Which? research has found that common customer gripes with energy
providers include difficulties getting help, long wait times and
short opening hours, as the consumer champion calls on firms to
improve their customer service.
In October 2023, Which? surveyed over 9,000 energy customers to
rate 16 suppliers and looked at the behind-the-scenes practices
of 18 suppliers to find out what aggravates consumers most about
customer service and what companies are doing about it.
The consumer champion found a common gripe for energy customers
was short opening hours. One energy customer in Which?’s energy
survey said: “They have been going out of their way to make it
more difficult to contact them by telephone by reducing the hours
of the day that they are open and the number of days a week that
their call centres are open.
Just six firms of the 18 in Which?’s October 2023 assessment had
phone lines open 10 hours or longer during weekdays and only four
firms had agents available over live chat outside of these
hours.
At weekends, consumers could phone eight of the firms, but hours
varied. Some firms would take calls all day on both Saturday and
Sunday, while others opened for just four hours on Saturday
morning.
Eight firms had live chat available in some capacity at weekends,
mostly on Saturday. Just three firms were contactable via live
chat on a Sunday, when researchers checked in October.
Another common gripe was long waiting times. Respondents to
Which?’s October 2023 survey mentioned long waits on the phone,
phone calls being cut off, long waits on live chat to speak to a
real person and slow responses or no response to emails.
Other common issues were difficulties getting help and making a
complaint. A quarter (26%) of people in Which?’s latest energy
firm survey said they found it difficult to get help with their
problem when they contacted their energy supplier about it and
more than four in 10 (47%) of those who contacted their supplier
to make a formal complaint in the last year said their provider
made the process difficult.
Anne and Martin Hills had a smart meter installed by British Gas
in August 2022 but it was not correctly registered to their
address. It took almost a year to get the issue sorted -
involving several calls and web chats - but the smart meter is
still not communicating and sending meter readings properly.
When Anne and Martin raised another formal complaint in December
2023, the agent logged it, then immediately closed it as
apparently this is ‘policy’. They had to contact British Gas
again to ensure the complaint was reopened, so it could be raised
with the ombudsman if needed. In February 2024, their complaint
was escalated to the Ombudsman.
Anne said: “It’s the little person trying to battle against a
large corporation. It feels like being bullied. I have to steel
myself every time I make contact. I’m able to fight this but not
everyone can. All I want is to know I’m paying the right amount
for the energy that I use.”
With high energy bills one of the biggest factors in the cost of
living crisis, it is more crucial than ever that any energy firms
that are falling short up their game and improve their customer
service. Consumers should be able to easily contact companies and
get the answers they need in the way that suits them best -
whether that is speaking to a person over the phone or using
social media.
While there has been little chance for consumers to save money by
switching providers so far, the energy price cap is predicted to
drop by around £300 a year for the typical household in April.
Consumers can use Which? Switch Energy to keep an eye out for any
good fixed deals which become available in the coming
months.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
“From short opening hours to difficulties getting problems
resolved, Which? has found that some energy firms have a whole
host of customer service failings that are getting on their
customers’ nerves.
“Which? is calling for any providers who are falling short on
customer service to up their game and ensure customers are able
to contact them easily and get the answers they need.
“With energy prices falling in April, consumers can use switching
services - like Which? Switch Energy - keep an eye out for any
new fixed deals that might offer savings and a chance to move to
a firm with better customer service.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Research
Which? surveyed 9,025 energy customers in October 2023 for its
annual customer satisfaction survey. Fieldwork was carried out
online by an online agency on behalf of Which?.
Link to full results here.
Right of reply
British Gas said it is investing heavily in customer
service, which includes hiring 700 new contact centre agents and
extending its opening times, and that it continues to be focused
on helping its most vulnerable customers through its sector
leading £140 million customer support package. It did not
consider Which?'s survey to reflect the most up-to-date data.
