Ofgem criticise energy suppliers complaints handling
29/09/2014
Over half of people who complain to their energy suppliers are not satisfied with the way their complaints are handled, according to new research.
The report came from the Office of Gas and Electricity markets, (Ofgem), an independent National Regulatory Authority who protect the interests of existing and future electricity and gas consumers. The research claims that 57% of domestic consumers who made a complaint to their energy supplier were not happy with the way their complaint was handled and in nearly half of cases where the supplier considered the case resolved, the customer did not. The key areas consumers were most concerned about were:
• The speed of resolving a complaint
• Communication during the complaints process
• How pro active suppliers were at resolving complaints
Ofgem has now contacted energy suppliers to urge them to improve the way they handle customers complaints.
Dermot Nolan, Ofgem chief executive said: “These satisfaction scores are frankly awful. Almost all energy suppliers need to improve their complaints handling as a matter of urgency. There are real business benefits to good complaints handling schemes, and it shouldn’t need a regulator to tell companies about the importance of this.
“Suppliers must now tell their customers what steps they will be taking to put things right. We are already formally investigating npower about complaints handling and other customer service issues, and this should send a strong signal to all suppliers that, where necessary, we will take action.”
Ofgem now plans to bring forward the next survey of complainants, to see whether the necessary improvements have happened and decide if more regulatory action is needed.
Need financial advice?
If you have any personal finance questions related to this news article, then please contact our financial advisers. You can get in touch by asking a question online, calling us on 0800 092 1245, or by arranging a visit
Share this..
Related stories
Is the government set to means test bus passes?
A report by the Local Government Association has today caused outrage among pensioners and pensioner support groups with the indication that means testing for free bus travel for pensioners could come into play in the short term. Local authorities believe that the £1 billion free bus pass scheme is a waste of taxpayer's money with more and more middle-class pensioners owning their own vehicles an...
Read MorePrice Of Oil Moves Higher After Iran Missile Test
News that Iran has been testing a long range missile with the capability to hit Israel has sent the price of oil a little higher after falling $10 over the last few days. Its seems as though the current price is balanced on a knife edge with buyers conscious of the problems between Iran and Israel and sellers monitoring the falling demand for oil as economies around the world continue to slow. N...
Read MoreOnline shopping continues to grow in popularity
Even though it took awhile for the online shopping sector to take off, growth of 35% in 2007, 25% in 2008 and a forecast 13.3% in 2009 are substantial figures by anybody's standards. However, whether it is the recession or the fact that the rate of growth is slowing naturally, the fall from 35% growth to 13% in two years is substantial. However, retailers will be pleased to know that turnover is e...
Read MoreAre Green issues just for the boom times?
You may have noticed that over the last few months we have seen less and less green issues hitting the headlines, no news on new green taxes and a distinct lack of interest from the public. This now begs the question as to whether green issues are just a back handed tax for the boom times or has the consumer simply fallen out of love with the environment.
When you consider the situ...
UK students targeted by Internet scammers
The authorities have today issued a warning to UK students amid news that 50 phishing websites have been closed down in the last 12 months which were specifically targeting students and attempting to harvest confidential information from them. It is known that a number of these websites were sending out e-mails purporting to be from the Student Loans Company asking for repayments and confidential...
Read More