One-fifth of complaints to banks
about current accounts are not being cleared up to the satisfaction of
customers, according to consumer group Which?
Its survey of 2,000 people found 26% had problems in the last year, of whom two thirds complained; 22% of those who did so were unhappy with the result.
Which? said all banks needed "to do more to put their customers first".
The British Bankers' Association (BBA) said moves were already under way to improve complaint handling.
A spokesman for the BBA said: "Banks take complaints handling seriously and are introducing initiatives to improve the service they offer customers such as the introduction of professional qualifications for complaints handling staff.
"In order to help further improve the service that customers receive, the BBA is establishing a Consumer Panel to bring together key consumer advocates and industry figures which will aim to identify any problems consumers are experiencing much sooner.
Which? questioned 2,000 UK bank customers in February.
The survey suggested that Lloyds TSB, with 30%, had the highest proportion of customers who had experienced a problem in the previous 12 months while First Direct had fewest, with 9%.
A spokeswoman for Lloyds said: "Our commitment to service is central to our aim of being the best bank for our customers.
"To do this, we'll continue to listen to our customers' feedback, focus on their needs and fix the cause of complaints and urge any customer who has an issue with their account to contact us
