call, message via their account, text, write, or send a message by Facebook or the MySky app. 

Argos says it helps customers by phone, live chat and social media. Apple says there are other ways people can get in touch. Parking Eye says the best way is by letter or via its website.

Taxpayers will be able to complain about HMRC by email from autumn this year. Currently, you can only escalate complaints about HMRC to the adjudicator's office by post, telephone or fax.

TIP: Email the company's chief executive. Most will have staff monitoring their account who will often refer your complaint to their VIP customer service team. 

To find addresses try ceoemail.com or find an email of someone else at the firm and follow the same format, inserting the boss's name.

WANT HELP? THAT WILL COST YOU

Some companies are charging customers for 'support packages'. The idea being the more you pay, the faster the firm will respond. Online travel agents Gotogate and Mytrip, for example, offer three levels of customer service.

The basic one is free. But you can wait up to five days for a response; and if you need to change booking details, you will be charged £19.

The Premium package promises a response in 12 hours and free booking changes. The Platinum Support package pledges a 'quick refund', 'quick response time' and your money back if you cancel within 72 hours.

Prices for the customer service packages vary depending on the length of flight and cost of tickets. For a long-haul trip to San Francisco, you will pay £19.80 for Premium service and £39.80 for Platinum. 

A spokesman at parent company Etraveli Group says: 'Customers who fly longer and pay more for their tickets demand more advanced and more detailed support.'

Online travel agent WeDoFlights charges £10 for an 'after-sales' service if bought when you book, or £25 if you need help afterwards.

This service allows you to contact the firm to check the price and availability of alternative travel if you need to change your flights.

Energy firm Ovo offers customers money off bills if they do not need 'general assistance'. Its Self Service Reward is worth up to £60 a year. 

To qualify, you have to manage your account online, pay by direct debit and submit a meter reading every three months. 

If you call or email the firm, you will not get the reward — unless it was an emergency like a loss of power. The bonus is paid every three months and you can earn £7.50 for gas and electricity — £15 if you have both.

Ovo claims it is merely 'rewarding low-cost behaviour'. Its website says: 'The waiting times are shorter, it's easier to maintain a high standard and we can afford to spend longer on the phone helping our customers out.'

TIP: Before signing up with a new business, such an energy firm or telecoms giant, check there is a free phone number to call in an emergency and an email address that is monitored regularly. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, ask for your complaint to be escalated to a senior manager or threaten to quit.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHS AND LOWS

Firms often encourage customers to contact them via social media, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Many claim to answer queries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But Mr James says this can be a facade; as soon as you need to discuss an issue, you are told to ring the helpline — and wait like anyone else.

However, if a firm is ignoring your emails or you are spending hours on hold, it is still worth using social media to get its attention, as if your complaint is visible to other people — and potential customers — it is in the firm's interest to deal with you as fast as possible.

Some companies have Twitter accounts to handle customer service. For example, Royal Bank of Scotland posts news using its @RBS Twitter handle, but encourages customers with banking queries to contact @RBS_Help, @Natwest_Help or @UlsterBank_Help.

In 2017, more than half of customers who had complained via social media said their issue was resolved quickly, according to a survey by the comparison site GoCompare.

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Firms often encourage customers to contact them via social media, such as Twitter and Facebook

A further 28 per cent of respondents said they were then given a discount or goodwill gift. On average, they were paid £32 in compensation, with some claiming to have received more than £500.

But Mr James says: 'Not everyone is on Twitter and Facebook. Why should people with access to technology get faster responses?'

What's more, there is a fraud risk. Anything you post will be on public view, so you must never include information such as your account details, address or phone number. 

You should also be wary about how much detail you give about your complaint as crooks can use this to pose as the company in question.

Also, watch out for fake Twitter accounts that look similar to those of genuine businesses. These may direct you to a website designed to trick you into handing over personal details.

TIP: Tweet companies directly with an @ sign before their name. This could shame them into action but be careful not to disclose any vital personal information such as your address or account number. Genuine firms should have a blue tick next to their Twitter name.

OPEN ALL HOURS? NOT LIKELY!

The UK's biggest airline, British Airways, came under fire last year when it reduced its customer relations call centre hours to just four hours a day and stopped taking calls at weekends.

Outside the 1pm to 5pm Monday to Friday hours, customers were told to fill in an online form or send in a letter. 

But since Money Mail raised concerns in October, the airline has extended its hours. The line is now open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Its customer relations team offers support 24 hours a day on social media.

Budget airline Jet2 has no customer service phone number, and says complaints must be put in writing. The carrier did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, face-to-face customer service is also at risk. Some of the 51 ticket offices in London overground stations threatened with closure have also been forced to cut opening hours to just two-and-a-half hours a day between 7.30am and 10am. Transport For London could not confirm which stations would be affected.

Six face-to-face Shropshire Council offices at Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow and Bridgnorth, will also see opening times slashed.

The smaller offices will no longer be staffed. Instead, visitors will have use of a computer or telephone to contact the necessary department. The larger centres will be staffed only on certain days.

Chris Westwood, Shropshire Council's customer services manager, says: 'Shropshire Council has not yet reduced the opening times of its face-to-face offices, but we remain committed to implementing these changes given the much smaller numbers of residents now using our face-to-face service.'

TIP: Check reviews on websites such as Trustpilot to see what customers typically complain about and if their problems are dealt with swiftly. You can also examine Ombudsman figures to see which firms ranks worse.