Energy suppliers need to take complaints more seriously
February 20, 2008
Officials from the consumer campaign group Energywatch have stated that energy suppliers in the UK are taking far too long to deal with customer complaints, adding that it was taking some of the energy giants over seven months to deal with some complaints, which had resulted in customers dissatisfaction levels rocketing to 97%. Energy companies are now being urged to take customers complaints more seriously and get these issues dealt with more efficiently and quickly.
Energywatch officials have asked the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem to introduce a set of standards that must be met by each of the energy suppliers in relation to dealing with customers’ complaints.
The issue was highlighted after the majority of the 1100 consumers that contacted Energywatch helplines last year stated that the issue or complaint was not resolved to their satisfaction, and added that they felt let down by their energy supplier.
According to officials from the campaign group there has been some progress made with regards to how the energy suppliers deal with customer complaints, but there is still some way to go.
One official from the group stated: “Everything is designed to put consumers off. When consumers have a problem they need to be able to make effective complaints and get the problem sorted out.”
However, an official from the Energy Retail Association stated: “A more significant statistic is the 70% drop in complaints Energywatch has recorded over the past five years in all areas, including doorstep sales, switching and billing.”
Officials also said: “The industry has already established the Energy Supply Ombudsman scheme, a billing code, a code of practice for doorstep sales and a set of principles on complaint handling to which all suppliers subscribe.”
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