Disabled consumers being failed by shoddy customer service, Which? warns

New Which? research reveals that disabled consumers are being failed by poor customer service, as the consumer champion calls on firms to do better. 

During the pandemic, customer service standards dropped as firms were forced to close call centres and replaced them with online chatbots or more automated phone options - but for many companies, things have barely improved since.

The consumer champion is carrying out research and gathering consumer stories of poor customer service to understand where companies are failing their customers and how firms can improve. 

A Which? survey with 732 panel members from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers found half of disabled people who contacted a company’s customer service team in the past year were unhappy with how well their issue was dealt with (48%). 

Half were also unhappy with how long it took to get an answer (48%) and how long it took to get in touch with someone that could help them (51%). 

These percentages are all almost double those recorded for the population as a whole in the consumer champion’s nationally representative survey. 

Difficulty getting in touch with customer service was particularly commonplace when it came to essential services: people with access needs were most likely to be dissatisfied when contacting companies in the energy, telecoms and financial services sectors.

Each of these sectors has regulatory codes in place for vulnerable customers – including those with disabilities – but it is clear that many companies are falling short. Companies also have a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers.

Mary Sutherland moved to a new property which had a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) energy meter installed by SSE. As Mary is disabled, and therefore unable to top up her PAYG card easily, she requested to be moved onto a credit meter. 

However, SSE (which has since moved customers over to Ovo) sent the wrong engineer, who could not complete the job. Mary then spent months waiting for the installation to take place. She had to ask her Member of the Scottish Parliament to help speed things along before the new meter was finally installed seven months after her original request. 

Mary said: “The wait was unbelievable – every phone call took at least one hour and there was never a satisfactory outcome. My emails were ignored.” Ovo apologised for the delay in installing Mary’s credit meter. It has since offered her a goodwill gesture.

More than half of disabled customers who contacted financial services (54%) and telecoms companies’ (52%) customer services were unhappy with how long it took to get answers to their queries. One Halifax customer said: “I didn’t get the answer through live chat and was told I had to ring up, which I struggle with due to my disability.”

Companies failing to contact disabled customers in an accessible format is another common and time-consuming problem. A Legal & General customer said: “I’m speech impaired. I informed the company about this when using its chat line, but it sent emails telling me to phone up. It took 10 days to reply to an email in which it answered none of my questions. I’m still waiting for an answer three weeks later.”

Around two in five disabled consumers who contacted a customer care team in the past year said they were dissatisfied with how easy it was to find contact information (43%) or with the contact options available (38%).

Many energy, telecoms and finance companies try to push customers towards using chatbots or automated phone systems before allowing them to speak with a human. Two thirds (65%) of disabled consumers who used a chatbot did not believe it was an accessible experience which catered to their needs.

Participants also mentioned the maze of automated menu options presented when they called. Around two in five (43%) who phoned a customer service team in the past year said it was not an accessible experience in terms of their requirements.

These stark findings show why it is crucial that companies proactively design their services with different disabilities and needs in mind. Consumers should share their stories of poor customer service on the Which? website as the consumer champion gathers evidence as part of a campaign for companies to improve their customer service. 

The consumer champion wants people to be able to easily contact companies, without unnecessary barriers and in the way that suits them best  - whether that is speaking to a person or a chatbot. 

Everyone should be able to get the answers they need without long waits or endless loops, be kept informed and treated fairly, with empathy and as an individual.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: 

“It’s completely unacceptable that so many disabled consumers are getting such poor customer service when trying to contact essential businesses like banks, energy companies or telecoms firms. 

“Our research has found poor customer service in a number of sectors. Any companies falling short on customer service need to up their game. 

“Firms should also put effective systems in place for disabled consumers to ensure they are able to easily contact companies in the way that meets their needs - whether that is over the phone or via email.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors

Which? surveyed 732 members of the panel of the Research Institute of Disabled Consumers in July and August 2023 about their experience with customer service departments. 

Link to Which?’s tool to report customer service stories here.

Right of replies

A Halifax spokesperson said: “We understand customers need us in different ways and we train our colleagues to support customers who need more personalised help. We have a vast range of specialist support available, including for customers who have difficulty speaking to us over the phone, and customers can use their mobile app or online banking to let us know the type of help they need, or they can visit us in branch or make a video appointment.”

A Legal & General spokesperson said: “We’re so sorry to hear about this customer’s negative experience, and that our high level of service has not been met on this occasion. 

“At Legal & General, we’re committed to tailoring support to customers’ specific individual needs. All of our staff are trained to make adjustments to our processes and approach, and to ensure we are clear on the different contact options available to customers. We provide a range of contact methods to give customers the choice that suits their needs, and we are sorry that this customer has not received the service expected of us, or what we expect of ourselves, via their chosen channel.

“We recognise there’s always more to do and will continue to improve the support available to all customers, no matter of their specific needs. We work with the Business Disability Forum to review our progress as a company and to identify where we need to improve, and will include this feedback in our ongoing discussions with that Forum.”

An OVO spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to Ms Sutherland for the delay fitting her credit meter. This has now been installed and a goodwill amount issued in sincere apology for the time taken.”