Customer disservice

Sometimes you run up against a brick wall of bureaucracy even more impenetrable than Canadian immigration. Where even a long phone call to 'customer services' (Hah!) armed with all your reference numbers in order to preclude any possible ID theft won't do you any good. Where the poor underinformed chumps in the call centres run you into a dead end time after time. Where letters posted in the UK to a UK address take over ten working days to arrive, costing you, the paying punter, time and money (Especially money). Sometimes you're tempted to think they do it just to squeeze extra money out of you.

The following three companies have been causing Mrs S and I considerable heartburn (and costing us money) because we have been unable to access our online services and manage our accounts directly;

British Gas
Nationwide Building Society
Direct Line Insurance

Here in Canada, we have no problem whatsoever with online services, and customer service is red hot (after all, this is a competitive market and they want to keep your business). Especially Royal Bank of Canada - excellent, diamond. Over in the UK - rubbish. The three companies I have named need lessons. The CEO's of the organisations in question should take note as such poor standards will lose them customers, regardless of how good a deal they might claim to offer.

I'm just glad we will not be their customers for much longer.

Rant over.