Petition · past parliament · Department for Business and Trade

Require companies to publish wait time on phones, with fines for excessive waits

Closed 38 signatures

What the petition asks

Require the quarterly publication of statistics for phone queuing and fine businesses who have excessive wait times.
I believe that many businesses are abusing customers with ridiculous under-staffing in a necessary function. It is unfair that a consumer is treated thus when the business won’t accept email communications. All too often I spend many hours being kept on hold in order to have a 1 minute conversation with a service provider. Why is the customer’s time treated as if of such little value to save the business the cost of staffing appropriately? I believe that it is abusive in the modern era.

Timeline

4 Jan 2024 Petition opened for signatures
29 May 2024 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 38
Status Closed
Department Department for Business and Trade
Opened 4 Jan 2024
Closed 29 May 2024

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.