There can’t be many people that get excited by the publication of the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) annual report, but I’m one of them.
The reason for this rather misplaced excitement is that the report is one of the rare occasions when the sector receives real data and feedback from outside of its little bubble from the people whose opinions really matter.
A full look at the details of the report will appear in next week’s edition, but it’s clear from the data that the cost of living crisis is having an impact on consumer behaviour and buying behaviours.
A 2% decrease (1,707) in the overall number of complaints dealt with by the OCCS between April 2022 and March 2023 shows satisfaction has remained stable, but a 10% increase (54.1% overall) in the number of complaints relating to the sale of goods and services shines a light on a shift in thinking among patients.
At a time when every household penny counts, expectations have increased dramatically, while tolerance of faulty products or poor service has fallen sharply. It’s not a particularly new trend, either.
OCCS data shows complaints relating to goods and services has increased by 20% in the past two years, due to shifts in consumer tolerance following the double whammy of the pandemic and cost of living pressures that followed. This is underlined by the overall number of complaints increasing by 21.5% in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20.
Impressively, the OCCS resolves 94% of the referrals it receives, but for many optical practices, sorry still seems to be the hardest word. A surprisingly high figure of 42% of the consumers that raised a complaint against an optical practice said they didn’t receive an apology.
Given the short-to-medium term financial outlook, much of that 42% would do well to give mediation more of a chance. Better yet, avoiding it altogether by softening their attitudes.