British energy companies are rooted at the bottom of consumer trust surveys. Furthermore, last year 4.6 million consumer complaints were received about energy providers. The British consumer organization Consumer Focus has analysed the complaints and published a ranking. This ranking helps consumers in choosing the right energy provider by showing them which providers will give them fewest problems or best handle any problems that arise.
The ranking is based on consumer complaints received through Consumer Direct, Consumer Focus and the Energy Ombudsman. The ranking will be published quarterly. The ranking gives information for the “Big 6” suppliers who make up over 99 percent of the domestic market. For each of them a score is calculated. The score is based on how many complaints the suppliers received in relation to its market share, as well as the severity of each complaint. For example, a complaint is weighted more heavily if consumers spent a lot of time getting their problem resolved, such as repeatedly contacting their supplier or contacting an independent organization for advice and support.
No supplier received the top five-star-rating. One received four stars, two three stars and three two stars. Commenting on the results, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive at Consumer Focus said: “the difference between energy suppliers is stark when they all sell an identical commodity under the same market rules. Having three suppliers languishing on just two stars is a pretty miserable state of affairs.”
Further information: www.consumerfocus.org.uk/news/consumer-focus-helps-consumers-by-publishing-energy-complaints-data
Source: Consumer Focus