Broadband providers must improve customer service because internet users are more likely to switch online organisations due to dissatisfaction.

Research by the Co-operative Bank revealed that 23 per cent of people have had negative experiences with their internet service providers including poor service, faulty products and problematic staff.

Overall, the British consumer will undergo an average of 246 poor customer service experiences, with restaurants and banks being the biggest culprits for employing unhelpful workers.

Organisations which improve customer service are likely to be rewarded as a third of people are willing to tip employees if they are happy with their consumer experience.

This comes as good news for hairdressers because they topped the bank's survey for the profession which provided the best customer service levels with 31 per cent of people claiming to be pleased with their haircut.

Rod Bulmer, from The Co-operative Bank, said that it was concerning that British consumers were not receiving the appropriate levels of customer service.

He said: "The research shows that we can all learn something from the approach adopted by professions such as hairdressers, who make a real effort to engage on a personal level with their customers.

"Organisations need to recognise that a positive and personalised customer service experience is absolutely imperative in attracting new and retaining existing customers."

The research discovered that people were most dissatisfied with their banks but were not as willing to take their custom elsewhere when compared with internet service providers.

James Daley, editor of Which? Money, said that people should not remain with a bank if they do not improve customer service and consistently let them down.

He added: "There's no excuse for bad service, and there's absolutely no need to put up with it.

"There are a small number of financial companies who score consistently well in our satisfaction surveys, and we'd urge people who are not happy with their bank or insurer to vote with their feet, and move to a company that will treat them with the respect they deserve."

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) reported earlier this year that more people complained about Lloyds Banking Group than any other financial firm in the second half of 2009.

There were 18 per cent more complaints in second half of 2009 compared with the first half of the year and the FOS argued that this could be a result of more people being aware of the compliant procedure.