At the moment customers of British banks, for example, can complain free of charge.
ECONOMIST: How to stop compensation claims from getting out of control
Mr Bentley told the BBC's Newsnight that British Gas was making the changes because its customers had said they did not like the current pricing structures.
So what can be done to restore health to the British motor trade and encourage customers to return to the showrooms?
We have to be much more focused on customers than the old British Rail service was.
The Treasury, along with governments of both stripes, believed that the old British Rail was run more in the interests of employees than of customers, and so was loth to stump up more money.
At the time, Dirk Vennix, chief executive of the Association of British Bookmakers, said most of the gambling industry's eight million customers spent "safely and responsibly".
In May EDS opened an office in Budapest that will perform finance and accounting tasks for EDS operations in 17 countries (the British government is one of EDS' biggest customers).
Customers can contact the Association of British Insurers where details of some of the common name changes are kept and are therefore helpful in tracking down companies that have taken over policies.
The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) said most customers spent "safely and responsibly".
"Airline colleagues are now caring for customers in the airport terminal, " said British Airways.
British Gas says customers will only pay for the energy they use, putting an end to estimated bills.
The main British package-holiday operators have already stopped flying customers to Mexico.
Its high-touch service model, though impressive, is not impossible to replicate (British bank customers will get something similar with the opening next month of Metro Bank, one of whose founders was the force behind Commerce Bank).
In the 1970s the FTSE 100 was made up largely of parochial companies serving British customers.
According to Burnside, the Pathfinder can save some customers up to 60% over British Telecom's call-forwarding fees.
ENGADGET: Device lets UK cellphone customers forward calls on the cheap
The central problem for Corus today is a lack of customers in the UK - fewer ships are being built, the car industry is shrinking, and the loss of these huge customers leaves very little demand for British steel.
After the Icelandic bank Landsbanki collapsed in October 2008, both the British and Dutch governments decided to compensate more than 340, 000 customers who had lost money.
"Since we released our last forecasts in December the global ad market has taken a substantial turn for the worse, " said Zenith Optimedia, whose own customers include British Airways, Hewlett Packard and Nestle.
The British Gas boss claimed that 85% of the price it charges customers is outside its control, including wholesale gas prices and the cost of government policies to try to reduce emissions and help the poorest households.
The implication is that with its 30% market share, Tesco took its British customers for granted.
Revenue in the firm's main insurance division, which covers Irish as well as British customers, rose by 7%.
ECONOMIST: The private sector may not play the government's game
The British Bankers' Association says that switching is "easy" and, if customers stay in credit, it is fee-free.
Air France commercial flights are to resume November 7, while British Airways will run a preview flight for corporate customers and reporters the same day and resume its regular commercial service on November 9.
Barclays, a British bank and the premiership's global sponsor, is determined to lure new customers across Africa.
"Some banks ran out of forms, so people started to think the staff were holding them back for their favourite customers, " said Alhassan Goussous, head of investment services at The Saudi British Bank.
The reasons for the price rise echoed the views last week of British Gas managing director Phil Bentley, who claimed that 85% of the price it charged to customers was outside its control.
The brewer has been restrained to the U.S. and British market, where high unemployment and weak job growth directly hit its target customers.
FORBES: Molson Coors Beats Estimates With Higher Prices, But Sales Miss
Ofgem welcomed the move, saying that British Gas had recognised that suppliers need an "open and honest dialogue" with their customers.
E-retailer Yoox and British style magazine i-D have launched a Facebook application and contest to celebrate the styling talents of their customers and readers, respectively.
FORBES: i-D Magazine, Yoox Launch Facebook Promo for Stylists
Instead of using miles to travel the globe through the Star Alliance of carriers, however, US Airways customers will have to deal with new international partners through the oneworld alliance, led by American and British Airways.
应用推荐