What do you think is the main source
of complaints about energy companies? Price rises? Equipment problems? Long
waits for the phone to be answered? Rude staff?
Actually it is none of these. According
to new research by Citizens Advice, the main source of complaints made to
energy companies is about inaccurate or late bills.
The accuracy of billing accounts for a
massive 60% of all problems reported. The second biggest issue was the way
complaints are handled (17%) and phone waiting times (12%).
Interestingly, the research shows that
customers still prefer to use the phone when contacting their supplier about a
problem, despite various other online methods available to report problems.
According to Gillian Guy, CEO of
Citizens Advice: "Every energy supply company should be able to provide
its customers with an accurate bill. It is the very least people should expect.
The inability of some suppliers to get this right causes a great deal of
unnecessary stress for customers."
The Energy Ombudsman, which aims to
deal with unresolved disputes between suppliers and their customers, said that
the biggest billing problems were disputed energy usage, disputed account
balances, and delays.
According to Jodi Hamilton,
Relationships Director at the Energy Ombudsman: "At a time when consumers
are savvier and more price-sensitive than ever, accurate and timely billing is
a vital foundation for any energy supplier looking to build and maintain trust
with its customers. We are keen to work with energy suppliers of all sizes to
help them resolve more billing disputes in-house and reduce the number of
complaints that come to us."
What are the best and worst companies according to Citizens Advice?
Citizens Advice has put together a
table of the best and worst energy companies. They test energy companies on a variety
of customer service factors, rather than just price. This includes issues such
as accurate billing and swift resolution of problems if something goes wrong.
Citizens Advice suggest that these
issues should be considered alongside any deals being offered when customers
search for a new supplier using a price comparison website.
TOP FIVE
Breeze Energy
So Energy
EDF Energy
Octopus Energy
SSE
So Energy
EDF Energy
Octopus Energy
SSE
BOTTOM FIVE (listed worst
upwards)
Nabuh Energy
Utilita
Green Star Energy
Outfox the Market
Ecotricity
Utilita
Green Star Energy
Outfox the Market
Ecotricity