Revealed: The companies Irish consumers complain about most

Ryanair, Eir and Sky topped CCPC’s complaints list as Irish consumers reported losing €56m on faulty goods and services

Out of all the consumer contacts it received seeking help between January and June, the CCPC said Ryanair received the highest number at 319, followed by Eir at 241, and Sky at 219.

Ryanair, Eir, and Sky were among the companies most cited by consumers who were seeking assistance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) during the first half of the year, a new report has found.

According to the commission's latest half-year report, between January and June, it received 20,526 consumer contacts seeking help — which was down from 22,347 during the same period in 2024. The highest number of contacts, 4,724, related to faulty goods and services with a reported total value of €56m.

Consumers reported spending an average of €6,400 on the product or service they had an issue with.

A further 1,365 were related to contract performance, with contract deposits, payments, and other charges receiving another 1,349.

Out of all the consumer contacts it received seeking help with an issue during this period, CCPC said Ryanair received the highest number at 319, followed by Eir at 241, and Sky at 219.

Currys, Harvey Norman, Aer Lingus, Vodafone, and Lidl also made the top 10.

Car complaints

The sector for which CCPC received the most contacts was the vehicles and transport sector. The highest average spend in this sector, according to those consumers, was €18,716.

CCPC director of communications Grainne Griffin said buying a car or a home “are two of life’s most significant financial decisions” and “making the wrong choice can be very expensive”.

“Earlier this year, we published a report calling for the government to create an online car history portal. This would allow consumers to check important information about a car’s mileage, past accidents, safety recalls, and import status before buying a used car,” she said.

“Recently we also called for more transparency in the homebuying process. Our homebuyers report called for the necessary information about a property to be made more accessible and be made available earlier in the homebuying process.” 

The CCPC received 1,243 contacts relating to traders operating in the home building and improvements sector with an average spend of €13,443.

There were 4,419 consumer contacts relating to online purchases with 68% of those relating to purchases within Ireland while 15% were from the EU. The remaining 17% were from outside the EU, including the UK.

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Ms Griffin said the CCPC are seeing an increase in consumers contracting them about online purchases from outside of the EU.

“We recommend buying from businesses based in Ireland or other EU countries, where your consumer rights are strong. This means that if you buy a product online and the product doesn’t reflect the reviews — or if you’ve changed your mind — you have a 14-day right to cancel and receive a full refund,” she said.

Of those helpline contacts, 5,039 were referred to the small claims court for litigation while 1,186 were referred to the Society of the Motor Insurance Industry. Another 1,179 were referred to the European Consumer Centre Ireland and a further 632 were referred to the communications regulator ComReg.