The Customer Test: When Service Fails the Customer

As business leaders, we all know mistakes happen and we all make mistakes, we’re human. What matters is how we handle them. But is there really an excuse when the larger companies make mistakes? They’re clearly good at selling, but how good is their customer service?

At B4 we’ve launched The Customer Test to highlight examples — good and bad — of how major organisations treat their customers. This isn’t about blame. It’s about accountability, empathy, and restoring trust where it’s been lost.

In a world where automation and profit often come before people, I believe it’s time to put customers back at the heart of business. This isn’t a witch hunt. It’s a wake-up call. And I’ll be sharing real examples of how we can all do better.

Over the past few months, I’ve experienced first-hand how poor customer service can erode trust — and how difficult it’s become to get a straight answer or be treated correctly from some of the UK’s biggest organisations including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, NEST, Three and Nat West. Against five poor experiences I can name two which have gone above and beyond….Eventbrite and Holiday Inn (Oxford and Basildon), so thanks to all concerned for excellent customer service!

But, back to the poor side of customer service and in the first of this series we focus on Ovo.

Earlier this year my energy contract with Ovo was up and they were suggesting a hefty hike in my monthly payments to commit, plus the figures on my account (on their site) didn’t stack up. So, I tried to speak to someone – much easier said than done. Despite repeated attempts to contact them through the “customer care” number on their website, the line would ring out and drop — every time (I got so frustrated I even video’d the experience for proof!).

Emails went unanswered and as my frustration grew I decided to post publicly on LinkedIn just to get a response…..which was almost immediate! Not from any of the CCO’s CFO’s or COO’s mentioned. As an aside, Ovo’s CEO, David Buttress CAN’T be mentioned on LinkedIn…maybe he used to get tagged too often! On the London Tech Week website (June 2025), Buttress’s profile reads. ‘David Buttress joined OVO as CEO in May 2024 to create a world class customer experience for millions of UK customers.’ Clearly I’m not alone in failing to concur with this aspiration, Dave, with comments from other ex-Ovo customers including ‘welcome to the club’ and ‘that company made me ill’.

When I eventually received a response, the situation became even more concerning. Their own data — taken directly from my Ovo online account — showed I’d paid £1,970 against £1,740.30 billed, meaning a credit of £229.70. When I pointed this out to their Customer Resolution Specialist, Ian Ross, he replied: “If we just take the payments made and the amount billed from your pdf it would mean you have a final balance due of £229.70 (£1970.00 – £1740.30).”

An astonishing misreading of basic arithmetic. After weeks of back-and-forth and their admission of an error on my account, Ovo eventually “wrote off” the account.

What’s more concerning is how typical this behaviour seems to have become. Ovo are guilty of automated replies, a shocking inability to open an Excel file ‘because we only use Google’!, deflection tactics and silence until social media pressure forces a response — hardly what you’d expect from a company of this size.

So What’s the takeaway?

Customer service is not a box-ticking exercise. It’s a promise — a reflection of your integrity. When that promise is broken, it damages more than just a single relationship; it erodes trust in the entire brand.

This article marks the launch of The Customer Test — a series highlighting real-world examples of customer experiences, good and bad. This isn’t about naming and shaming. It’s about accountability, empathy, and how all businesses — large and small — can do better. It’s about owning the problem and informing the customer with respect, not hiding and hoping the customer will go away. Customers are entitled to answers, right?

If you’ve had a similar experience, or if you’ve recently dealt with a company that got it right, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s raise the standard — together.

Contact me at richard@b4-business.com or DM through LinkedIn.

Next up: the Oxford (Botley Road) branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car where I paid for a hire car only to be told I couldn’t take the car from the branch, without any reason other than I had been ‘declined’. So you take my money, make me feel like a criminal and don’t have to explain why? Following a customer complaint, I am still waiting for a reply. Any thoughts Philippa Donaghy, Branch Manager?

#TheCustomerTest #CustomerExperience #Leadership #Accountability #CustomerService