- Ryanair received 238 complaints and Aer Lingus received 156 complaints in H1 2026
- Rathwood was the most complained about business with 737 complaints
- Overall complaints reached 22,724 with consumers spending an average of €6,473
- Utilities and fuel complaints jumped 248pc to 2,130 compared to 2025
- The CCPC referred almost 6,000 consumers to the Small Claims Court
Ryanair was the second most complained about business in Ireland with 238 complaints, while Aer Lingus ranked ninth with 156 complaints in the first six months of the year, according to the latest helpline report from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Overall, there were 22,724 complaints made to the consumer watchdog’s helpline for the first half of the year, with faulty goods, second-hand cars and home improvements being the main areas of concern. Consumers reported spending an average of €6,473 on the product or service they contacted the CCPC about.
Garden centre and outdoor furniture retailer Rathwood was the most complained about business during the first half of this year, attracting 737 complaints between January and June. The company recently exited examinership after securing a €750,000 investment. Sky (228 complaints), Currys (223 complaints) and Harvey Norman (196 complaints) completed the top five. Rathwood has had well-publicised issues in relation to delays in delivering customers’ orders as well as issuing refunds.
After the retailer entered examinership in April, the CCPC advised customers affected to take action immediately and request a chargeback from their bank or card provider if they had not already done so. The CCPC started to see a sharp increase in calls to Rathwood early last year, prompting it to open an investigation into the company. There was also a big jump in the numbers complaining about fuel prices, with 2,130 complaints related to utilities and fuel, a 248pc jump when compared with the same period in 2025.
Aoibhín de Búrca, CCPC Director of Communications, shared: “We started to see a sharp increase in calls to Rathwood early last year, which prompted us to open an investigation into the company, “91pc of consumers took action following calls to the helpline and nearly 40pc were resolved, with almost half of consumers having to contact the retailer more than five times.” In July, with the help of intelligence received by the helpline, the CCPC secured the return of €250,000 in unspent gift card credit to Irish consumers by JD Sports.”
