Responding to the Government’s proposals on changes to complaints handling and compensation for energy customers, Energy UK’s Deputy Director (Customers) Ned Hammond said:
“The Energy Ombudsman’s own figures showed a big fall in customer complaints last year which – along with Ofgem and Citizens Advice’s survey demonstrating strong energy customer satisfaction levels – illustrates how the investment in extra staff and training by suppliers in response to increased demand has delivered clear improvements in customer service.
“It’s absolutely right that customers have effective redress when things go wrong and it should be the suppliers that are the primary route for resolving complaints successfully. The changes proposed, such as reducing the length of time for references or automatic referrals to the Ombudsman, threaten to undermine that important principle and in turn, customer confidence in their supplier.
“Customers’ interests would be better served by building on the recent progress suppliers have made and by the Ombudsman working with the industry, Ofgem and consumer groups like Citizens Advice to reduce the causes of complaints further and continue to improve how suppliers handle them.
“Equally it’s right that customers can get automatic compensation when suppliers don’t meet expectations – as they do already around things like switching and getting final bills within agreed timescales. But these schemes only work where there are clear and consistent agreed expectations and standards – ill-defined and sprawling additions won’t benefit anybody and will add to customer frustrations rather than helping them.”