Ryanair bottom of customer service league

RYANAIR has been named the firm with the worst customer service in the UK.

The results of the Which? survey may make difficult reading for some of Britains best-known brands. Picture: AP

A Which? report based on a survey of 100 firms gave Ryanair a two-star “poor” rating for the bad attitude of its staff, inability to deal with customers’ issues and below-par staff knowledge – earning the airline an overall score of just 54 per cent for its customer service.

By contrast, cosmetics brand Lush received the top score of five stars for all three categories and an 88 per cent overall rating, taking it to the top of the table, followed by homewares company Lakeland.

No-frills airline rival Easyjet also beat Ryanair, scoring 69 per cent overall.

Customers lauded Lush for its “ridiculously friendly, helpful and amenable staff” while another shopper praised Lakeland for immediately sending out a replacement baking tray after discovering a scratch – and being told to donate the faulty one to charity.

Which? policy adviser Richard Dilks said: “We have been investigating what makes an exceptional customer experience. Outstanding service can leave you feeling positive and likely to want to repeat the experience.

“Terrible customer service can leave you feeling stressed and, in many cases, never wanting that experience again. While many companies performed well, it’s disappointing some of the biggest household names are still failing to meet expectations.”

Automated telephone systems were rated the worst customer service irritation – closely followed by companies trying to sell extra products, being passed around between departments and annoying hold music.

The Glasgow-based ScottishPower was the best-ranked energy company, scoring 70 per cent – but is still joint 62nd on the overall list. However, rival Npower languished at the bottom of the utilities table.

In terms of supermarkets, Waitrose scored the highest with 80 per cent – just behind sister company John Lewis, which was ranked third overall with a score of 84 per cent.

Budget brand Lidl was the worst-performing supermarket – outranked by rival Aldi, which received three stars across the board.

Customers quizzed by Which? said they found Ryan-air “aggressive towards customers”. Another flyer lamented “rude air stewards who make you feel like a nuisance rather than a customer”.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: “We carry over 80 million passengers a year, who enjoy Europe’s best customer service, the lowest fares, no fuel surcharges guaranteed, the most on-time flights, the fewest cancellations and the least lost bags.

“In August, 94 per cent of our 54,000 flights arrived on time – a record. We had less than one complaint per 1,000 passengers and 99 per cent of complaints were answered within seven days.”