Citizens Advice recently published its latest assessment of the customer experience of UK energy suppliers, information that shows which suppliers offer the best or worst customer experience.
The independent advisory body also rated each supplier's customer service using complaint rates, telephone waiting times and ease of transferring warranties.
Overall Decline in Customer Service Quality Provided by Energy Suppliers
Yes, the ranking does paint a rather 'gloomy' picture, with not a single power plant in the '3' bracket. Since the start of the year, it has risen from 5 to 8.
It also corroborates the findings that there is a trend towards a gradual deterioration in the average standard of customer service, which has fallen by 10%. 5% less than at the start of 2021.
Top Performer: Ecotricity
In addition to the gross and net exposures, Equifax also provided an overall score, with the top contender being a green energy supplier, namely Ecotricity, which scored 3.8 and customer reviews regarding waiting time awarded the shop four stars.
Established in 1996, Ecotricity is a green electricity and gas company that has been supplying 100% green electricity since 2013.
A representative from Ecotricity stated, "Our three pillars are the greenest outcome, the best service and the right price for the consumer, so it's reassuring that Citizens Advice has ranked us as the most preferable supplier of the year for customer services, especially in these 'cost of living' times."
"This ranking is the result of INEC's focus on customer needs, particularly in these dark times," the spokesperson continued."
Worst Performer: EDF Energy
At the other end of the scale, EDF Energy was the least prepared for the season ahead, coming bottom of the table. The French state-owned supplier, which ranked highly last year, is slightly worse this year, but the fact that I kept my patients waiting longer has pushed it down the rankings.
Citizens Advice also reported that EDF Energy's average response time has risen from under a minute to over five minutes in one year.
Outfox The Market and Ovo Energy offer their services to a smaller number of people and therefore came second and third respectively, followed by medium-sized companies British Gas and Utilita, which also received fairly low scores.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizen's Advice, said it was unbelievable that millions of people were facing basic needs and energy companies were failing to provide adequate support.
“Citizens Advice has been calling for the Ofgem to be provided more sanctioning powers over suppliers’ customer care services; this should be accompanied by a clearance of the complaints pile before the onset of the next winter,” said Clare Moriarty.
Impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis
The constant rise in commodity prices has exacerbated fuel poverty, a situation suffered by many families in the UK. Ofgem's energy price cap has reduced the cost per unit of energy to £1,568 since 1 July, but this is still higher than the minimum of £1,042 set for 2020.
Furthermore, many households have been stuck with unpaid bills for the past two years due to high prices. The last time the price cap was raised in April 2022, household energy bills rose by £64, or 54%, and then by £55, or 27%, in October 2022.
According to Citizens Advice research published in recent weeks, there are over 5 million people who are in debt on their energy bills, with 800,000 of them unable to access gas or electricity for more than 24 hours because they were unable to pay their next top-up.