Energy firm complaints rocket 106%

Energy firms are failing us, with complaints to the Ombudsman at a record high.

The number of complaints lodged to the Energy Ombudsman about energy companies shot up by 106% over the past year.

Disgruntled customers approached the regulator after a series of winter price hikes sent bills sky high.

Firms were also criticised for the confusing and complex pricing system which makes it hard to compare different companies.

Rising complaints

In December the Ombudsman it received 1,805 new complaints, a rise from 872 a year earlier.

5,479 complaints were received between July and December 2012. This rose to 10,695 for the same period in 2013.

Prices increased once again over the winter, and although several companies have now reduced their rises customers are still paying more than they were a year ago. But one of the main reasons customers are complaining is because the tariffs on offer are confusing and hard to understand.

Chief Energy Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: “We are now receiving more than 300 complaints a week and often these come from people who have been confused by the tariffs on offer.”

The Energy Ombudsman doesn't list individual suppliers but in a recent survey npower came out top for the most complaints. The data from Consumer Futures revealed that between April and June 2013 the provider received 202.5 complaints per 100,000 customers. At the other end of the scale SSE had the least with 38.3.

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How to complain to your energy supplier

Complaining to your energy supplier can be a lengthy and stressful process. The best way to avoid losing the will to live is to make sure you’re organised and keep everything in writing.

Before you start make sure you have copies of all the relevant documents and always keep a paper trail, either by letter or email, of what’s going on.

You then need to give the company eight weeks to respond. If it hasn’t or if its response is inadequate you can escalate the complaint further with the Energy Ombudsman.

Where to find the cheapest tariff

There’s no escaping the fact that energy prices are rising

Switching suppliers is the best way to save money, especially if you’ve not done so for a while. The cheapest tariff at the moment comes from First Utility at £1,037 and this is £286 cheaper than the average bill of £1,323.

* Saving calculated against an average bill of £1,323 Source: Energyhelpline

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