Ctrl-Shift/Lightspeed Research has recently released a survey report they have conducted for Marketing Magazine on service from the banks, in UK.
According to the report, 46% of UK consumers agreed with the statement that ‘banks are far more interested in their own convenience/profits than they are in their customers’, with another 33% agreeing with the statement ‘banks talk about being customer friendly but it’s much more talk than action.’ Only 9% agreed with the statement ‘banks really try hard to treat their customers well, and it shows.’
When it comes to offering good value, banks again performed badly in consumers’ eyes, with three quarters (74%) feeling they got poor value from credit cards, 63% feeling they got poor value from car insurance, 59% feeling they got poor value from home insurance and 56% feeling they got poor value from current accounts.
Moreover, 0. 70% said they felt they were ‘really being ripped off’ when they bought petrol. That’s followed by electricity (43%), credit cards and printer inks (42%) and new cars (36%).
Alan Mitchell, research director at Ctrl-Shift, said: “It’s clear there’s a big gap between what big organisations and brands say about offering great value and being customer focused and customer friendly and what customers feel they really do. It’s imperative that organisations find a way to close this gap.”
Ralph Risk, European marketing director of Lightspeed Research, said: “This research shows that consumers are very critical of organisations that they feel try to take advantage of them and there are a surprising number of sectors where people feel that they are being ‘ripped off’. Today’s consumers are very savvy and have more tools than ever at their fingertips to check prices, service and value for money.
