A survey of 10,000 people, conducted by the Institute of Customer Service, found one in six had experienced service issues with at least one company in the last six months.

A quarter said organisations were using the Covid crisis as an excuse for poor service.

The transport sector saw the highest number of complaints, followed by local public services such as GP surgeries, local councils and police services.

The report found one in five customers have cut back spending over the past year, while a third are prepared to pay more for quality service.

Jo Causon, chief executive at The Institute of Customer Service, said: “We are at a critical juncture for the UK economy. As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, customers have become ever more discerning with where they spend their money and it is essential that organisations pay close attention to their full service offering.”

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First Direct topped the table for customer satisfaction followed closely by John Lewis and Amazon.