Customer service falls as energy bills rocket
Energy customers are experiencing plummeting standards of service from their suppliers – as their bills soar, according to Citizens Advice figures.
Customer service is at its worst since 2017 as people face up to bills increasing by almost £700 a year, the charity and energy watchdog's latest ratings found.
The highest score is just 3.85 out of five – compared to 4.40 between October and December, with suppliers at the top of the table including M&S Energy, EDF Energy, Octopus Energy, Affect Energy and So Energy.
The worst-performing suppliers are Utilita, Boost Power, Ecotricity, Good Energy and Ovo.
The lowest score among these was 1.7 out of five.
Rising call waiting times are the major complaint – with the average waiting time now more than five minutes, compared to around four minutes during the same period a year earlier.
Customers with the worst-performing suppliers face wait times of around 15 minutes.
Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: "With millions of people struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living soars, it's more important than ever that people can turn to their energy company for support.
"The drop in customer service standards has come at the worst time possible.”
She added: "It's Ofgem's job to make sure that companies are delivering a good service. But the current system isn't working.
"A consumer duty focused on making sure customers get good outcomes is what is needed and, with bills expected to soar again come October, there's no time to waste."