How to complain about your energy supplier: Citizens Advice criticizes poor customer service at ALL companies

Energy companies have been criticized by the charity Citizens Advice for poor customer service, and public satisfaction with gas and electricity is still well below normal levels.

Citizens Advice’s latest star rating puts EDF, Utilita and British Gas at the bottom of the energy company customer service table, with Ecotricity scoring the best overall.

The charity said energy companies were failing to resolve customer complaints, which was dragging down its overall scores.

Energy regulator Ofgem has already ordered energy suppliers to improve their customer service.

In October 2023, Ofgem highlighted long waiting times, ignored letters, lack of empathy and ignorance of some customers’ vulnerability as areas energy companies needed to address.

So how do you make a complaint about your energy company and what can you do if you are not happy with the way your complaint is handled?

How to complain about an energy company

The first step is to file the complaint directly with your energy company. Each energy company will tell you about their complaints procedure on their website, as well as on their energy bills.

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether to complain about your energy company or your network operator, the organization that maintains the physical cables and pipes that supply electricity and gas.

If you are ever unsure, the energy regulator Ofgem has a online tool to help you.

After you file your complaint, someone from the firm should contact you to discuss your problem and explain how they will resolve it and when.

Regardless of which company you complain to, Ofgem requires customers to resolve any issues within eight weeks.

How to escalate your energy complaint

If you can’t get anywhere with your energy company, you can complain to the Energy Ombudsman.

This is a free service that handles customer energy complaints regarding customer service, billing, switching suppliers and more.

The easiest way to lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman is through their online complaints platform.

However, you can also call 0330 440 1624, send full details of the problem to enquiry@energyombudsman.org or write to: The Energy Ombudsman, PO Box 966, Warrington, WA4 9DF.

Before you can make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman, you must first speak to your supplier and make a formal complaint.

You can only go to the Energy Ombudsman if:

1) You are not happy with the way your energy company or network operator handled your complaint.

2) Your problem is not solved in eight weeks

3) They tell you that your problem cannot be solved at all

It may take months before a decision is made. You must then accept the decision (in which case your energy company has 28 days to do what the Ombudsman asked) or reject it.

If you refuse, your only option is to take your energy company to court. It is recommended that you investigate the costs of legal action before doing this, as they may exceed the money you are owed.

It is also possible to appeal if you think the Ombudsman has been unfair.