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The Daily Mail's 2008 Wooden Spoon award for crap service goes to BT.
Second place went to Abbey and in response a spokesman for the bank listed what he thought were Abbey's achievements which included ''We also remained open for business for lending....''
Hardly something to brag about. That's what they do isn't it?
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/campaig...ge_id=515&ct=5
Wooden Spoon 2008: BT is top of the flops
James Coney, Money Mail
31 December 2008
Reader comments (2) | Vote | Guide
BT is the winner of the Money Mail Wooden Spoon award 2008.
After counting your votes, we have sent a Wooden Spoon and commemorative certificate to BT chief executive Ian Livingston because you have told us that his company delivered the worst customer service in the UK over the past 12 months.
We wrote to Mr Livingston with your main complaints and offered him the chance to address your frustration with his company.
Perhaps it says something for the priority BT gives to customer service that the task was delegated to a nonboard member, John Petter, managing director of the consumer division. You can read his comments below.
In all, Money Mail received more than 3,200 votes and, although we had a final shortlist of eight firms, we received nominations for 118 companies in total.
Your message is clear: you are sick of having to negotiate electronic switchboards, being put on hold, dealing with overseas call centres and being generally messed around by shoddy and surly customer service.
Two companies, in particular, are driving you mad - communications giant BT and Spanish-owned bank Abbey. Together, they received almost half of all votes cast.
In third place was broadband, TV and phone company Virgin Media. It received just a handful more votes than Britain's biggest building society, Nationwide.
We have asked the chief executives of the worst three firms to answer some of the most common complaints you raised, and comment on why they received such a large number of votes.
But those firms that were on the shortlist yet are not featured below should not rest easy. Just because you are not the worst in Britain does not mean that your customers are not tired of your appalling customer service.
•WOODEN SPOON WINNER: BT
What you said:
There were two areas you felt most aggrieved about. The first was dealing with overseas call centres. You complained that you are forced to spend a substantial amount of time pressing buttons in the automated system before you can reach a human being.
You were frequently unsure of which option to choose, and when you did finally manage to speak to an operator were often passed on to another department.
You also complained that there was a language barrier with call centre staff - with operators and the customer unable to understand each other.
Often the line was bad - and it frequently sounded distant or hollow.
The second point raised by a large proportion of voters was about charges for customers who do not pay by direct debit. Many of you were loyal, long-standing customers who had paid on time, by cash or cheque, for years. You believe you are being penalised, even though you have never missed a payment.
You also say you dislike the attitude of BT's customer service staff when you have raised the issue with them. You say you feel like you are being treated like bad customers who never pay their bill.
You say you cannot understand why there is such a substantial extra cost, when there is a penalty for late payment of bills anyway.
How BT replied:
Chief executive Ian Livingston passed on the chance to respond to BT's managing director of the consumer division, John Petter. He said:
'We are surprised and disappointed to have won this award when our service levels are at their best for years, and independent research shows BT is number one for customer service in the communications sector, with more than twice as many votes as the next closest competitor, Sky.
We offer more ways to pay than any of our competitors, including cash and cheques. Unlike some of our rivals, we don't turn away customers who want to pay in cash.
The majority of our call centres are UK-based, so the feedback of Daily Mail readers is surprising. We will investigate this area to see where we can make some improvements.
We wish Mail readers a good
RUNNER-UP: Abbey
What you said:
Therewas a wide range of problems raised about Abbey's customer service. Many were linked to administrative delays, where mistakes or delays in processing requests were unresolved for weeks.
You complained of never knowing who to talk to about a problem. You said that mistakes were often blamed on computer errors and that no one took responsibility for settling a complaint.
You also claimed to have cards cancelled without your knowledge, and changes to accounts made without proper explanation.
We also received a number of complaints relating to the handling of probate. You say that mistakes were frequently made in the handling of cases, and that there were long delays in trying to rectify these.
You also complained that customer service staff came across as unsympathetic.
How Abbey replied:
Abbey's chief executive Antonio Horta-Osori was, we were told, unavailable. Alan Brener, director of customer services, said:
'We are disappointed with the survey, as customer service is our number one priority and the vast majority of customers receive a good service and value-for-money products from Abbey.
'Our financial strength has been seen as a distinct advantage for our existing and new customers in 2008.
'We had record levels of customer deposits and opened more than one million new savings accounts and half-amillionnew current accounts during the year. We also remained open for business for lending, providing one in every four mortgages in the UK.'
THIRD PLACE: Virgin Media
What you said:
There were two main areas of complaint. The first was that many of you had problems resolving billing issues. A substantial proportion of these seem to have come from customers who initially signed up to companies Virgin Media has subsequently taken over.
The second point appears to relate to overseas call centres. Just as with BT, customers complained that there was a language barrier with call centre staff - with operators and the customer unable to understand each other.
As many of these customers call about technical issues, the problem is exacerbated. You have also complained that your electronic switchboard is extremely difficult to navigate.
How Virgin replied:
'Since Virgin Media was formed, we have been listening to feedback and working hard to improve all aspects of our customer service.
'We have already made significant improvements to our billing systems by migrating all customer records into a single billing platform.
'As well as this, we have massively reduced call waiting times and fault rates, and are planning further initiatives in 2009 to ensure we provide the best possible service to our customers.'
Second place went to Abbey and in response a spokesman for the bank listed what he thought were Abbey's achievements which included ''We also remained open for business for lending....''
Hardly something to brag about. That's what they do isn't it?
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/campaig...ge_id=515&ct=5
Wooden Spoon 2008: BT is top of the flops
James Coney, Money Mail
31 December 2008
Reader comments (2) | Vote | Guide
BT is the winner of the Money Mail Wooden Spoon award 2008.
After counting your votes, we have sent a Wooden Spoon and commemorative certificate to BT chief executive Ian Livingston because you have told us that his company delivered the worst customer service in the UK over the past 12 months.
We wrote to Mr Livingston with your main complaints and offered him the chance to address your frustration with his company.
Perhaps it says something for the priority BT gives to customer service that the task was delegated to a nonboard member, John Petter, managing director of the consumer division. You can read his comments below.
In all, Money Mail received more than 3,200 votes and, although we had a final shortlist of eight firms, we received nominations for 118 companies in total.
Your message is clear: you are sick of having to negotiate electronic switchboards, being put on hold, dealing with overseas call centres and being generally messed around by shoddy and surly customer service.
Two companies, in particular, are driving you mad - communications giant BT and Spanish-owned bank Abbey. Together, they received almost half of all votes cast.
In third place was broadband, TV and phone company Virgin Media. It received just a handful more votes than Britain's biggest building society, Nationwide.
We have asked the chief executives of the worst three firms to answer some of the most common complaints you raised, and comment on why they received such a large number of votes.
But those firms that were on the shortlist yet are not featured below should not rest easy. Just because you are not the worst in Britain does not mean that your customers are not tired of your appalling customer service.
•WOODEN SPOON WINNER: BT
What you said:
There were two areas you felt most aggrieved about. The first was dealing with overseas call centres. You complained that you are forced to spend a substantial amount of time pressing buttons in the automated system before you can reach a human being.
You were frequently unsure of which option to choose, and when you did finally manage to speak to an operator were often passed on to another department.
You also complained that there was a language barrier with call centre staff - with operators and the customer unable to understand each other.
Often the line was bad - and it frequently sounded distant or hollow.
The second point raised by a large proportion of voters was about charges for customers who do not pay by direct debit. Many of you were loyal, long-standing customers who had paid on time, by cash or cheque, for years. You believe you are being penalised, even though you have never missed a payment.
You also say you dislike the attitude of BT's customer service staff when you have raised the issue with them. You say you feel like you are being treated like bad customers who never pay their bill.
You say you cannot understand why there is such a substantial extra cost, when there is a penalty for late payment of bills anyway.
How BT replied:
Chief executive Ian Livingston passed on the chance to respond to BT's managing director of the consumer division, John Petter. He said:
'We are surprised and disappointed to have won this award when our service levels are at their best for years, and independent research shows BT is number one for customer service in the communications sector, with more than twice as many votes as the next closest competitor, Sky.
We offer more ways to pay than any of our competitors, including cash and cheques. Unlike some of our rivals, we don't turn away customers who want to pay in cash.
The majority of our call centres are UK-based, so the feedback of Daily Mail readers is surprising. We will investigate this area to see where we can make some improvements.
We wish Mail readers a good
RUNNER-UP: Abbey
What you said:
Therewas a wide range of problems raised about Abbey's customer service. Many were linked to administrative delays, where mistakes or delays in processing requests were unresolved for weeks.
You complained of never knowing who to talk to about a problem. You said that mistakes were often blamed on computer errors and that no one took responsibility for settling a complaint.
You also claimed to have cards cancelled without your knowledge, and changes to accounts made without proper explanation.
We also received a number of complaints relating to the handling of probate. You say that mistakes were frequently made in the handling of cases, and that there were long delays in trying to rectify these.
You also complained that customer service staff came across as unsympathetic.
How Abbey replied:
Abbey's chief executive Antonio Horta-Osori was, we were told, unavailable. Alan Brener, director of customer services, said:
'We are disappointed with the survey, as customer service is our number one priority and the vast majority of customers receive a good service and value-for-money products from Abbey.
'Our financial strength has been seen as a distinct advantage for our existing and new customers in 2008.
'We had record levels of customer deposits and opened more than one million new savings accounts and half-amillionnew current accounts during the year. We also remained open for business for lending, providing one in every four mortgages in the UK.'
THIRD PLACE: Virgin Media
What you said:
There were two main areas of complaint. The first was that many of you had problems resolving billing issues. A substantial proportion of these seem to have come from customers who initially signed up to companies Virgin Media has subsequently taken over.
The second point appears to relate to overseas call centres. Just as with BT, customers complained that there was a language barrier with call centre staff - with operators and the customer unable to understand each other.
As many of these customers call about technical issues, the problem is exacerbated. You have also complained that your electronic switchboard is extremely difficult to navigate.
How Virgin replied:
'Since Virgin Media was formed, we have been listening to feedback and working hard to improve all aspects of our customer service.
'We have already made significant improvements to our billing systems by migrating all customer records into a single billing platform.
'As well as this, we have massively reduced call waiting times and fault rates, and are planning further initiatives in 2009 to ensure we provide the best possible service to our customers.'
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