6 June 2008
Firms selling gas and electricity are treating their customers badly, a group of MPs have suggested.
Such companies are taking advantage of consumers' lack of confidence when it comes to moving to other deals, the politicians noted, reports the Guardian.
The National Energy Action to the Commons committee asserted that there is a good level of competition on the energy market but people are still failing to switch deals when bills are too high.
"Instead of offering competitive terms to their [existing] customers in order to retain their business, they have relied on a combination of lack of knowledge, anxiety about the process and inertia to continue a form of exploitation," it said.
And incumbent suppliers treat their customers as if they are a "cash cow", the body added.
Energy prices are rising faster in the UK than they elsewhere in Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development stated recently.