Survey: Two Out Of Three Consumers Have Walked Out Or Hung Up Without Being Helped

We’ve all been there: Waiting in line — or on the phone line — just to speak to someone about your customer service issue. And if you ever do get to speak to a CSR, the service is lacking. But how many of us actually throw our hands up and walk out of the store or slam the phone down in frustration?

Our number-crunching kin at Consumer Reports recently completed a survey of American shoppers and found that around two out of every three consumers has gotten so irritated by bad service that they either exit the building or hang up the phone.

According to the CR survey, 64% of respondents say they had gotten so frustrated at bad in-store service that they had walked out at least once in the past year. A nearly identical number (67%) said they had given up on a customer service phone call out of sheer frustration.

“There’s a feeling on the part of Americans that companies are deliberately making it difficult for them by burying phone numbers, sidestepping calls and steering customers to online FAQs instead of live human beings,” said Tod Marks, senior project editor for Consumer Reports.

The survey also ranked the best and worst companies for customer service in 21 industries. Perhaps not surprisingly, the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart, and its warehouse-version Sam’s Club showed up on eight worst lists including retailers for appliances, electronics, cell phones and supermarkets.

What’s wrong with customer service? [Consumer Reports]

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