Complainers 'finding their voice'
UK consumers have less reason to complain but are more likely to do so, research has suggested.
People face fewer problems when buying goods and services than they did five years ago, a survey for the Institute of Customer Service suggested.
But the proportion of those who made a complaint rose over the same period.
Staff attitude and competence were the most common causes of complaint, although the institute said that there were still many "silent sufferers".
Those who failed to make a complaint had suffered from issues in the transport sector.
The report suggested that the percentage of customers asked who suffered a problem had fallen from 17% in January 2008 to 11.7% in July 2012.
However, over the same period, the proportion of these people who complained about these problems increased from 72% to 76%.
Complaints were most commonly made about local public services, the institute said.
"Our research suggests that customers are most satisfied when complaints are dealt with immediately," said Jo Causon, chief executive of the institute.
"As a result, organisations need to ensure that all customer contacts are handled consistently well, and that customers are not passed from pillar to post."