The chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland has expressed surprise at a survey which shows Irish consumers are among the most satisfied in Europe. Mr Dermott Jewell said this did not tally with the high number of complaints the association received.
The European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI) was used to measure satisfaction in 12 countries. The first results for Ireland show an overall index figure of 72.7, placing Ireland alongside Belgium, Finland, Greece and Switzerland as the most satisfied consumers in Europe.
However, other indicators of satisfaction in Ireland do not tally with this new index. The Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs received some 22,000 telephone queries last year, an increase of 29 per cent on 1998. The European Consumer Centre handled more than 12,500 in 1999, up more than half on the previous year.
The new index was compiled from some 1,800 questionnaires administered by the MRBI during July and August, asking consumers about four sectors: retail banking, fixed-line telecommunications, mobile communications and supermarkets.
The rating for the retail banking sector was 70.9, two points above the European average. AIB scored 68, Bank of Ireland 70.9 and others 75.
"There is a better degree of service in supermarkets now," he said. "But there is still room for shops to lower prices."