Singapore  - Dissatisfied customers in Singapore prefer to whine and gripe rather than lodge formal complaints to seek redress, a published survey said Monday.

In the first wide-ranging survey of customer satisfaction, only 6 per cent of the 12,000 people polled said that they opt for action.

The "talk only, no action" preference contrasts with consumers elsewhere, The Straits Times said, citing a similar poll in the United States that found 14 per cent of Americans would file a complaint about poor treatment.

The Customer Satisfaction Index noted that 17 per cent of those queried in the city-state were tourists.

Lodging a formal complaint is regarded as a "rigmarole," sociologist Terene Chong of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies was quoted as saying.

Singaporeans prefer to indulge in "informal private whining, rather than formal complaints," Chong said. They are also conscious of "losing face."

"There is a line between the individual and an authority, or citizens and institutions, and many Singaporeans don't want to cross the line," Chong noted. (dpa)