Nearly half of UK consumers experienced poor customer service at least once in the past year, while one in five believe standards have declined, according to new research from Trustpilot.
The survey found that 48% of consumers had at least one poor customer service experience in the past year, broadly unchanged from the 47% reported in Trustpilot’s 2025 research. However, the share who think customer service has generally got worse rose by four percentage points to 19% — equivalent to more than 10 million people, according to the company.
The findings may reflect changing expectations or greater sensitivity to poor service amid rising prices, Trustpilot said. They point to the pressure on businesses to maintain customer trust while managing costs and improving efficiency.
Customers have less patience for poor service
Consumers appear increasingly quick to voice dissatisfaction. On average, it takes 2.1 poor experiences for a customer to leave a negative review, down from 2.3 in the 2025 research. Three-quarters of consumers say customer reviews influence their decisions.
Access to timely support and accurate information were among the factors customers said mattered most. More than half (55%) said being able to speak to a human rather than a chatbot was important, up from 51% last year. Other priorities for the year ahead included faster responses (36%) and empathy from customer service agents (33%).
Consumers are wary of AI in service, but use it to research brands
Interest in greater AI use in customer service remains limited, with 4% of respondents saying they wanted to see it increase, a six-point drop from last year. Openness was higher among Gen Z consumers (9%), while just 2% of Gen X and Baby Boomers viewed increased use positively.
At the same time, consumers are using AI tools to research products and services. Three-quarters (74%) of Britons said they use AI tools at least once a week for this purpose.
Reviews may also shape how consumers respond to AI-generated recommendations. Nearly half (46%) said they would feel more confident buying from a brand if an AI summary highlighted positive comments about its customer service. The figure was higher among adult Gen Z consumers (52%) and Millennials (56%). Meanwhile, 47% said a summary highlighting poor service reviews would put them off.
Kate Delaney, VP of Marketing at Trustpilot, said:
Kate Delaney, VP of Marketing at Trustpilot
“If you don’t have happy customers, you can’t grow a successful business – which makes it crucial to get customer service right. Nearly half of consumers nationwide have experienced poor customer service lately, and tolerance for poor service is dropping.
“Reviews regularly show up in AI answers, because AI tools look for real-life evidence that backs up brand promises. More and more people are using AI tools to find and choose products. So businesses that don’t prioritize collecting and responding to feedback risk being invisible when users ask AI to do product research and comparisons.
“Inside businesses, AI and automation can help businesses to create new customer experiences, run more efficiently, and scale up their operations. But our research found that when technology gets in the way of human connection, trust is lost fast.
“Human support is still king in customer service. Businesses can build trust by building their customer service on real human connection, empathy, and reliability.”
For customer service leaders
The findings highlight a dual challenge; customers increasingly expect fast, convenient digital service, but many still value human support when they need help. At the same time, reviews are becoming more consequential as AI tools help consumers compare providers, making service quality and publicly visible feedback part of brand discovery as well as post-purchase experience.
For customer service leaders, this raises the importance of designing AI and automation to complement human assistance, while using customer feedback to identify and address recurring service problems.
