Uswitch comments on Ofgem’s call for npower to resolve billing issues
Responding to today’s announcement from Ofgem that npower must meet monthly targets between now and August to reduce late bills or cease all proactive telesales activities, Tom Lyon, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Billing issues are one of consumers’ biggest gripes with the industry. We recently found that a fifth (19%) of households have been billed incorrectly by energy suppliers in the last year, and companies are taking longer than ever to resolve complaints.
“Customer service is becoming an increasingly important factor in the decision to switch energy supplier; consumers want to feel valued, as well as getting a better deal, so it’s vital that energy companies put customers at the heart of what they do.
“It is encouraging to see that npower’s recovery plan is delivering improvements, but we encourage them to do more.”
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Jason Wakeford
Phone: 0203 872 5612
Email: jason.wakeford@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
1. Source: Ofgem - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk//press-releases/npower-halt-telesales-unless-it-resolves-billing-issues 2. Research referred to in the notes below was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Uswitch.com. Fieldwork took place between 3rd to 6th February, 2014, amongst 2,232 adults with decision-making involvement with energy suppliers. In response to: ‘Thinking about your energy bill(s), has your energy supplier(s) billed you inaccurately within the last two years?’ 11% said ‘yes, on more than one occasion’ while 8% said ‘yes, once’. Added together this makes 19% that have had an inaccurate bill compared to 25% in 2013. 3. In response to: ‘How long did it take for the inaccuracy to be resolved to your satisfaction?’ 11% said ‘a day’ (16% in 2013), 28% answered ‘within a week’ (26% in 2013), adding up to 39% within a week compared to 42% in 2013.
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