Peter Vicary Smith - Which?

Question: What is the "biteback" consultation that you launched on September 29?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: This is the biggest ever consumer consultation that has been undertaken in the UK - it is about encouraging people to tell us their burning consumer issues. Research carried out in the summer determined the eight issues that people are most concerned about.

 

The areas are company behaviour, education, food, health, money, shoppers’ rights, the internet and the home. People will be able to log onto www.which.co.uk  and have their say. The results of the consultation will inform what we do as an organisation but means we’ll also be able to develop a blue print for change which we can present to government and industry.

 

Question: What sectors do the public complain about the most?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: The research discovered a third of consumers - around 15 million people - had made a fuss last year because they were not happy with a product or service. Some 41 per cent of the 2,012 adults questioned had experienced a problem of some kind with a product or service in the past year. Eighty per cent of those decided to complain - which equates to a third of the overall number of people surveyed.

 

Shops come in for particular criticism, with 39 per cent of those questioned having experienced a problem with a retailer in the past 12 months - although they may not have gone as far as complaining. Half of all problems about shops related to poor or faulty goods.

 

Question: What are the issues that the public complain about within these sectors?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: The main problems related to poor or faulty goods, but banks and restaurants came in for criticism on the customer service front. We also know from the other work we have done that people are concerned about the financial services market.

 

With over 30,000 financial products on the market and a plethora of financial advisors people don't know how to negotiate their way through the maze of information and possible products in financial services nor how to ensure sound advice.

 

Question: How willing are people to complain when they have had a bad experience - they have a reputation of being too polite and a little aloof?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: The British disease of not taking action, people not standing up for their rights and not complaining has changed. Last year 15 million people made a fuss because they weren’t happy with a product or service. There has been a seismic change in the way consumers are behaving, but we’re not seeing the same changes in government and companies. This is a time for change, and with the results from "biteback" we’ll be able to reflect back to government and industry the action consumers want to take.

 

Question: Is there proof that complaining actually makes a difference?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: People tell us that they feel much more satisfied with a company or shop when they complain and the complaint is dealt with than those who don’t complain, or feel that their complaint is ignored.

 

But complaining can also yield other benefits. After Which? launched its endowment action campaign one million people visited the Which website and subsequently 350,000 sought compensation. So far £1 billion in compensation has been paid out by the industry.

 

However, sometimes people’s concerns fall on deaf ears. Despite 61 per cent of people thinking that GM crops should not be grown in this country the government has given the go ahead for the production of GM crops. This is exactly the sort of injustice we’ll be seeking to address with our blue print for change early next year.

 

Question: What does Which? intend to do with the evidence of this consultation when it closes?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: The "biteback" results will be monitoredconstantly and these will have a bearing on the nature of the work we, as an organisation, will undertake in the future.

 

In the new year when we have completed the consultation we will analyse the findings to formulate a blue print for consumer action which will be directed at government and industry. We want consumers and their views to be at the heart of discussions in the cabinet office and board rooms in this country.

 

Question: How much support do you receive from the government over these issues?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: I think they are supportive on some issues and not on others.

 

We have seen some positive moves on estate agents for example but there are other areas where things aren’t really done fast enough.

 

I think the important thing that as many people as possible take part in this consultation, the government will find it impossible not to respond as will other political parties and as will companies. There is a tremendous power that comes from ordinary people expressing their views in this kind of way and we intend to use that on behalf of consumers.

 

Question: This consultation coincides with the rebranding of the "Consumers Association" to become "Which?", why have you made this change?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: Which? was founded in1957 and quickly became a household name for its forthright campaigning and robust research. We’ve realised that Consumers’ Association was a name that relatively few identified with, or knew had any links with Which? and when we conducted research we found that 83 per cent of people are aware of Which?

 

Moving to one name was important to demonstrate the scope of the organisation and Which? was the obvious name to move to.

 

Question: You only joined the organisation a few months ago - where do you hope to see the organisation moving over the next few years?

 

Peter Vicary Smith: I want Which? to continue to be as important and relevant as ever and reach out to everyone. It's essential that through our campaigning work and our information provision we’re reaching out to people of all ages and all incomes – not just the magazine subscribers – who would benefit from our support.

 

Which? is an organisation which accepts no money from government, nor advertising from companies; it relies solely on its subscribers to fund its work. Clearly we have an ambition to continue to increase subscribers in order to be able to continue our charitable mandate of helping all consumers.