- Tough Customers – The Strengthening Voice of Consumers in Ireland Maria Hurley Director, Research, Policy & Communications NATIONAL CONSUMER AGENCY

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) is a statutory body established by the Irish Government in May It aims to defend consumer interests and to embed a robust consumer culture in Ireland. Our Mandate

Section 1: Consumer Empowerment

Wave 4 '09 Wave 3 '09 Wave 2 '08 Wave 1 '08 Nov/Dec '07 Confidence About Rights as a Consumer (Base: All aged – 1,000) % Very confident Fairly confident Neither/Nor Not very confident Not at all confident 21% % 18% 70% 66% % 75% 12% % 14% 74% % 15% 74%

Wave 4 '09 Wave 3 '09 Wave 2 '08 Wave 1 '08 Nov/Dec '07 Knowledge About Consumer Rights (Base: All aged – 1,000) Very knowledgeable Fairly knowledgeable Neither/Nor Not very knowledgeable Not at all knowledgeable % 26% % 24% 62% 59% % 69% 15% % 20% 67% % 20% 68%

Protected Regarding Consumer Rights (Base: All aged – 1,000) Very protected Fairly protected Neither/Nor Not very protected Not at all protected Wave 4 '09 Wave 3 '09 Wave 2 '08 Wave 1 '08 Nov/Dec '07 % 16% % 18% 60% 61% % 70% 10% % 14% 65% % 16% 65%

Section 2: Making Complaints

Propensity To Complain No Yes As a consumer would you be prepared to complain if a problem had occurred or you are dissatisfied with a good or service you have purchased? (Base: All aged – 1,000) (24%) (76 %) ( ) = Wave

(Base: All aged – 1,000) Supermarkets and newsagents Shops selling clothing or footwear Restaurants take-away’s or hotels Communications services including home phone % With Reason to Complain or Return Ever TV Service Providers e.g. Sky, NTL Building and related services e.g. plumbers Shops selling furniture or household appliances Banking products and services, including a current A/C Pubs Airlines Car dealers Insurance products and services Energy suppliers e.g. ESB, Bord Gais PRIMARY SECONDARY (-5%) Wave Wave Wave Wave Goods & Services Bought with Reason to Complain or Return an Item – Primary & Secondary

Goods & Services Bought with Reason to Complain or Return an Item – Tertiary ( Base: All aged – 1,000) Public transport – buses and trains Pharmacies, doctors, hospitals and other medicals Travel agents Education providers e.g. schools and colleges Personal care e.g. hairdressers, cosmetics Local authority bin services Entertainment at home e.g. DVDs, CDs, games Petrol stations Entertainment outside home e.g. cinema % With Reason to Complain or Return Ever Wave Wave Wave Wave Tertiary

Whether Complaint Made When had Reason to Do So No Yes Whether Made Complaint Benchmark % Yes Wave % Yes Wave % Yes No Yes Reason to Complain (60%) ( 40%) (31%) (69%) (Base: All aged – 1,000 ) (Base: All those who had cause or reason to complain in past 12 months - 356) ( ) = Wave

Reasons for Complaint (Base: All those who made a complaint in past 12 months - 267) Faulty product/ service Product/service didn’t do what it said it would do Wrong size/colour /specification Product/service did not confer benefits described to me by salesperson Changed mind/wanted to return the item Unwanted gift Other Wave Wave Benchmark 2007 Wave Wave

Assessment of the Complaints Process (Base: All who made a complaint – 267) % Very easy Somewhat easy Neither/Nor Somewhat difficult Very difficult 69% 23% Unhelpful staff Refusal of retailer to refund my money The retailer/provider never got back to me Difficulty contacting trader Had to put complaint in writing I was unsure of my consumer rights Offered a repair when wanted a replacement Refusal of retailer to accept returned item Other # All others 6% or less % Level of Difficulty Experienced Difficulty Experienced (Base: All who experienced difficulty – 62) Wave Wave (28) (33) (10) (17) (12)

Helping to Offer Better Customer Service (Base: All aged – 1,000) Staff trained in customer service and complaints handling A publicly displayed complaint handling procedure A named point of contact for complaints Informed of the returns policy at point of purchase by sales assistant A publicly displayed returns policy % New question, multiple answers allowed

Reasons for Not Complaining (Base: All those who had reason to make a complaint but didn’t in past 12 months - 88) I did not want the hassle of having to make a complaint I didn’t see the point of complaining I didn’t have time to make a complaint I did not want to get anyone in trouble by making a complaint I was afraid to make a complaint I was unsure of my consumer rights Difficulty contacting trader Other Had to put the complaint in writing Benchmark 2007 Wave Wave Wave ** (+8%) (-27%) Wave (+5%) (+22%) ––––

Resolution Status of Problem (Base: All those who made a complaint in past 12 months - 267) % Wave % completely resolved Wave % completely resolved Completely resolved Partly resolved Not resolved at all Refused/ Not Stated (2%) (73%) (9%) (16%) ( ) = Wave

Satisfaction with the Way Complaint was Handled (Base: All who’s complaint was completely resolved – 198) % Completely satisfied 73% Do nothing, just accept what has happened Tell people you know of your positive experience with them Do more business with them yourself % Level of Satisfaction Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither/nor/ Don’t know Likely to do as a result 145 People (39) (30) (18) (5) (3) (2) Wave Wave

Likelihood of Buying Again from Business that had Reason to Complain About No Yes I don’t have a choice (Base: All those who had reason to make a complaint but didn't in the past 12 months - 88) Benchmark % Yes 27% No 16% I don’t have a choice Wave % Yes 29% No 12% I don’t have a choice Wave % Yes 29% No 7% I don’t have a choice (28%) (22%)(5%) (45%) Don’t know ( ) = Wave

What of it all? Your Clients and Your Clients’ Clients are getting better at getting what they want. Are you delivering on their expectations?

What next? You know how to run your business, but we know what is irking consumers for consumer related market research or pick up the phone and we will be happy to engage with you.