Unhappy customers could switch banks

Friday, April 30th 2010

Bank customers who have received bad customer service after contacting them with a complaint should consider placing their finances somewhere else.

This is the advice of David Black, banking specialist from Defaqto, who says consumers should change banks if they consistently receive poor responses.

"Having someone who you can understand, who quickly grasps what you're after and who is able to provide the relevant solution in a kindly manner makes good customer service," Mr Black advises those operating call centres.

And being efficient and quickly responding to a query are also ways to separate the top banks from the rest, he states.

Mr Black's comments follow a recent survey published by Which?, reporting state-owned banks to top the list of worst customer satisfaction.

Royal Bank of Scotland had the lowest score at 41 per cent, with Halifax at 44 per cent.

Not receiving the same offers as new customers was found to be one of the main complaints.

Another option for unhappy consumers is to contact the ombudsman, Mr Black advises.