IRISH CONSUMERS are good at complaining but slow to take action by switching to other providers, according to new research.
The wealthy and those living in rural areas are the strongest consumers and the best at complaining, while the urban poor are found to be "weakly empowered", the study for the National Consumer Agency found.
Most people are now shopping online and for the vast majority this has been a positive consumer experience, the agency found.
Four out of 10 people said they had cause to make a complaint about a transaction over the past year, and more than 80 per cent of these actually did complain.
Older consumers and low earners were the groups most likely to do nothing even if they had cause for complaint, the survey found. The agency says this shows the need for more consumer rights education.
Most consumers' experience of complaining was positive, with more than 80 per cent returning goods and more than 70 per cent saying they encountered no difficulty in doing so. Some 85 per cent of consumers who had returned an item said they would do so again in the future.
Where difficulties did arise, consumers attributed them largely to "unhelpful staff", followed by a lack of certainty over rights and the retailer's refusal to offer a refund. Businesses should realise the beneficial effects of handling complaints efficiently and satisfactorily, the agency concludes.
Just 42 per cent of people said they had switched any of their services; high-income, middle-aged people with families were more likely to be "switchers". Switching was most evident among mobile phone providers, where 24 per cent of consumers had switched in search of better value or because they were dissatisfied with their existing service.
Some 23 per cent had switched their car insurance; 12 per cent their fixed-line telephone; 9 per cent their bank; and just 4 per cent had switched mortgage providers.
The agency, while acknowledging the "hassle" factor involved in switching, says transparent pricing and new rules on switching may encourage more movement by bank customers. It points out that those who have switched were very happy; 83 per cent of consumers who switched their car insurance policy, for example, said they would do it again.
Six out of 10 people are using the internet and a similar amount say they shop online. The survey provides reassurance for those worried about the dangers of online shopping, with 88 per cent saying they had no cause for complaint about their internet purchases in the previous year.
Clothing and footwear shops had the most complaints - almost 20 per cent - followed by supermarkets, restaurants/hotels and furniture shops. Phone companies; travel agents; builders; car dealers; pubs; and banks comprise the rest of the top 10.
One in three consumers is classified as weakly empowered, with little confidence or knowledge of their rights. These consumers are most likely to be young (under 24) or old (over 65), with a low income and living in urban areas. Just one person in six is classified as knowledgeable about their rights. High-income rural-dwellers aged over 45 with families were most likely to be strong consumers.
