From parking tickets and faulty cars to kitchens and sofas, The Complaints Resolver won over £111K for consumers in 2023.
I have answered scores of pleas for help from consumers across the country. Consumers know they can rely on me to help them balance the scales of justice and break the most difficult of disputes.
Here is a recap of some of my biggest wins.
Faulty cars and dodgy car dealerships
Faulty cars and dodgy car dealerships generate the most complaints that I am asked to resolve.
Buying a second-hand car is likely to be the second biggest financial commitment you are ever likely to make. The sheer disregard and poor customer service shown to consumers by many car dealerships across the UK never fails to astound me.
You cannot tar all car dealerships with the same brush, but equally, this industry really needs to raise its game.
Nobody will make it easy for you to reject a car. Even the most savvy of consumers are faced with the same tried and tested fob offs I am familiar with.
One young woman came to me for help with a faulty Jaguar E-Pace with a large dealership in the West Midlands. She was stuck in a loop and could not get the faults on this car remedied. I secured a 94% refund of £24,700 for her within 4 weeks. This is what she said afterwards.
One man came to me with a faulty Ford Puma costing over £30,000. His car had spent about 25% of the time he owned it in the garage with faults that could not be remedied.
I secured a 98% refund of £29,572 within 5 working days.
Faulty goods and Currys PC World
Currys PC World is in a league of its own when it comes to customer service for all the wrong reasons.
Helping too many of their customers with complaints has earned me the accolade of being blocked on Twitter / X.
I should be thanked and applauded for what I do for their customers, not blocked!
I wrote a blog in January 2021 covering all of their fob offs which remains one of the most read to this day.
It appears that their staff are trained to deliberately frustrate their customers and deny them a remedy under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Their share price hit an an all-time low in 2023, which does not surprise me. There is increased profits to be made in providing great customer service, which is alien to Currys.
Bad experiences travel much faster than good experiences. How many times have you recommended your favourite firm, pub or restaurant in conversations with friends, family and acquaintances?
Research reveals it costs five times more money to secure a new customer than an existing customer. Existing customers are easier to sell to and are likely to have brand loyalty. They are unpaid ambassadors for a brand if they are treated well.
One woman bought me five cups of coffee to thank me for the advice in it, which secured a full refund.
Another happy Currys customer secured a £1,040 refund on a faulty Samsung phone from the advice in my blog.
It is worth noting that you can reverse a works gift card payment via your employer if you are in dispute with a retailer. Always cite ‘breach of contract’ under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Parking tickets
This is another popular complaint. I wrote a book on how to cancel unfair parking tickets and win pothole claims as these are the two biggest issues motorists face.
A former boss asked for my help against Edinburgh City Council who fined him based on a keying error. Strictly speaking, the ticket was issued fairly, but mistakes happen – particularly on keying errors.
He rightly said that he felt hard done by in being fined £60 for it. I agreed and helped him get it cancelled. Balancing the scales of justice for people in all walks of life is the crux of what I do. If you have been treated unfairly – I will do my best to resolve the dispute.
Another good win against my friends at Edinburgh City Council resulted in 8 parking fines being cancelled at tribunal, saving £480 for one motorist. They did not make any representations or follow due process (par for the course with most local authorities).
Three motorists issued with £170 debt collector letters sought my advice which saved them a total of £510.
Faulty kitchens and sofas
Faulty kitchens and sofa complaints have soared based on my inbox.
Every firm in each specific niche seem to use the same tried and tested tactics to stop consumers seeking a remedy under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Choosing a colour for a sofa does not make it bespoke! Sofa firms often cite this to try and frustrate consumers using the Consumer Rights Act 2015 on complaints.
One customer came to me with a £3,000 LazyBoy sofa dispute. He rang me up and we had a quick chat about it. His Mother (77 years old) had specific requirements which were discussed in-store. It would have been apparent to any salesperson that this lady would need a two-seater sofa that simply met her needs.
It was faulty with cushion defects. They tried to fob her off by saying that she needs to sit in the middle of the sofa, meaning that she could not use it to recline on.
He knew his consumer rights as we have spoken before, but he just needed a steer on it. One quick phone call and it was fully resolved within 1 hour.
Two consumers approached me for help with faulty kitchens from a well-known household brand. I helped them secure full refunds of £8,110.54 and £6,000 respectively. One of their customers had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to get her refund raised from £5K to the full amount of £8,110.54. I don’t think she will be recommending them to friends and family anytime soon!
Warped kitchen doors and laminate issues seem to be fairly common. This is not wear and tear – that’s another popular fob off. One customer asked me for advice and won £1,100 back on that problem with her kitchen doors.
Missing catalogue returns
Missing catalogue returns is an increasing problem with goods going missing in transit. Retailers and courier firms refuse to accept any responsibility, leaving many consumers out of pocket by hundreds of pounds.
Someone was faced with this scenario and asked for my advice on trainers he returned by courier to the retailer.
The crux of this is that the retailer paid for the courier return, so they are liable under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to ensure safe delivery. He had to push hard on it and cite ‘breach of contract’ under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 more than once. Perseverance breaks resistance every time.
The bizarre complaints
It is always the principle on complaints with me, regardless of what it is.
My parents went food shopping and my Dad picked up a watermelon and squeezed the top to test the ripeness. This resulted in foul liquid squirting out over my Mother’s clothing.
You always have to give retailers the opportunity to put things right in the first instance. However, many people simply don’t wish to make a fuss and complain at the time. I think complaining is good because you are helping retailers remedy issues and raise their game.
I contacted Customer Services and put my parents’ case and experience to them. This elicited a £5 goodwill voucher and an apology that didn’t really cut it for me. I can smell a lack of sincerity a mile off and what does £5 buy you these days? Incredibly, this took me about 3 weeks to resolve and I got the voucher doubled to £10. This was as good as it gets without proof.
Always cite customer loyalty and try and focus on previous positive experiences in such circumstances. Mistakes and accidents happen and consumers know this. It is how a complaint is dealt with that makes the difference.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers most complaints including rotten food. Whatever you buy has to be fit for purpose, as described and satisfactory quality. There are various other consumer laws you can use to break the most difficult of disputes, which I cover in my consumer book.
Finally
Always put your complaints in writing and get any promises made in writing. Sales staff, particularly in car dealerships, often have trouble recollecting what was said and suffer from amnesia – it appears to be a common medical condition!
Stick to your guns and know your consumer rights. It is crucial more than ever now.
Has my advice or book helped you with any complaints? I am always interested to hear your consumer wins and outcomes, so let me know.
I bought a kitchen from a well known trade only kitchen supplier. My kitchen cupboard door joints are opening up, They are telling me that it is my kitchen’s environment that is doing this, They are not telling me what is causing this only that its my fault. Any suggestions on what I could do?