Complaints About Defective Goods And Bad Service Down

MOST COMPLAINTS made to Consumer Direct about shoddy service or defective goods related to second-hand cars bought from independent dealers, while mobile phones and their service agreements followed hot on its heels.

In the first half of this year, the Office of Fair Trading-managed service took on more than 414,000 complaints in the first six months of this year, down 3 per cent on the same period last year.

Complaints about laptops, TVs and women’s clothing all made an appearance in the top 10, with one in three grievances about defective goods. A quarter of complaints related to “substandard service”.

Consumer Minster Kevin Brennan, said: “We want to empower consumers so that they are confident about their rights when buying goods and services in shops and via the internet.

“Of course, fewer complaints are also good for businesses. That's why we are working with companies on the ‘Know Your Consumer Rights' Campaign to help them improve their knowledge of consumer rights too.”

The complaints data collected by Consumer Direct is used to help the OFT, local authority Trading Standards Services and other regulators build intelligence, determine priorities and focus resources.

In May 2009, in response to the high volumes of complaints about second hand cars, the OFT launched a study into the market to understand the reasons for the high levels of dissatisfaction and to consider whether existing consumer protection legislation is sufficient and effective.

Michele Shambrook, operations manager for Consumer Direct, said: “A large proportion of customers are complaining about defective goods, so it's important that people know they have rights and may be entitled to claim free repairs, replacements or refunds.”

Top 10 complaints to Consumer Direct between 1st Jan and 30th June 2009