Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
British Airways passengers enduring a third day of delays following an IT meltdown in May
British Airways passengers enduring a third day of delays following an IT meltdown in May. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
British Airways passengers enduring a third day of delays following an IT meltdown in May. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Consumer complaints: what you can do to fix the most common ones

This article is more than 6 years old
From flight delays to mis-sold PPI, it has been a troublesome year. Here’s how to tackle the most frequent problems

This has been a frustrating year for consumers. From trying to claw back money after being stuck in an airport for hours on end while waiting for a flight to take off to navigating the pitfalls of shopping online, the public have had more than a few common gripes over the last 12 months.

Consumer help website Resolver has reported that amongst the many things that have irked people this year have been mis-sold bank accounts, problems with broadband coverage and even getting a Friday night takeaway.

But unsurprisingly, the most consistent complaint is that surrounding the perennial problem of payment protection insurance (PPI). Resolver said there were almost 660,000 complaints throughout 2017.

So what can consumers do to calm their frustration about their most frequent complaints?

PPI insurance

The UK’s costliest mis-selling scandal, it has been estimated that there have been 64 million PPI policies sold, mostly between 1990 and 2010.

These were sold alongside loans, credit cards, mortgages and other forms of borrowing to protect repayments if income was lost through redundancy or ill health.

The policies generated huge profits, but many banks and financial firms were found to have mis-sold them, with people ending up with an insurance that they did not want, need or in some cases know they had.

Last month the Financial Conduct Authority reported its site had received more than 1 million hits after a campaign to raise awareness about the deadline to make claims for compensation, which is 29 August 2019.

More than £27bn had been paid back to customers who have complained before the campaign began.

Anyone who thinks they have been mis-sold PPI should check loan and mortgage statements for any references. If there is no paperwork available, check your credit reports.

You may have a claim if it was not made clear that the insurance was optional; if exclusions were not explained; or if you were not made aware that you could buy cover from another provider, among other reasons. If you feel like you have a claim, both Which? and Moneysavingexpert have free template letters on their websites, while Resolver has an online tool to guide you through preparing and submitting a claim.

Flight chaos

A computer failure on British Airways’ system resulted in chaos in May and June, with thousands of passengers left in limbo, many of whom were separated from their baggage. Resolver has reported 113,000 complaints surrounding flights this year.

In the case of delays, EU law gives significant cover for flights that have departed from an airport within the EU (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), operated by any airline, and for flights arriving at an EU airport and operated by an EU airline. What passengers can get depends on the flight distance. Anyone delayed for more than three hours can claim £220 for a short flight and £350 for a medium flight. For long-haul flights, it is £260 for delays between three and four hours, and £520 after that.

If any flight is cancelled, under EU law airlines have to provide a refund or arrange an alternative flight. The right to compensation depends on the reason for the cancellation and airlines can claim “extraordinary circumstances” such as security risk or severe weather. But Which? says it is worth challenging an airline if you don’t agree with its claim. Where EU regulations end is when flying into Britain from outside the EU on non-European airlines – for example a journey from Dubai to London operated by Emirates.

Packaged bank accounts

Current accounts that charge monthly fees for added features such as mobile phone insurance or travel insurance have resulted in huge numbers of complaints in the past few years.

Parallels have been drawn between these accounts and PPI, as they have been slated for being poor value and some people have complained that they have been pressured into buying them. Other complaints come from consumers who are unaware of restrictions that have been in place, such as age limitations on attached travel insurance.

If you feel that you have been mis-sold a packaged bank account, Which? has a template letter to send to your bank. The consumer group advises giving as much information as is possible and an explanation as to why you believe you have been mis-sold a product.

Resolver says that if the complaint is upheld, then the bank may offer all or some of your fees back along with interest, which is calculated at 8% per annum. In the case that the bank rejects the claim, it can be escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Avoid using claims management firms, which may charge high commission fees.

Online shopping

As more people turn to their computer screens to do the shopping, their gripes have increased – mainly about making a mistake while ordering, not getting what was ordered, or purchases being delivered to a different house (or not at all).

Online purchases can be returned within 14 days. You can cancel an order within 14 days and than have another 14 days to return it. Once the trader gets the return, they have another 14 days to reimburse you. When shopping online, traders should give you the chance to check your order and correct any mistakes as well as sending a full confirmation of what you have bought. In the case of a delivery going missing, the trader is responsible for the order up until the customer receives it. Orders should be delivered within 30 days of purchase.

In the case of goods bought on Black Friday – the pre-Christmas promotional sale – consumers have the same rights as if the product was bought at full price.

Total geographic 4G coverage for all mobile users is available across just 43% of the UK. Photograph: Lauren Hurley/PA

Mobile phone problems

Resolver reported a spike of almost one-third in the number of complaints about mobile phones, among them repressive contracts, insurance issues and the failure of providers to tell customers when they have paid for their handset.

There was some good news for mobile phone users this week with the announcement of reforms by Ofcom. Consumers will soon be able to switch mobile phone providers by sending a text message. This is aimed at resolving difficulties reported by consumers in trying to switch amid attempts by the mobile provider to make them stay.

About two in every five people are said to experience at least one major problem when switching, according to Ofcom.

Figures from the regulator have shown that total geographic 4G coverage – where a signal is available from all four mobile operators – is in place across just 43% of the UK. For calls and text messaging, 30% of the UK does not receive a signal from all four operators. The government’s infrastructure adviser, Lord Adonis, has warned that urgent action is needed to tackle the problem of poor mobile phone coverage. He wrote to Ofcom asking that all options be put on the table to resolve the problem and called on the regulator to act urgently.

Broadband

Problems with broadband are wide and varied – from coverage to speed. The UK still lags behind many parts of the world in terms of speed: in Japan, 97% of connections have high speed full-fibre lines, compared with 3% in Britain. There has been a rise of almost a third in the number of complaints surrounding broadband, according to the Resolver figures.

There was some good news for beleaguered households with sluggish coverage last week. The government announced homes and businesses will have a legal right to high-speed broadband by 2020. Broadband providers will now have a legal requirement to provide high-speed broadband to anyone who requests it, no matter where they are in the country.

Ofcom said earlier this month that more than 1 million “forgotten homes” were unable to get sufficiently fast broadband to meet a typical family’s needs, such as streaming films or music. The communications regulator said 4% of UK homes and offices, about 1.1 million properties, could not access broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. Rural families were more likely to be left behind, with 17% of homes not receiving decent internet, compared with 2% in cities and towns.

And the rest...

There has been a steep rise in complaints about takeaways (almost 80%) as the use of delivery companies also rises. While there has been a huge rise in online shopping, prompting claims that the end of the high street is near, the number of complaints about in-store shopping is also up: most are about the big supermarkets.

Comments (…)

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Most viewed

Most viewed