Complaint guides

What each kind of complaint is, what our census found, and who can actually help.

Support unhelpful

Support responds but never resolves: scripted replies, being passed between agents, cases closed without a fix. 36,338 in the census.

Customers report being unable to reach a human at all — calls, chats and emails going unanswered. 20,826 in the census.

Complaints that do not fit the categories above. 16,438 in the census.

A product was defective, broke on arrival, or failed early in its life. 13,284 in the census.

Being locked out, or a broken app or portal preventing account management. 12,933 in the census.

An order never arrived, was lost, or the wrong or damaged item was delivered. 11,056 in the census.

An advertised price, deal or discount was not honoured, or the real cost only became clear later. 10,417 in the census.

Delivery arrived significantly later than promised. 10,360 in the census.

The item or service was materially different from how it was advertised. 10,282 in the census.

Customers report being charged more than agreed, or unexpected fees appearing. 10,082 in the census.

Wrong amounts charged, duplicate charges, or wrong meter readings and estimates. 9,844 in the census.

Recurring outages, poor signal or speed, or unreliable supply. 6,914 in the census.

A refund, return or compensation has been refused outright. 6,438 in the census.

A refund has been agreed or is owed, but the money has not arrived — often after repeated chasing. 5,130 in the census.

Cancellation blocked, ignored, or made deliberately difficult. 3,060 in the census.

A warranty or insurance claim denied or obstructed. 2,667 in the census.

Tariff, price or terms changed mid-contract, or exit fees are disputed. 1,922 in the census.

An engineer, installer or delivery slot was missed or repeatedly cancelled. 1,890 in the census.

Auto-renewal or recurring charges that are difficult to stop. 1,776 in the census.

Wrongful debt letters, collection threats, or damage to a credit record. 1,402 in the census.

Problems joining or leaving a provider — failed switches, number porting, or being billed by both. 745 in the census.