Service providers and customer service

Sir, – In recent times, many letters writers have rightly complained about the poor customer service given to the public by many communications, transport, power, financial, and other service providers.

A common complaint is the inordinate time it takes for us to get through to them on the phone to deal with simple problems. It now seems clear that many of these organisations are doing their level best to steer their customers to an automated system that costs less for them but leads to much greater frustration. The default situation being that, once they have you signed up with a standing order, when problems arise, you are left to wait and wait, in the hope that you will give up in exasperation.

If these providers were required by law to provide real and easily contactable telephone numbers, together with sufficient staff in proportion to the number of their customers and, if necessary, a 24-hour service to the public, it might help. – Yours, etc,

BOBBY CARTY,