A new report by a Lancaster based charity has highlighted problems with how energy companies communicate with customers who need support.
The report from Citizens Advice North Lancashire highlights issues people have when they ring to resolve billing or meter issues, and are often given inaccurate or incomplete information about their options, or forced to repeat their story to several different agents.
Vulnerable people who ask Citizens Advice's Energy Matters project for help often find that companies will not speak to their adviser, even once a Form of Authority has been signed.
The report draws on interviews and case studies from the Lancaster-based advisers of Energy Matters, a joint project between Citizens Advice North Lancashire and Preston and the Green Rose energy support CIC.
Energy Matters advises on bills, efficiency measures and energy debt, but its advisers often struggle to get energy companies to talk to them.
The report finds that this can drag issues out for months or even years, hitting hardest those least able to advocate for themselves. It calls for energy companies to adopt two industry best practices: an adviser-only line, so advisers supporting vulnerable clients don't have to 'battle the customer service lines'; and accepting and recording Citizens Advice's Form of Authority.
Of the companies Citizens Advice North Lancashire regularly deals with, only British Gas and EDF currently do both, while OVO and Utility Warehouse do neither.
Report author and Energy Matters project researcher Jago Westaway said: ‘’With energy bills rising dramatically right now, and many still worse off than they were before the last energy crisis, more people are struggling to cope.
‘’Ideally, they would get the support they need directly from their energy company, but in practice many end up needing to come to Citizens Advice. When they do, the companies need to help us to help them.
’'We're really glad that some energy companies are already setting a high bar for communication, and we'd like all the others to follow suit. We're calling on local politicians to join us in an open letter to the energy companies, but we also think a lot can be achieved by making consumers aware of their options.
‘’The report covers the number of Ofgem complaints each company receives and links to national Citizens Advice star ratings for customer service, so hopefully it will help people to vote with their wallets.'’
You can read the report on the Citizens Advice North Lancashire website.
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