Energy Ombudsman given new powers to tackle "industry-wide problems".
The Government has pledged to work with Ofgem and Citizens Advice to address “systemic industry-wide problems” where energy suppliers are treating their customers badly.
To do this, it is strengthening the role of the Energy Ombudsman, giving it new powers to improve redress schemes and boost the overall performance of energy companies.
According to a recent poll of our readers, 39% of loveMONEY users said that they had made a complaint to their energy supplier within the last three months. The Energy Ombudsman reports that it received 35,309 escalated complaints in the first six months of this year – up by a whopping 55% on the same period in 2014.
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Giving the Ombudsman "real teeth" to tackle energy firms
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said: “We want to see the Ombudsman’s role going beyond simply resolving individual complaints so that it has real teeth.”
[SPOTLIGHT]She said that the Ombudsman will be empowered so that it can work alongside Ofgem “to address industry-wide problems that are making life miserable for consumers", as well as deal with repeated failings of poorly performing firms.
Currently, the Energy Ombudsman (part of Ombudsman Services) can only get involved in resolving individual cases where a customer has complained and been unsatisfied with the response from their energy supplier.
Chief Ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith, said: "As the Energy Ombudsman, dealing with over £50,000 complaints annually, we have the experience and the capabilities to make this work for consumers and energy suppliers alike."
If you have complained to your energy provider but they are not listening to your concerns, you can contact the Energy Ombudsman on 0330 440 1624.
The worst energy firms
The current leader in complaints is ScottishPower, which received a complaint from nearly one in ten of its customers during the three-month period to the end of June 2015, according to statistics from Citizens Advice.
For more, read The worst energy companies.
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