Energy firms told to improve ‘dire state’ of customer help
ENERGY giants Scottish Power, Ovo and British Gas rank worst for customer service, according to Which? – which told them to get their house in order.
Common complaints in the watchdog’s survey included being left on hold, stuck in chatbot loops, or passed from department to department with no resolution.
Rocio Concha, policy chief at Which?, said: “Customer service is in a dire state in vital areas and some companies are routinely failing their customers.”
“Failings in this area are particularly unacceptable when sky-high energy prices have left families and households struggling to make ends meet.”
In Which?’s 2023 customer service survey, 25% said they were unhappy with their most recent experience with their energy provider.
Scottish Power came bottom, receiving a satisfaction score of about -13 out of a possible +100 for how long it took to speak to the right person and +3 for getting a proper answer. Ovo Energy scored -7 and +7 respectively, and British Gas +16 and +23.
At the opposite end of the table, Octopus Energy scored best, earning +46 for time taken to reach the right person and +55 for reaching a resolution. E.ON was second, with +35 and +25 respectively.
Referring to the worst culprits, Ms Concha said: “While many consumers will rightly consider switching, these firms must urgently make improvements so all customers are getting the standard of service and support they need and deserve.”
In response, British Gas said it was investing £50million in customer service, while Ovo said the findings were unrepresentative. It added: “Our customer data suggests that 7/10 customers are ‘very satisfied’.”
Scottish Power said: “We don’t recognise the results of this smallsample survey.”