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Date Published: 31/03/2023

ARCHIVED - Spanish lender CaixaBank named Worst Company of the Year 2022 by users

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

Spanish giants Vodafone and Endesa were also nominated for the undesirable title

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Spanish lender CaixaBank named Worst Company of the Year 2022 by users

CaixaBank, Spain's third largest lender, has been named Worst Company of the Year 2022 by disgruntled users after bagging 39% of votes in the 13th annual 'award' organised by FACUA Consumers in Action.

The multinational financial services company was joined in the undesirable line-up by Spanish giants Vodafone and energy supplier Endesa.

This is the first year that the bank has been nominated for this award, which was first launched in 2010 to highlight "serious abuses" that occur in the consumer market and to promote more responsible practices among companies and service providers.

To date, the company that has received the 'name and shame' award the most times is telecommunications provider owned by Telefónica, Movistar.

The country's largest provider of landline, broadband, mobile services, and pay television has been named worst company no less than five times.

Voting took place between March 15 and 30. The Worst (and most sexist) Advertisement of 2022 went to the Galician Government for a campaign against gender violence in which the focus was "once again" on the victims, blaming them for the way they dress or the hours they go out on the street, according to the public.

This year's nominees were those companies that yielded the most complaints to FACUA from consumers in sectors as important as telecommunications, energy and banking.

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In the case of CaixaBank, the main complaints related to the refusal to return money 'defrauded' when charging mortgage arrangement fees, together with usurious interest on loans, the charging of 'abusive' fees and the refusal to return amounts stolen in cases of phishing or smishing.

Along with the Worst Company award, users also voted for what they consider to be the Worst Business Abuse of the Year. The winner was the "constant and indiscriminate increase" in food prices, with 58% of the votes, at a time when households are feeling the pinch of high inflation and an economic crisis.

Previous Worst Company 'winners' and nominees include:

2021: Endesa ('winner') followed by Vodafone and Banco Santander.
2020: Endesa, Vodafone, Banco Santander and Vueling.
2019: Endesa, Vodafone, BBVA and Vueling.
2018: Vodafone, BBVA, Endesa and Ryanair.
2017: Endesa, BBVA, Vodafone and Volkswagen.
2016: Movistar, BBVA, El Corte Inglés and Volkswagen.
2015: Movistar, Santander, Twitter and Volkswagen.
2014: Gilead, Bankia, Orange, Divatto and Repsol.
2013: Bankia, Endesa, Iberdrola, Movistar and Vodafone.
2012: Bankia, Endesa, Iberdrola, Movistar and Vodafone.
2011: Movistar, Bankia, CAM, Vodafone and Ryanair.
2010: Movistar, Vodafone, Bankinter, Power Balance and Ryanair.
2009: Movistar, Air Comet, Orange, Ryanair and Vodafone

Image: Archive

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