Choosey consumers - Switch and save

Irish people are far too easily satisfied, usually far too slow to complain about poor service or overcharging — at least we were.

The National Consumer Agency has just published figures which show that being an assertive consumer pays off and that younger people are far more likely to switch service providers for basic utilites to save money than their parents are.

And about time.

The research shows that consumers who switch mobile phone providers are, on average likely to save €24 a month — a not insignificant saving of €300 a year on an essential of modern life. Those prepared to change electricity suppliers save, again on average, €21 a month.

These figure show above all else that we wre once victims of our own stasis, a loyalty that does not always reward us.

Maybe it’s our innate conservatism, maybe it’s a loyalty to entities that don’t deserve our loyalty but in any event this survey shows that Irish consumers are no longer happy to pay above the odds for services.