Study finds lack of satisfaction with Big Six providers - 11/01/2012

Many people may look to perform an energy comparison to switch to a company that offers a good level of service, as a new survey has found widespread dissatisfaction with the major energy suppliers.

A study by consumer group Which? revealed four million complaints were made by consumers to the Big Six providers in 2011, with the most common problems relating to billing and meter issues.

Only one of the UK's major energy suppliers scored a customer satisfaction score of over 50 per cent in the organisation's survey, which was Scottish and Southern Energy, at 51 per cent.

The worst performer was npower, at 41 per cent, which comes after the company was hit with a fine of £2 million by Ofgem last year for failing to deal with complaints properly.

However, smaller companies did rate more highly for customer service than their larger rivals, as Good Energy topped the table with 84 per cent, followed by Utility Warehouse (78 per cent) and Ecotricity (77 per cent).

Executive director of Which? Richard Lloyd said the findings of low satisfaction and high complaints are shocking at a time when energy prices are higher than ever.

"The government must do more to answer fundamental questions about why the energy market is allowed to work against the consumer interest," he said.

Mr Lloyd called on Ofgem to make energy suppliers publicly accountable for dealing with problems reported by customers.

The research also noted the problem may be even worse than the statistics show, as it estimated 23 per cent of individuals who encounter a problem with their gas and electricity provider do not make a formal complaint.

It added nine out of ten unresolved issues are not sent to the energy ombudsman for resolution, which could mean consumers are missing out on large amounts of compensation.

Which? calculated around £4 million went unclaimed in 2011 as people failed to contact the body if their provider did not deal with an issue.

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