Consumer Reports Survey: Two in three consumers have walked out of a store because of poor customer service

Just how frustrated are Americans with the state of customer service? According to a new Consumer Reports’ survey, 65 percent are “tremendously annoyed” by rude salespeople and 64 percent of respondents said that they had left a store in the previous 12 months because of poor service.

This survey is part of a larger investigation on customer service featured in the July issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReports.org. The report names Walmart among the worst in customer service for its retail service in eight out of 21 industries evaluated.

Consumer Reports also found that 71 percent of survey respondents were extremely irritated when they couldn't reach a human on the phone. Sixty-seven percent said they hung up the phone without getting their issue resolved.

“There's a feeling on the part of Americans that companies are deliberately making it difficult for them by burying phone numbers, sidestepping calls and steering customers to online FAQs instead of live human beings,” said Tod Marks, senior project editor for Consumer Reports.