Robert Brown calls for better energy complaint handling

12.00.00am GMT Wed 6th Feb 2008

Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown is today calling on the Scottish Government to ensure that consumers and their complaints are not forgotten about when the gas and electricity watchdog, Energywatch is disbanded later this year.

From October 2008, energy suppliers will have the responsibility of dealing with their own complaints, subject to rules laid out by industry body, Ofgem.

In 2007, more than 330,000 consumers called on Energywatch for help, and 48,000 of those had their complaint investigated and resolved by Energywatch.

Overall, energywatch netted more than £10 million in compensation and bill reductions for customers last year.

Mr. Brown is concerned that in the wake of the change to the complaints procedure, the new complaint handling mechanisms used by gas and electricity companies won't be made clear to customers, and he is calling for independent verification of complaints data from each company. His motion calls on the Scottish Government to work alongside the UK Parliament to ensure that any rules laid out by Ofgem will include a requirement for companies to provide their complaints data to Ofgem and that this information should be independently audited to allow consumers to compare company customer service performance.

Robert Brown said:

"Recent Energywatch research shows that the average customer contacted their gas or electricity supplier at least 7 times before asking Energywatch for help last year. This echoes my own experience and that of many constituents. Often the complaints procedures are obscure, ineffective, and slow without a clear complaints route identified on literature and websites. Quite often, the major energy companies don't even log all the complaints calls they receive.

"For too long, customers have been treated unfairly by these companies, and in the end, many just give up on their battles to win their money back, because the procedures are too long and too complicated.

"There needs to be a root and branch review of customer service standards, and complaint handling in the energy industry.

"Thankfully, Ofgem is developing a new complaint handling standard based on a survey asking customers what they wanted from complaints procedures.

"This motion calls for the Scottish Government to work with UK Government to ensure that information is made available about how companies perform with their complaints in comparison to their rivals.

"I also want to make sure that complaints date supplied by companies is accurate. Independent verification would help in this regard. "

Ends