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Major banks, telecom giants, energy suppliers and travel agents bury their phone numbers on obscure pages of their websites to discourage customers from calling for help.
Many companies are instead urging people to use ‘live chat’ services or requiring complaints to be made through social media sites such as Twitter.
A Money Mail audit this week found that in one of the worst examples, customers had to click through six pages of telecom giant BT’s website to find the phone number.
Fines: Our Pick Up or Pay Up campaign calls for a new law to force large companies to pick up their phones within 10 minutes
The telecom giant says this can be reduced to three clicks – but only if you know exactly the right boxes to check the endless options and drop-down menus.
It also took a reporter nearly two minutes to find Barclays and Sky’s contact details. And we couldn’t find a song for Amazon at all.
Many, including British Airways, Santander and Scottish Power, have messages online advising customers not to call due to high waiting times.
Some companies even have customers fill out an online form or answer a series of questions before disclosing their helpline number.
Our experiment used a desktop computer, but experiences may vary by device.
Money Mail is calling for a new law to force big companies to answer their phones within 10 minutes – or face hefty fines.
Our Pick Up Or Pay Up campaign aims to end customers waiting for hours. It is supported by 34 MPs and will be discussed in parliament after Conservative Member Robert Halfon signed up for a backbench debate on the issue.
But first, customers must be told which numbers to call. We checked a series of companies that are repeatedly mentioned and shamed by readers.
Many people said they have a hard time even being on hold because companies are deliberately making it difficult to find their phone numbers.
PayPal asks users to sign in to access contact information unless they see a small ‘continue as guest’ option.
British Airways buries its phone details at the very bottom of the ‘help’ page under a drop-down list titled ‘Any other questions’.
Ironically, companies use a phone icon next to their ‘contact’ section on websites – despite not giving a number. Instead, websites direct people to their ‘live chat’ services or the ‘FAQ’ page.
For example, Sky’s website states, “Over 90 percent of our customers who use our online guides get the help they need before they even need to contact us.”
Scottish Power’s website states: ‘Wait times may be longer than usual.’ And Virgin Media says: ‘Only contact us if you really need to.’ Barclays advises: ‘Also talk to us directly through social channels’.
We found that the fastest way to get a number was often to search the ‘complaints’ section of a website.
It’s clear from Money Mail’s mailbag that this online-heavy approach doesn’t suit everyone’s needs. As one reader notes, “Most businesses assume that everyone has the internet and a smartphone, and people feel like they’re being forced online. This unfairly disadvantages the elderly, who are now being treated hopelessly in this country.’
Campaigners and politicians have joined our call for businesses to improve customer service.
Consumer expert Martyn James says: “Now more than ever, customers need one-on-one help. But trying to find a number for a company is like an endurance test. Companies make it as hard as possible to find their numbers so people just give up and don’t call.
Blocked: Customers have to click through six different pages on telecom giant BT’s website to find the phone number.
‘Especially for the telecom companies, this is unforgivable.’
Consumer champion Jane Hawkes adds: “Not only do customers face long wait times, but in many cases they can’t even find the company’s contact details. This is unacceptable.’
Our campaign manifesto is simple: we want the government to update the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with a legal instrument – secondary legislation that can make changes to an existing law.
This would give regulators like Ofgem and Ofcom the power to fine companies that don’t answer the phone within ten minutes.
A similar law has recently been passed in Spain.
Over the summer, Money Mail hosted a walk-in event for MPs in parliament, armed with thousands of letters and coupons of support sent in by readers.
We also call for companies to be forced to provide a working telephone line service for customers, a callback service if they cannot answer, and publish their daily wait times.
A BT spokesperson says the company is making it “very easy” for customers to contact them. Sky says the contact number is “clearly listed” on its website.
Octopus Energy claims that most customers find its number through a Google search and it pops up right away, while PayPal says it’s “easier and faster” if customers log into their account online before calling.
Virgin Media, Santander, British Airways and Barclays all say they offer customers several ways to contact them for convenience.
British Gas is investing in 500 additional call center employees to meet increasing demand. Scottish Power says it is ‘actively encouraging’ customers to do self-service only so they can get help as soon as possible.
Amazon has a chat box and a callback service that customers can access when they enter their number online.
h.kelly@dailymail.co.uk
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