Ombudsman Services has revealed it received record complaint levels against energy firms.
Complaints against energy firms have hit record levels, according to Ombudsman Services.
The Ombudsman is the independent service that settles disputes between the general public and communications, energy, property and copyright licensing industries.
During the first three months of 2014, Ombudsman Services received 10,638 complaints about energy girms. During the same period last year, that figure stood at just 3,277, meaning a rise of a frankly astonishing 224%.
February saw the sharpest rise, from 1,031 last year to 3,626 this year, a rise of 251%. There were 1,793 complaints in December of last year, jumping sharply to 3,517 in January.
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What we are complaining about
Billing remains the top complaint, with 2,062 consumers saying that they weren’t receiving bills, and another 1,474 registering complaints regarding billing charges.
[SPOTLIGHT]Customer service was also a big issue, with 1,067 complaints related to this. When we polled the lovemoney.com readers last year, looking to find the best energy supplier, it was noteworthy that the three firms that came out top were all smaller players. For more read lovemoney Awards 2013: best energy supplier.
The figures come as Ofgem announces its intention to refer the energy market to the Competition and Markets Authority for a full market investigation.
How to complain to the Ombudsman
If you have an issue with your energy provider, you need to complain to them directly first. They then have eight weeks in which to deal with the matter to your satisfaction. Make sure you keep notes on all of your correspondence over this period as it could come in useful.
If they either do not respond, or don't respond to your liking, then you can take your complaint to the Ombudsman, either on its website or on 0330 440 1624.
Not happy? Switch!
If you aren't happy with your energy supplier, why not take a look at others?
|
Supplier |
Tariff |
Average Cost |
Saving vs Typical Bill* |
Fix or Discounted Variable |
Fix Period |
Cancellation Penalties |
|
First Utility |
£1,013 |
£302 |
Fix |
May 31, 2015 |
£30 per fuel if you switch away before end of fix |
|
|
Extra Energy |
£1,014 |
£301 |
Fix |
September 30, 2015 |
£25 per fuel if you switch away before end of fix |
|
|
Ovo |
£1,015 |
£300 |
Fix |
12 Months |
£30 per fuel if switching before fix end |
|
|
Ovo |
£1,075 |
£240 |
Fix |
12 Months |
£30 per fuel if switching before fix end |
|
|
Green Star Energy |
£1,076 |
£239 |
Fix |
12 Months |
£31.50 per fuel if you switch away before end of fix |
*Saving calculated against an average bill £1,315 as calculated by Ofgem 2014.
Source: energyhelpline.com, 07/04/14 - All calculations are for an average usage dual fuel household paying by monthly direct debit. Average usage as defined by Ofgem is 13,500 kWh pa of gas and 3,200 kWh pa of electricity
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