Citizens Advice welcomes compensation for customers who fell victim to E.ON "abuse of power"
The Chief Executive of Citizens Advice has said that it “is only right” that customers should be given compensation following E.ON's misleading practices.
Gillian Guy, Citizens Advice Chief Executive, said:
“It is an abuse of power to mislead customers over energy contracts. Being able to heat your home and put the lights on is a necessity. Suppliers have taken advantage of this by not being upfront with customers.
"With energy prices up by a third since 2010, people need all of the information available so they can make a decision about the deal best for them.
"Action by Ofgem to address E.ON's failings is important but with the firm misleading customers for over three and a half years, these steps could have come sooner to stop more and more people falling foul of the supplier. It is only right that a compensation package is available to try to make up for the firm's practices. Anyone who is concerned should contact E.On.
"The energy industry has been riddled with misleading practices which have served to degrade trust in the market. This is the final investigation into mis-selling packages and hopefully draws to a close the problems of poor sales practices in the industry. Energy firms must put customers first and treat people fairly.“
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Notes to editors:
The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .
The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk . You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.