Number of complaints about energy services to Ombudsman spike
Complaints over poor energy services are on the rise, with mediator Ombudsman Services reporting a 55 per cent rise in dissatisfied customers this year.
Over 35,000 complaints have been lodged to the mediator since January – up sharply from the same period in 2014.
Despite the annual rise in complaints, the organisation said that the number of unhappy customers fell by 18.5 per cent during the second quarter of the year, compared to the first.
Among the complaints made between April and June this year, billing was the most common issue customers faced, followed by problems with switching providers or tariffs. Billing issues, which made up 85 per cent of all complaints, including disputed charges, inaccurate invoices and backdated billing.
Ombudsman chief Lewis Shand Smith said that many other unhappy customers do not make complaints. “There are still too many people who are choosing to suffer in silence, because they believe the complaints process is too much hassle or will take up too much of their time. This is especially worrying in light of the recent energy problems experienced by consumers with Npower and Scottish Power,” he said.