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Mancs named among the top 10 ‘biggest complainers’ in the UK

57% of Manchester residents admit to leaving negative online reviews.

Emily Sergeant - 15th August 2024

A new ranking of the UK cities which are home to the ‘biggest complainers’ has named Manchester in the top 10.

You may remember that back in April, Manchester was crowned the ‘rudest’ city in the UK, and then similarly, some hilarious data collated last year also revealed a list of the top names of people who leave the most one-star reviews.

And now, a new survey has been thrown into the mix to call us Mancs out once again.

In a bid to find out what where the country’s biggest complainers reside, and what grinds their gears so much, small business credit card company, Capital on Tap, surveyed more than 1,000 Brits and asked them what exactly it is that drives them to hop online and leave a business either a positive or negative review.

Manchester claimed the sixth spot on the list, with 57% of our city’s residents admitting to leaving negative reviews.

Mancs have been named among the top 10 ‘biggest complainers’ in the UK / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | ITV

Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield are some of the other northern cities to join Manchester in the top 10, while it was the Northern Irish capital of Belfast that came out on top of the survey as the city most likely to leave a negative review – with 90% admitting they would do so.

When it comes to the reasons why Brits leave negative reviews, the survey revealed that a poor quality product or service is at the top, with 72% saying they would do so in this situation, while people are also more likely to leave a negative review if they have a bad experience overall, whether that be with a national company (69%) or a small business (66%).

It is interesting to note, however, that the survey found Brits tend to be a little more forgiving of small businesses as opposed to the larger giants.

57% of Manchester residents admit to leaving negative online reviews / Credit: Manchester City Council (via Facebook)

On the flip side, respondents said they are more likely to leave a positive review if they think the product or service provides good value for money, with 84% saying they would do this, while an additional 83% said they would leave a positive review if the business offered good-quality customer service.

“Negative reviews can clearly have a big impact on consumer behaviour,” commented Capital on Tap’s COO, Alex Miles, on the survey findings.

“In fact, our survey found 11% of people say they wouldn’t buy a product or use a service if it has an online review below five stars.

“If you do receive negative reviews as a business owner, don’t ignore them. This is a chance to fix the problem, but it’s also an opportunity to show other potential customers that you’re a professional company that cares about the experience of each individual.

“Any negative feedback is also a chance to improve your product or service.”

Featured Image – Glenn Carstens-Peters (via Unsplash)