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**5corpio** · 7 December 2011, 20:09

Re: Wooden Spoon Award: Which company drove you mad in 2011?

Wooden Spoon Award: Choose the company where you've suffered the worst customer service

Voting has begun for this year’s Wooden Spoon Award for rotten customer service. Just a week since launching the fourth annual Money Mail Wooden Spoon, we’ve had stacks of your votes for the companies that have exasperated you the most. Last week, we revealed our shortlist. Today, we give the firms in question a chance to justify their performance this year.

HMRC

The taxman admits last year’s standard of service was ‘unacceptable’. A spokesman says: ‘To move to a tax system fit for the 21st century was never going to be easy, but we’re turning the corner.’ He says improved tax codes will in turn reduce the number of taxpayers who need to contact it because the right tax will be deducted to start with. ‘We are also working closely with groups that support older taxpayers so we can better understand the challenges they face when dealing with the tax system,’ he says.

Lloyds Banking Group

Though the bank was keen to stress how it has reduced the number of complaints it receives, it admits it has some way to go. ‘We recognise we have more work to do on our customer service and will concentrate on ways to better manage and reduce complaints,’ says a spokesman.

npower

The energy giant concedes that being named on the Wooden Spoon shortlist suggests it has short-changed customers. Chris Johnson, managing director of customer service at npower, says: ‘Nominations such as this are clearly telling us further work is needed. These are already difficult times for consumers and, trust me, we don’t like to hear that some of our customers feel dissatisfied.’ He says the firm is investing £200million in new systems to help staff give better levels of service.

Orange

A spokesman for the mobile operator expressed shock at their inclusion on the list. ‘We’re surprised and disappointed to have been included. We’ve just celebrated the results of a report from industry body Ofcom that saw us rank joint first for overall customer satisfaction for mobile operators.’

Ryanair

The budget airline dismissed outright our readers’ concerns — which highlight unhelpful staff, hefty fees and communication problems. Ryanair simply called such claims ‘complete and utter rubbish’. Instead, it suggested its many millions of passengers meant it was ‘the world’s favourite airline’.

Read more here..............Wooden Spoon Award: Choose the company where you've suffered the worst customer service

**5corpio** · 11 January 2012, 08:23

Re: Wooden Spoon Award: Which company drove you mad in 2011?

Wooden Spoon Awards: Here's what you had to say about the winners | This is Money

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Wooden Spoon Award: Which company drove you mad in 2011?

Wooden Spoon Award: Which company drove you mad in 2011?

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