Last week, we asked CTV viewers what their top consumer complaints were. CONSUMERWATCH reporter Eleanor Coopsammy shows you what really bugs Manitobans about being consumers in this day and age.

Imagine 9.7 billion loonies. According to a Genesys software study--that's what the Canadian economy loses every year because of poor customer service. We didn't have to look hard too find Manitobans who agree.

"I tend to avoid places that give bad service," says Michael Wech. Fellow consumer Christina Redekopp says she has had terrible experience with cell phones. “(Send it to) get it repaired and get it back and it's not repaired."

Consumer Reports recently surveyed angry shoppers as well.

Donato Vaccaro of Consumer Reports explains, “we asked over a thousand people to rate the 21 most annoying things on a scale of 1-10, and 10 being the top of the gripe-o-meter."

Hidden fees in bills were number one. Right behind was being trapped on an automated message system with no sign of human life. Number three was tailgaiting and chatty drivers on their cellphones. Further down the list, but higher on the annoyance meter: waiting for repair people.

Jennifer Havelock is a very frustrated consumer when it comes to repairs. “If they say 8 to 4, you're required to take a whole day off to do something like stay home and get your TV fixed," says Havelock.
 
One CTV viewer wrote in to complain about automatic renewal for things like lawn care services or other subscriptions.
"The fact that someone is going to charge your credit card or debit your bank account in the hopes that you will forget to cancel really irritates me."

Other viewers, like Rochelle say, "My biggest complaint as a consumer is products that don't do what they say they will."

Some viewers found complaining in writing to companies can actually get results. But as the Genesys survey found, some consumers aren't even bothering.

73 percent said they left a company because of poor service and have no plans to go back.

Genesys says it's their business to streamline customer complaints through the web, phone and cell phone. It says it's working with some major companies to make communications with consumers better.

So, here's hoping at least one of the complaints - annoying automated calls - may be on their way out.

 - from a report by CTV’s Eleanor Coopsammy