Average Brit spends three DAYS of their life on hold to customer service hotlines

The hell on earth that is calling customer service hotlines is eating up three days of our lives, a new study has revealed.

According to Giffgaff, we typically make calls to customer service lines about four times a year, spending around 17 minutes on hold on each occasion.

This means that the average adult, who lives to age 63, will spend close to 70 hours waiting to be put through – nearly three days.

38 per cent of callers prefer to multi-task by visiting the loo while waiting to get through; 16 per cent opt to watch a film, while 3 per cent prefer to take a shower.

About six out of 10 people admitted to feeling frustrated while left on hold, while 24 per cent feel angry.

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The study of 2,033 UK adults also revealed the key phrases guaranteed to make a caller fume: ‘Our lines are closed, please call back’ topped the list, followed by ‘You’ve come through to the wrong department’ and ‘Please listen to the following options’.

Ash Schofield of Giffgaff said: “What would you rather do to get your query answered – spend 17 minutes on hold to a machine or spend 90 seconds online?

“Giffgaff applauds the plucky Brits who manage to multi-task while on hold, but this research backs up what we already know – young people now want to do everything online. Surely the UK has reached a ‘peak call centre’ moment, so let’s change a broken system.”