Let me share a tale of World Class service in Cyprus Vs. disgraceful service from a major UK bank.
Two days ago, I upgraded by broadband speed with Cytanet, the Cyprus telcoms. provider, in order to receive HD TV over the web.
Last night, at about 10.30 PM, I got fed up with the buffering. I called Cyta and with two automated questions was immediately through to an English speaking technician. Within five minutes, this lady steered me through a test of my download speed. She agreed that I had a problem and raised a call ticket for level two support. She took my mobile number and promised that somebody would call me back in the day shift.
At 9.00 AM next morning, another charming lady, from Cyta level 2 support, called and confirmed that I had a technical issue. She escalated the issue to level 3 support and promised that an engineer would visit within four days.
Two hours later, an engineer phoned and asked for directions to my home. I hurried home and there were three engineers waiting for me. It took about a half an hour but they would only leave when I confirmed that my broadband download speed exceeded my subscription level. I shook their hands thanked them and wished them a merry Xmas.
In contrast, yesterday I phoned my UK bank with a query. After various automated messages, conversations with three people, including the senior manager on duty, I concluded that they had not helped me. I received £50 compensation for my inconvenience (this was described as the agreed rate for my international phone call). The last time that I called the same bank, I received £75. Based upon my experience, major UK banks frequently demonstrate broken business processes and excessive downsizing, whereby it is impossible to speak to anybody who can take a decision.
My conclusions are simple. Let’s thank Cyta for World Class service and question why the UK banks are not broken up.
Let me express this as an open question:
Do you think that customer service in the UK utilities would be increased with greater competition?
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 
To answer Dr Alf’s question directly the answer is no.
It is not more competition that will improve customer service in the UK but a complete change in the mentality of the average Briton.
Essentially Britons with few exceptions are lazy,unproductive people who imagine that the world owes them a living,long holidays and a free ride whereby their lack of productivity can be explained away by the willingness of foreigners to work for nothing or very little and without safety standards.
They run small or large businesses to suit themselves,their shareholders and their favoured staff,not customers.
The BBC, that great bastion of “fair and unbiased reporting” is tonight doing a hatchet job on Apple supposedly showing how the company is breaking its promises and working its Chinese workforce into oblivion.
Try asking how much more money people will pay to get fairer conditions for Foxconn’s Chinese employees.
The answer is nothing.
Why?
Answer
Because they do not care about the Chinese workers only about the quality of their I Phone and THEIR OWN working conditions.
To provide good customer service you have to be able to sort by others and not by self.
We have not yet learnt that lesson although the Americans have known it for years.