If retailers think they can be naughty all year when it comes to customer service, only to take their smiles out of storage and dust’em off when the holidays roll around, they’ve got another think coming, according to a recent survey that says customers can be very unforgiving.

A survey of shoppers by Aspect, a company that deals in customer experience programs for brands, found that while the holidays are the biggest shopping season of the year, bad customer service, long lines and other decidedly un-fun experiences can turn off shoppers any time of the year.

And by the time the holidays roll around, they might not even want to deal with those retailers: more than 50% of respondents said they stopped doing business with retailers due to poor service. Close behind? Telecom and cable companies (again, color us shocked) and travel companies:

In addition, more than 50% of those polled said that bad customer service during the high shopping season is a reason to get Grinchy. Maybe it’s because we’re already jaded — about a third of consumers said they lower their customer service expectations during the holidays.

What does this all mean? It’s pretty simple: beefing up customer service protocols and thereby pleasing your customers during the course of the year could reap big rewards when it comes time for the holiday shopping season.

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