Britons are now too fed up to make a fuss: More than one in ten are so used to experiencing poor customer service they have given up complaining

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER 14:14 11 Oct 2026, updated 14:18 11 Oct 2026

More than one in ten Britons have given up on complaining about poor customer service because it is no longer worth the effort, a study has found.

One in six people have come to expect a bad customer experience and 14 per cent feel that there is no point in kicking up a fuss, according to the study by Talkmobile.

Around a quarter of customers shy away from making a complaint in fear of dealing with a chatbot, while the average Briton spends 38.2 minutes on hold waiting to speak to an adviser before giving up.

The survey of 2,000 adults in the UK also found that a quarter of people believed firms used to take complaints more seriously and that the complaints process has been deliberately made more difficult.

Talkmobile’s Duncan Knight said it is ‘sad’ that people think customer service is so bad it isn’t worth their time filing a complaint.

‘At Talkmobile, we like to believe we don’t give our customers cause to complain, but should they need to speak to us about an issue, our pledge is to deal with it quickly and effectively and hopefully leave the customer feeling both satisfied and heard,’ he said.

The complicated and arduous complaints processes created by companies have left customers feeling frustrated and undervalued when seeking support.

The study found that one in five don’t complain because it is ‘too much effort these days’ and it makes them feel like they are ‘one of millions of customers’.

When it comes to kicking up a fuss, four out of ten women will raise a complaint compared to 50 per cent of men.

If the matter is deemed serious enough the most popular way to start a complaint is by sending an email to customer service, while 21 per cent pick up the phone in fear of being put on hold.

Meanwhile, just 13 per cent of people opt to use customer service online chat functions to raise an issue.

The most common reason for a complaint is to resolve a problem (46 per cent) or to ensure it does not happen again (35 per cent).

Another popular reason to complain is if the issue is money-related which often involves requesting a refund or compensation, according to the study.

However, around a quarter of Britons who complained only started the process to get an apology while 15 per cent just wanted to vent their frustration.

Do YOU have a story? Email Joshua.Haining@dailymail.co.uk

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