The figures come from Resolver’s first Annual Data Report while compiles complaint figures per industry sector based on data from its users.

Resolver found that its users made 267,141 complaints about online shopping from March 2020 to April 2021, up 138% on the previous year. Despite shops being shut for large portions of the year, high street shopping complaints only dipped by 8% to 65,501 cases.

Package delivery complaints were the second most complained about sector, with 91,906 complaints made specifically about delivery firms. A further 111,150 complaints about deliveries were made against online retailers, making a total this year of 203,056 complaints about deliveries, with an additional 2,147 complaints about package delivery insurance.

Complaints about the travel and holiday industry topped 110,000 combined, though more than half of those were made to online travel marketplaces. Thousands more complaints related to refunds attempted through travel insurers and financial firms.

More than 70,000 complaints were made about banks and financial services with packaged bank accounts, overdrafts, loans and credit issues driving complaints.

Complaints about takeaways increased by 42% as the nation collectively dined in. The 26,506 cases were split between restaurants and delivery firms and online ordering services.

Alex Neill, Resolver’s chief executive, said: “Resolver’s Annual Data serves as a timely reminder that behind every statistic and trend, there are real people, whose lives are fundamentally affected by the way businesses and other organisations deal with their complaints, from processes to communication channels. The way complaints are handled significantly affects people’s lives and has a big impact on how we feel about a brand.

“What I have been struck by this year from our data is just how difficult it can be to simply get in touch with a business to lodge a complaint, and then to get an appropriate, timely resolution. It’s a significant source of pain and frustration for consumers and it has reinforced the critical role Resolver has in helping consumers and businesses to communicate effectively to achieve the right resolution for everyone.”