The best of business shortlisted for the Which? Awards 2013

The best retailers, supermarkets, banks and mobile service providers have been announced in the shortlist for the Which? Awards 2013 today.

With eight in 10 (80%) consumers saying that customer service is important to them, the Which? Awards publicly recognise those companies who consistently get it right for their customers*.

This year a new Best Customer Care award highlights companies that consistently deliver excellent customer service and put consumers at the heart of their business.

The Which? Awards 2013 shortlist announced today is:

>  Best Customer Care: Amazon, First Direct, John Lewis, Lexus, Lush and Waitrose;

>  Best Supermarket: Aldi, Lidl, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose;

>  Best Retailer: Apple, John Lewis, Liz Earle, Lush and Richer Sounds;

>  Best Financial Services Provider: First Direct, Nationwide, NFU Mutual and the Co-operative Banking Group;

>  Best Car Manufacturer: BMW, Ford, Skoda and Volkswagen;

>  Best Audio-Visual Brand: LG, Samsung and Sony;

>  Best Photography Brand: Canon, Panasonic and Sony;

>  Best Computing Brand: Apple, Google and Samsung;

>  Best Home Appliance Brand: AEG, Bosch, Panasonic and Siemens; and

>  Best Telecom Services Provider: O2, Plusnet, Tesco Mobile and Zen Internet.

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said:

“The Which? Awards 2013 celebrates those companies that go the extra mile to put their customers first.

“Excellent customer service is good for customers and good for business.  This year, as we highlight the very best of business, we will also recognise those companies who put customers at the heart of what they do with a dedicated award for customer care.

“I look forward to congratulating the winners.”

Notes to editors:

* Customer service survey: Populus, on behalf of Which?, interviewed 2,057 UK adults online between 28 March and 1 April 2013.  Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all UK adults. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

1.  The Which? Awards 2013 winners will be announced at a ceremony held on Wednesday 19 June.

2.  The Which? Awards 2013 have two additional categories: Best Customer Care and Best Computing brand award.

3.  Awards will also be given in the following categories, still to be shortlisted: Which? Local Business of the Year and The Good Food Guide Reader’s Restaurant of the Year.

4.  The Which? Awards are completely independent and unlike many industry awards, a company cannot nominate itself. The shortlist is chosen by our experts based on research, testing, Best Buys and feedback from Which? members and the general public.

5. Visit the Which? Awards website.

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