Energy News

Energy Providers Worst for Customer Satisfaction

Thursday 25 September, 2008

By hazel.cottrell@consumerchoices.co.uk

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Energy providers are the lowest performing of all industries when it comes to customer satisfaction, scoring lower than insurance companies, mobile phone operators and even banks.

Five out of the “Big Six” energy providers scored less than 50% for customer satisfaction in the first ever “Energy Supplier Satisfaction” survey conducted by the consumer group Which? (www.which.co.uk).

Npower (www.npower.com) performed the worst with a score of only 32% - customers are unhappy with billing, customer service online support, telephone support and value for money.

One in five Which? members surveyed had experienced problems with their energy supplier over the past 12 months, including:

• Not receiving bills or receiving bills with errors
• Suppliers not coming to read the meter
• Problems contacting their provider or resolving queries

Furthermore, only one in three had received any advice on how to save energy.

In the report, Which? revealed that providers could also be setting direct debits too high. More than one in five gas customers and around one in six electricity customers who pay by direct debit and were in credit with their providers said the credit on their account was more than £100. As a result, Which? estimates that direct debit customers could have overpaid by around £660m in total.

Jess Ross, Editor of which.co.uk, said: “This is the first time that we've asked members about their energy suppliers and we're shocked to see the results - too many suppliers are letting customers down and charging them more and more for the privilege! These companies are providing essential services that people can't live without, but this isn't an excuse to offer poor value for money.”

Nine out of ten members who had switched energy providers in the last 12 months said that it was easy to switch.

Chris Eagle, commercial manager at EnergyChoices.co.uk says: “If you are unhappy with the service offered by your energy supplier, now is the time to do something about it. Switching energy suppliers is, for the vast majority of customers, a simple and seamless process and can save you up to £276* a year. Read our Energy Switching Guide for help and advice on how to do this.”

* at least 10% of customers who switched energy supplier or tariff via EnergyChoices gained a saving of between £276.34 and £1,412.95 during the period 1 September 2008 and 31 October 2008.

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