A survey of Irish consumers' experiences of making complaints across sectors and their satisfaction with outcomes.

1. National Consumer Agency Consumer Empowerment and Complaints Market Research Findings August 2009 Research Conducted by

3. B. Profile of Sample – I (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) Male Female % % % % 15-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 Married Living as Married Single Wid/Div/ Sep AB C1 C2 D E F50+ F50- MAIN GROCERY SHOPPER Yes No

4. Section 1: Consumer Rights Awareness Levels

5. Confidence About Rights as a Consumer (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) % Very confident (5) Fairly confident (4) Neither/Nor (3) Not very confident (2) Not at all confident (1) 21% % 18% 70% 66% % 75% 12% % 15% 74% Level of Confidence

6. Knowledge About Consumer Rights (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) Very knowledgeable (5) Fairly knowledgeable (4) Neither/Nor (3) Not very knowledgeable (2) Not at all knowledgeable (1) 24% 26% 59% 62% % % % 69% 15% 68% 20% % Level of Knowledge

7. Protected Regarding Consumer Rights (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) Very protected (5) Fairly protected (4) Neither/Nor (3) Not very protected (2) Not at all protected (1) 18% 16% 61% 60% % % % 10% 70% 16% 65% Level of Protection

8. Section 2: Making Complaints

9. Complaining Nation? No Yes (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) (17%) (83%) () = Wave 2 ‘08 As a consumer would you be prepared to complain if a problem had occurred or you are dissatisfied with a good or service you have purchased?

10. Goods & Services Bought with Reason to Complain or Return an Item – Primary & Secondary (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) % With Reason to Complain or Return Ever PRIMARY SECONDARY Wave 3 2009 Wave 2 2008 Wave 1 2008 (+11%) (+6%) (+5%) Supermarkets and newsagents Shops selling clothing or footwear Restaurants take-away’s or hotels Communications services including home phone ... Reason to Complain/Return from: TV Service Providers e.g. Sky, NTL Building and related services e.g. plumbers Shops selling furniture or household appliances Banking products and services, including a current A/C Pubs Airlines Car dealers Insurance products and services Energy suppliers e.g. ESB, Bord Gais

11. Goods & Services Bought with Reason to Complain or Return an Item – Tertiary (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) % With Reason to Complain or Return Ever Wave 3 2009 Wave 2 2008 Wave 1 2008 Tertiary Public transport – buses and trains Pharmacies, doctors, hospitals and other medicals Travel agents Education providers e.g. schools and colleges Personal care e.g. hairdressers, cosmetics Local authority bin services Entertainment at home e.g. DVDs, CDs, games Petrol stations Entertainment outside home e.g. cinema Reason to Complain/Return from:

12. Whether Complaint Made When had Reason to Do So (Base: All those who had cause or reason to complain in past 12 months - 400) No Yes No Yes (61%) (39%) (25%) (75%) () = Wave 2 ‘08 (Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000) Whether Made Complaint Reason to Complain

13. Reasons for Complaint (Base: All those who made a complaint in past 12 months - 275) Wave 1 2008 Wave 2 2008 Benchmark 2007 Wave 3 2009 Faulty product/service Product/service didn’t do what it said it would do Wrong size/colour/specification The product/service did not confer the benefits as described to me by the salesperson Changed mind/wanted to return the item Unwanted gift Other Reasons for Complaint:

14. Assessment of the Complaints Process (Base: All who made a complaint – 275) % Very easy (5) Somewhat easy (4) Neither/Nor (3) Somewhat difficult (2) Very difficult (1) 61% * New Question 29% % (Base: All who experienced difficulty – 80) Mean 3.5 Unhelpful staff The retailer/provider never got back to me Difficulty contacting trader Had to put complaint in writing I was unsure of my consumer rights Refusal of retailer to refund my money Did not have receipt Refusal to repair returned item Other # All others 6% or less Level of Difficulty Experienced Difficulty Experienced

15. Emotional Cost of Problem/Complaint (Base: All those who made a complaint in past 12 months - 275) % % % A great deal A little Total Experience Wave 3 2009 Wave 1 2008 (+5%) (+10%) (-12%) Under stress Angry Worried Frustrated Relaxed about the problem but determined to solve it To what extent have you felt:

16. Reasons for Not Complaining (Base: All those who had reason to make a complaint but didn’t in past 12 months - 125) Benchmark 2007 Wave 1 2008 Wave 2 2008 Wave 3 2009 ** ** ** (+8%) (-27%) I did not want the hassle of having to make a complaint I didn’t see the point of complaining I didn’t have time to make a complaint I did not want to get anyone in trouble by making a complaint I was afraid to make a complaint I was unsure of my consumer rights Difficulty contacting trader Other Reasons for Not Complaining:

17. Resolution Status of Problem (Base: All those who made a complaint in past 12 months - 275) % Completely resolved Partly resolved Not resolved at all Refused/ Not Stated (25%) (66%) (5%) (4%) Whether Complaint Resolved

18. Satisfaction with the Way Complaint was Handled (Base: All who’s complaint was completely resolved – 201) % Completely satisfied (7) 69% * New Question 5% % Level of Satisfaction Very satisfied (6) Fairly satisfied (5) Neither/nor/ Don’t know (4) Fairly dissatisfied (3) Very dissatisfied (2) Mean Likely to do as a result 139 People 11 People 5.8 Tell people you know of your positive experience with them Do nothing, just accept what has happened Do more business with them yourself Tell people you know not to do business with them Stop doing business with them altogether Do less business with them yourself 4 people 4 people 3 people

19. Likelihood of Buying Again from Business where there was Reason to Complain No Yes I don’t have a choice (Base: All those who had reason to make a complaint but didn't in the past 12 months - 125) (64%) (-%) (7%) (29%) ( ) = Wave 2 2008 Don’t * know * N.B: Don’t know option not given in previous wave. Likelihood to Buy Again Benchmark 2007 52% Yes 27% No 16% I don’t have a choice Wave 1 2008 59% Yes 29% No 12% I don’t have a choice