Brief
Talkmobile survey finds one in ten Britons stop complaining about poor service
The study says 14% see no point in complaining and the average hold time is 38.2 minutes.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Talkmobile’s latest survey of 2,000 UK adults reveals that more than one in ten Britons have stopped complaining about poor customer service because they consider it not worth the effort, the research showed on 11 October 2026.
According to the study, one in six respondents now expect a bad experience, while 14% say there is no point in raising a fuss. A quarter of participants avoid complaints out of fear of dealing with a chatbot, and the average time spent on hold before giving up is 38.2 minutes.
The survey also found that 25% of people believe firms used to take complaints more seriously and that the complaints process has become deliberately harder. One in five respondents said the effort required to complain is "too much" and makes them feel like "one of millions of customers".
Gender differences emerged, with four out of ten women versus 50% of men likely to raise a complaint. When a complaint is deemed serious, the most popular initial method is email, while 21% still pick up the phone despite the fear of long hold times. Only 13% opt for online chat functions.
The most common reasons for complaining are to resolve a problem (46%) or to prevent recurrence (35%). Money‑related issues, such as refunds or compensation, account for a further share, and about a quarter of complainants start the process simply to receive an apology, while 15% just want to vent frustration.
Talkmobile’s Duncan Knight described the findings as "sad", adding that the company aims to deal with issues quickly and leave customers feeling satisfied and heard.
Key facts
- More than one in ten Britons have stopped complaining about poor service (dailymail.co.uk)
- Average hold time before giving up is 38.2 minutes (dailymail.co.uk)
- 14% of respondents see no point in raising a complaint (dailymail.co.uk)
- One in six people now expect a bad customer experience (dailymail.co.uk)
- A quarter of respondents avoid complaints due to fear of chatbots (dailymail.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] dailymail.co.uk — originally reported as “More than one in ten Brits have given up moaning about poor service”
