Welsh are the toughest to please

When it comes to making companies work hardest for their money, Welsh consumers are the most demanding in the UK. Furthermore, if they receive anything less than perfect service and excellent value for money, they will walk away without a second thought.

Experian, the global information solutions company, polled the views of over 2,000 adults in England, Wales and Scotland to examine consumers’ attitudes towards getting the best possible deal.

On being asked to specifiy how demanding they are, 63 per cent of Welsh consumers admit to being hard-nosed negotiators and high maintenance customers. 42 per cent of Scottish consumers are equally adept at driving a hard bargain, with one in 10 actually enjoying making companies work for a share of their wallet. In third place, 41 per cent of consumers in England admit to taking the same no-nonsense approach as their Welsh and Scottish counterparts.

Of those consumers who prefer taking a more relaxed approach to dealing with companies, 36 per cent of Scots claim it is ‘not in their personality’ to be pushy. 49 per cent of English and 43 per cent of Welsh consumers begrudgingly admit that they will not be overly demanding, as long as the company they are dealing with is polite and responsive.

When asked how they respond to customer service that does not meet their exacting standards, 49 per cent of Welsh consumers will make a point of complaining, never do business with the offending company again and also make sure that their friends, family and colleagues know about the episode.

45 per cent of Scottish and 41 per cent of English consumers will also go to the same lengths as the Welsh to make sure their dissatisfaction about a company is well aired.

Consumers in the south west of England appear to be the most laid back - though not necessarily a pushover. Just 21 per cent claim to be extremely demanding customers - less than half the proportion in other parts of the country - 50 per cent taking this approach because they believe it is the only way to get value for money.

Says Gillian Buttree, Marketing Director for Experian’s Marketing Services division: “The message is clear - the customer’s king and consumers know it only too well. As our findings prove, today’s consumers have wised up and know what they want from a company before even opening their wallet.

“In our opinion, being able to quickly compare prices online means that often it’s game, set and match to the consumer befor they even step foot into a shop or pick up the phone to place an order.

“More than two thirds of consumers we spoke to admit that staying loyal to a company is very important to them. They all recognised that if a company’s treated them well as a customer in the past, they’ll continue to do business with them.

“The challenge for businesses is in the approach they take, from a sales and marketing perspective, to make sure they hold onto their customers’ trade in a market where there’s increased competition.”