We call on the Government to introduce a mandatory requirement to provide email route for customers to respond via, on to all companies that use email to contact customers. Companies should be required to provide public complaints email address, instead of online portals or lengthy phone queues.

We believe that many companies use email to communicate with customers but refuse to accept emails in return, breaking the principle of fair, two-way communication. In our view, by forcing customers into complex portals or long phone queues, poor customer service is often hidden behind barriers to contact. Requiring a public complaints email could restore symmetry, simplify communication, and make accessible, accountable customer service the norm.