3 in 4 consumers confident of rights but drop in numbers willing to complain
29 September 2009
A survey commissioned by the National Consumer Agency (NCA) and carried out by Amárach Research shows that three in four Irish consumers say they are confident of their consumer rights. This is up from just two thirds in 2007.
However, there is a drop in numbers of consumers willing to complain when dissatisfied, falling back from 79% in 2007 to 69% currently.
The number of consumers who are confident of their rights is up from just two thirds in 2007 and suggests that whilst the current slowdown may be affecting general confidence in the economy, as individuals, consumers are growing in confidence when it comes to understanding their rights.
Commenting on the results, Ann Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the National Consumer Agency said: "Whilst these consumer confidence figures are encouraging, there is an important distinction between understanding your rights and acting on them.
"Our statistics show that since 2007 our propensity to actually complain when dissatisfied has fallen back from almost 8 in 10 to just under 7 in 10.
"We would urge people who might be feeling uncertain or vulnerable when it comes to getting satisfaction with a consumer complaint to find out about their rights and to speak up if they are unhappy with a product or a service they have purchased."
The survey found that having taken the step of making a complaint, 61% of consumers found the process easy. The results also showed that consumers are now 10% less likely to feel worried throughout a complaints process than last year.
As with previous research, the majority of complaints (59%) relate to faulty products or services that do not live up to expectations. Consumers feeling they had reason to complain in a restaurant/take-away and hotel category rose from 5% to 16% in the year since mid-2008.
"In the current climate it is in everyone's interest, both traders and consumers, to speak up if unhappy with a product or a service," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"Businesses need to know if there is a problem in order to put it right and now more than ever, satisfying customers and building loyalty is critical to long term survival for business.
"Very significantly, our survey identified that 38% of consumers whose complaints are resolved to their satisfaction are likely to tell people they know about the positive experience they have had with the trader concerned.
"Word of mouth is surely the best recommendation possible, so we also urge business to embrace the value of good complaints handling in their marketing mix. We urge consumers to set aside emotions such as anger or disappointment and to focus on the action they wish to see taken to remedy the problem."
Ms Fitzgerald went on to encourage consumers to log on to the NCA website www.consumerconnect.ie and Helpline 1890 432 432 for information on consumer rights and on how to complain effectively.
"The key is to be polite but firm; to explain your problem in a clear manner; to keep to the facts, be plain about how you wish to see the matter resolved and above all, to know your rights," concluded Ms Fitzgerald.
Downloads
Download the findings of the market research report on Consumer Empowerment and Complaints (MS Word, 462KB) and a presentation on the report (PowerPoint, 1MB)