TEMPE, Ariz. — Americans are angrier than ever at the companies they do business with, according to the latest National Customer Rage Survey, released by Customer Care Measurement & Consulting (CCMC) and Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. The 2025 report shows a collapse in marketplace civility, a rise in digital confrontations, and growing frustration with customer service systems that many consumers say are more difficult to navigate than ever before.
The study found that 77% of consumers experienced a problem with a product or service in the past 12 months. This is a record high and more than double the share reported in 1976, when a similar federal study was first conducted for the White House. The level exceeds 74% reported in 2023 and far surpasses the 66% recorded during the pandemic. Businesses now face more than $596 billion in future revenue losses due to unresolved complaints and declining customer trust.
The Wall Street Journal, which previewed the findings, highlighted how routine catastrophic service failures have become, citing the sudden November shutdown of hotel-and-apartment rental company Sonder that left guests locked out of rooms with their belongings inside. Such disruptions, once rare, now happen in an environment where consumer patience is already worn thin.
High Effort, High Anger
A major cause of frustration is the growing divide between easy purchases and difficult problem-solving. Sixty-eight percent of consumers said that lodging a complaint required “high or very high effort,” up from 65% in 2023. The main frustrations include long automated messages before reaching a representative and difficulty contacting a company for the first time.
“Even after more than two decades of researching customer rage, I remain astonished that — when sorting out ordinary product and service problems — simple kindness and empathy are still in short supply,” said Scott M. Broetzmann, president and CEO of CCMC. “The frequency and visibility of customers and companies misbehaving have become disturbingly routine — and, at times, genuinely unsettling.
The level of anger is also escalating. Sixty-four percent of customers who reported an issue said they felt “rage,” while half raised their voices, the highest rate in the survey’s two-decade history. Nearly one-third said the experience caused emotional stress.
Complaints Shift Online, With Companies Often Absent
Digital channels have surpassed phone calls as the main way consumers complain: 45% now use email, chat, or social media, compared to 33% who use the phone. One in four consumers publicly posted about their most serious problem, yet 43% said the business never responded.
Many companies are increasingly directing complaints to chatbots as artificial intelligence tools spread across customer service. However, the survey found that consumers rated AI only slightly negatively for resolving issues, indicating that the technology might be worsening frustrations rather than reducing them.
Civility in Freefall
This year’s survey expanded its scope to examine incivility tied to disagreements over companies’ political, religious, or diversity-related positions. Fifteen percent of Americans admitted behaving uncivilly toward a business in the past year, and 55% believe incivility is rising. More than one in four cited “moral decay” as its primary driver.
Nearly 20% of respondents believe behaviors like threats, mocking employees, or profanity can be “civil” or acceptable depending on the circumstances, marking a sharp shift in attitudes that researchers warn is transforming frontline interactions.
A Worsening Trend Confirmed Across Studies
The decline in customer satisfaction is not unique to the National Customer Rage Survey. Multiple studies cited by The Wall Street Journal align with the findings:
• In Broadridge Financial Solutions’ 2025 Customer Experience and Communications survey, 71% of respondents indicated that companies need to enhance customer experience, setting a new record.
• Forrester’s 2025 Customer Experience Index revealed that brand scores in the U.S. and Canada have declined for four consecutive years, with a new low of 68.3 out of 100.
• Only 7% of brands saw a year-over-year improvement in their CX scores, while 25% experienced a decline. Forrester compared this trend to “a frog in heating water,” suggesting brands might be slipping into danger unnoticed.
Forrester also found significant class-based disparities: consumers identifying as upper class were nearly twice as satisfied with complaint outcomes as middle- and working-class customers, reflecting companies’ increasing reliance on tiered service access.
Searching for Bright Spots
Some companies continue to excel. Pet retailer Chewy once again led Forrester’s index, earning an 80.3 score for empathetic support, intuitive digital tools, and consistent responsiveness.
But such performers are becoming increasingly rare in a marketplace where rising prices, limited staffing, automated systems, and corporate cost-cutting have eroded trust.
The Path Forward
Experts point to solutions that remain surprisingly simple.
“Defusing customer rage still isn’t rocket science,” said Thomas Hollmann, executive director of the Center for Services Leadership at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. “Even as technology and social media transform how people voice their frustrations, the human need to feel heard and respected hasn’t changed. A genuine apology, a clear explanation, and a little empathy go a long way. When companies treat customers with dignity — even online — they can turn moments of conflict into lasting loyalty.”
The National Customer Rage Survey, which surveys responses from 1,000 U.S. consumers, is the longest-running study in the country on customer dissatisfaction and complaint behavior.
The full report is available at customercaremc.com.
