Making a complaint about your energy supplier can often be a long, drawn out process. However it doesn’t have to be. If you follow our three simple steps, you will have the best chance of making sure that your complaint is dealt with and resolved in the most timely manner possible.
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If you want to make a complaint about your gas or electricity supplier, then the first thing you should do is inform your supplier. You can do this by calling their dedicated customer service helpline.
Your first move should be to call your energy supplier. When you call them make sure you make a note of the time and date at which you called. You should also make a note of who it was that you spoke to and what exactly was said. This will allow to have a clear point of reference as to when you first lodged your complaint.
Once you have spoken to your energy supplier’s customer service team, you should follow up this phone call with an email. By doing this you will have a hard copy of your complaint and clear evidence as to when you first contacted them about it. Sending them an email will also ensure that there is no misunderstanding when it comes to the nature of your complaint.
Another good idea is to follow up this email and phone call with a letter. When you send this letter it is advisable to send it as a recorded delivery. Not only will this provide you proof that you sent it, but also with proof that your energy company has received it. By making a phone call, sending an email and sending a letter you make it much more likely that your complaint will be dealt with swiftly. It is almost certain that a different person will receive each of these forms of correspondence, this means that there will be three times as many people at your energy company who are aware of your complaint. This only improves your chances of your complaint being dealt with quickly and appropriately.
One important thing to do when you first call your energy supplier, is to ask for a reference number for your complaint. Once you have this number make sure to include it on all future correspondence that you have regarding your problem. This will ensure that your energy supplier is aware of exactly who you are and exactly what your complaint is.
In many cases contacting your energy supplier will be enough to resolve the problem that caused your complaint, however this may not always be enough. If your complaint does not get dealt with in a manner that you deem acceptable then your next step should be to contact Citizens Advice.
Citizens Advice are a charity, set up to help provide information to people that may be getting mistreated by a company that they are involved with. Their website will inform you of what your rights are as a consumer, and will help you to establish if they are being breached by your energy supplier.
As Citizens Advice are a charity it is unlikely that they will be able to manage your complaint directly, unless they deem you to be someone in the utmost of need. They prioritise helping the elderly, ill or unemployed. However they can still offer you some great help through their advice guides.
If after these first two steps you are still not finding that your complaint has been properly dealt with, then it is strongly advisable that you get in touch with the Energy Ombudsman.
The Energy Ombudsman is an impartial body that was set up specifically to resolve disagreements between energy suppliers and their consumers. The Energy Ombudsman wields real power and energy companies are forced to listen to them once they make a decision over a certain issue.
It is important to note that if you are with one of the Big Six energy companies, you can contact the Energy Ombudsman if your complaint has not been resolved after 8 weeks. If you receive your energy supply from a small supplier, then you can take your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman after 12 weeks. If at any point your energy company has described your case as “deadlocked” then you can take your complaint directly to the Energy Ombudsman.
If the Energy Ombudsman decides upon a possible solution to your complaint then you have 28 days in which to accept that solution. If you do accept the solution that they have provided, then your energy company has no choice but to comply with their demands. If you decide not to accept the decision that the Energy Ombudsman has made, then you are still free to pursue your complaint through the other avenues available to you.
If by this point you still have not reached a solution that you find acceptable, then it may be time to consider taking your case before the courts.
If you’re still not satisfied with your supplier, you can compare energy deals with us today. You can not only compare prices, but you can compare suppliers based on their customer service ratings, including their handling of complaints. Switching energy today couldn’t be easier. Use our price comparison tool now to see how much you could save.
1. By Letter
Ombudsman Services: Energy
PO Box 966
Warrington
WA4 9DF
2. By Telephone
0330 440 1624
01925 530263
3. By Email:
[email protected]