Winners - 2010 The companies that won this year’s prestigious Which? Awards
This year’s Which? Awards were handed out at the British Museum on 19 May.
Customer service was at the heart of the 2010 awards, where well-known companies such as O2 were recognised alongside small organisations, including a Cotswold restaurant and a local electrician.
See below for the winners of the Which? Awards 2010 and watch video footage of Which? Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith and broadcaster Kirsty Young announcing this year's winners:
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Here are the winners of each category.
Best Airline
Winner: Air New Zealand
In the latest Which? member airline survey, Air New Zealand received a maximum five-star rating for the quality of its online check-in, seat allocation, boarding arrangements, cleanliness, inflight entertainment and cabin staff. It got a value-for-money rating of 89% (industry average 66%) and 98% of passengers said they would recommend the airline to a friend.
Also shortlisted: Emirates, Singapore Airlines
Best Audio-visual Brand
Winner: Panasonic
Which? tests Panasonic products in 10 audio-visual sectors from TVs to camcorders. Of the 54 Panasonic products tested over the past year, 34 have been awarded Best Buy status – an extraordinary 63% strike rate that its rivals can’t match. Its products aren’t the cheapest but they’re rated the most reliable in our annual survey.
Also shortlisted: Canon, Samsung
Best Car Manufacturer
Winner: Skoda
Skoda gets above-average marks for both the quality of its dealerships (79%) and its service (81%) in Which? research. It also has a very high customer score (89%). Four of its models were Best Buys or Worth Considering as the 2010 Which? Awards took place, according to the Which? Car team – a great strike rate of 80%. Skoda also has a decent 79% reliability score.
Also shortlisted: Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Mazda, Volvo
Best Domestic Appliance Brand
Winner: Miele
Miele is the top-rated domestic appliance brand for reliability and customer scores in most areas it operates in. Its products aren’t the cheapest but they’ve performed remarkably well in recent Which? tests. There are 37 current Miele Best Buys, and over the last 12 months 82% of Miele products tested have been rated as Best Buys.
Also shortlisted: AEG-Electrolux, Bosch
Best Financial Services Provider
Winner: First Direct
Poor customer service is endemic in the banking industry but there are brands that buck the trend and our winner, First Direct, is one of them. It has outstanding customer scores for savings (79%), current accounts (89%) and credit cards (81%) and also offers a Best Rate current account for customers who want an overdraft facility.
Also shortlisted: The Co-operative Bank, Nationwide Building Society
Best Online Retailer
Winner: Johnlewis.com
The John Lewis website achieved the joint third highest customer score in the latest Which? online retailer satisfaction survey. It got the highest rating in every category in which it was included except sports (it rated third) and clothes (it rated second). It was also one of the few stores that got a maximum five-star rating for its product returns service.
Also shortlisted: Lizearle.com, Ocado.com, Play.com, Waitrosedeliver.com
Best Retailer
Winner: Richer Sounds
TV, hi-fi and home cinema specialist Richer Sounds, which has 48 stores nationwide, was rated joint top in the latest Which? high street shop survey. It was the only retailer that got a maximum five-star rating for both the quality of its customer service and its competitive prices.
Also shortlisted: John Lewis, Lakeland, Waitrose
Best Technology Services Provider
Winner: O2
O2 is rated more highly by its customers than any of the other major mobile phone network providers (only virtual networks Virgin and Tesco gained higher scores overall). It was also the second highest rated broadband provider out of the 23 brands covered by the most recent Which? customer satisfaction survey.
Also shortlisted: Plusnet, Utility Warehouse
Which? Local Business of the Year
Winner: SMD Electrical Services in West Byfleet, Surrey.
Also shortlisted:
- AD Computers Wales
- Astra Heating & Plumbing, South West
- A Willshers & Son, East Anglia
- CC Plumbing, London
- Darren Reynolds, Midlands
- David Burns, Northern Ireland
- George H Pickings, North East
- Martin Friel Plumbing & Heating, Scotland
- Ron Cowley, North West
The Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year
Winner: The Swan at Southrop
The Which? Consumer Champion
Winner: Stewart Mackenzie
This was in recognition of his hard work improving people’s experience of legal services in Scotland for the last ten years.