Access denied: disabled consumers are being failed by poor customer service
Contacting companies has become something of an endurance test. Whether you’re contesting sky-high energy bills or sluggish broadband speeds, all too often you’re left on hold, stuck in a loop with a chatbot or are simply ignored on social media.
But getting good customer service can be even more challenging if you’re disabled.
We’ve investigated the barriers facing people with disabilities and found that companies providing essential services are failing when it comes to helping vulnerable customers.
We want to hear about bad customer service experiences you've had in the past three years. Please take a few minutes to answer our short survey.
Issues contacting companies
We carried out a survey with the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers in July and August*.
It found that around half of disabled people who had contacted a company in the past year encountered a problem.
The primary issues were dissatisfaction with how long it took to get an answer (48% of respondents), how long it took to speak to someone who could help (51%) and how well the query was dealt with (48%).
In all three instances, these percentages were more than double those recorded in a survey of the general public, which we ran concurrently.
- Find out more: how to complain to a company
The problem with essential services
Difficulty contacting customer care teams was commonplace when it came to essential services. The sectors with the highest dissatisfaction scores among disabled consumers were energy, telecoms and financial services.
More than two thirds of disabled consumers who contacted an energy company in the past year were dissatisfied with how long it took to get through to someone who could help, and with how well their query was handled.
Ovo energy customer Angela Smith, who has a visual impairment, was only able to resolve a billing issue after tracking down Ovo’s chief executive’s email address, having failed to get through over the phone or online. ‘Companies haven’t trained their staff, especially around disabilities’ she told us.
More than half of disabled customers who contacted financial services and telecoms companies were unhappy with how long it took to get answers to queries.
One HSBC customer said: ‘I didn’t get the answer through live chat and was told I had to ring up, which I struggle with due to my disability.’
Others found themselves going back and forth trying to resolve straightforward issues. ‘It took four months and multiple contacts to resolve an issue, which turned out to be a fairly simple one,’ recalled one TalkTalk customer.
A lack of accessibility
Companies failing to contact disabled customers in an accessible format was another common problem.
One Legal & General customer said they were repeatedly told to phone up about their query, despite having previously informed the company about their speech impairment.
A Halifax customer with a visual impairment told us they received a letter from the bank despite having requested to be contacted in an audio format. They then received a second letter apologising for the error.
Respondents also reported facing a maze of automated menu options when phoning up companies.
An Octopus customer said: ‘The phone systems where you have to select various options before you can speak to a human is too complicated for someone who is hard of hearing and can be very confusing. It sometimes takes three or four attempts before you can speak to someone. These systems are long-winded, tiresome and exclude disabled people.’
- Find out more: your rights against discrimination
Computer says ‘no’
Part of the problem may be that companies are increasingly trying to steer customers away from contacting them. Some hide contact details and make you navigate their website to track them down.
Many energy, telecoms and finance companies try to push customers towards using chatbots or automated phone systems before allowing them to speak to a human.
Chatbots can be useful if you have a simple query that fits within their list of responses – but they’re far from perfect. Reach a dead end and you might be put through to someone, be told to phone up or asked to download the company’s app for further help.
Two thirds of disabled consumers who used a chatbot told us they did not believe it to be an accessible experience.
Admin anxiety
The reasons why disabled consumers might face issues when contacting customer services are varied and complex. Some people might only be able to access communications in certain formats, such as British Sign Language or Braille, while others might find that certain contact methods induce anxiety.
The charity Money and Mental Health told us that more than half of people with mental health conditions face serious difficulties using the phone to carry out essential admin, while four in 10 have severe ‘admin anxiety’.
Some disabilities make it difficult to stay on hold for long periods. As one person noted: ‘I have an energy-limiting chronic illness and it can be fatiguing to spend time waiting on hold on the phone. Hold music is usually stressful and painful as I have sound sensitivity from chronic migraine.’
Dyslexia and disabilities that affect memory can also have an impact on how customers prefer to communicate.
The shift to online services – particularly with banks – has also had an impact on disabled customers. Previous Which? research uncovered accessibility issues with online banking features amid a flurry of bank branch closures across the UK.
Design with access in mind
It’s crucial that companies proactively design their services with different disabilities and needs in mind.
Regulators publish guidance on how vulnerable people, including those with disabilities, should be treated. Ofcom and the Financial Conduct Authority require providers to use varied communication channels and accessible formats where required. Providers must also record the customer’s preference so they don’t have to repeat themselves every time they contact a supplier.
New Ofgem rules coming into force this month require energy firms to prioritise vulnerable customers. They will need to proactively contact customers who’ve missed payments, and publish their Citizens Advice customer score ratings. This will mean consumers can compare call waiting times and the quality of help provided.
These industry codes sound good in theory, but it’s clear the principles aren’t always adhered to in practice.
Disability charities put this down to a lack of awareness and training within companies. The charity Scope says a broad spectrum of support needs must be met: ‘Even simple things can make a difference. For example, using plain English or developing employees through disability awareness and understanding. Businesses should talk to their disabled customers to understand the barriers they experience. They need to make sure they serve all of their customers.’
Discrimination: your rights
Under the Equality Act 2010, it’s unlawful for companies to discriminate against you because of your disability. They’re expected to make reasonable adjustments for disabled consumers and must anticipate adjustments that disabled people may need.
It’s your legal right to ask for adjustments to be made, such as sharing bills or communications in an accessible format. If you’re disabled, and are treated unfavourably because of your disability, you have additional protections and can bring a claim against the company.
Five steps you can take
- Join the Priority Services Register. It’s free and provides support from electricity, gas and water firms. You get emergency gas and power and are prioritised if your supply is interrupted.
- Ask for accessible communications. Under the Equality Act 2010, all companies must make reasonable adjustments, including making communications and bills accessible for disabled customers.
- Nominate a carer or family member. As part of the Priority Services Register, you can also nominate a carer, friend or a family member to communicate with suppliers on your behalf.
- Request transcripts. If your memory is affected by a disability, ask for transcripts of phone or chatbot conversations so you can keep track of issues.
- Complain to the Ombudsman. If one of your suppliers fails to provide accessible customer service, you can take your complaint to the relevant ombudsman to try to get further help.
Campaigning for better customer service
By Camilla Eason, Which? senior campaigns officer
Everyone’s got a customer service story: the parcel ‘delivered’ over the fence or into a bin, the time you lost your cool at the phone-bot telling you ‘I didn’t recognise that’. But there comes a point when customer service isn’t funny any more, and that’s where our campaigning starts.
We want everyone to be able to contact companies, without barriers and in the way you prefer, whether it’s a human or a chatbot. You get answers without long waits or endless loops and you’re kept informed. But fundamentally you’re treated fairly and as an individual.
Sounds a world away? Quite possibly if you’ve been on hold endlessly to speak to your energy company or paid a premium rate to phone your travel provider. But we know there’s good practice out there too and we want to applaud it and help make it the norm.
We plan to focus on businesses in key services: telecoms, energy, banking, and in the areas of retail deliveries and travel, to raise their standards, as well as working with their regulators.
But your stories will help create the change that’s needed. We’ll be inviting you to share your experiences, both good and bad, and giving you the tools you need to challenge poor customer service. This is everyone’s campaign: we deserve better.
*Results are based on an online survey of 732 members of the panel of the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers conducted in July and August 2023.
