Energy firms 'making progress' on complaint handling - 03/04/2012

The UK's major energy suppliers have made some improvements in the way they deal with customer complaints, but there is still a lot of work to be done to restore faith in the industry.

This is according to Ofgem, which observed the Big Six firms have made steady progress since the regulator began analysing how they deal with problems in 2010.

Its third annual survey found two in five customers stated they were happy with the way their complaint had been resolved, compared with 25 per cent two years ago.

However, around half of respondents said they were 'quite' or 'very' dissatisfied with how their problems had been handled, suggesting there is still a long way to go.

"The research has identified a number of priority areas where suppliers can focus their efforts for improving customer satisfaction in future," Ofgem noted.

Calling a customer when promised, taking a proactive approach to issues resolution and a representative being able to make decisions quickly were among the key elements the energy regulator said will improve consumer approval.

This is because the research found the speed of complaint handling and a lack of contact details to discuss a matter further are the most common causes of dissatisfaction among domestic energy users.

Ofgem's survey revealed SSE and Scottish Power retained their position as the firms with the highest happiness ratings among customers and were the only companies where these users outnumbered those who were displeased.

By contrast, EDF Energy's users were found to be the least satisfied, which the regulator noted mirrors a separate analysis of complaints performed by Consumer Focus last month.

Responding to Ofgem's findings, director of energy at Consumer Focus Audrey Gallacher said the regulator must ensure the proposals it has outlined are implemented.

"It is unacceptable that many customers have to go through a long, drawn-out process to get their problem resolved," she said, adding: "There must be clear progress on this from suppliers."

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