Woeful customer service plaguing Scottish Power customers, say Citizens Advice
As Ofgem launches a formal investigation into Scottish Power’s customer service and complaint handling, Citizens Advice highlights how complaints about the supplier have doubled since the start of this year.
The national charity and consumer advocate has repeatedly raised its concerns about Scottish Power’s effectiveness in handling complaints with the supplier and alerted the regulator to our concerns.
Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“Woeful customer service is plaguing Scottish Power customers. Getting bills right is a basic part of supplying energy, yet people are coming to us with a myriad of problems including bogus bills and being charged despite switching. Citizens Advice helped one person who was wrongly sent a demand for over £5,000.
“For well over a year now, Citizens Advice has been raising these problems with Scottish Power. Instead of seeing improvements things have only got worse with complaints about Scottish Power doubling since the start of the year. We are pleased that, after hearing about our concerns, Ofgem has initiated a formal investigation.
“Although Scottish Power recognises it is having difficulties with bills, its customers need far greater confidence that the situation will improve and that there will be serious consequences for the company if it does not.
“This is the fourth time a major supplier has caused customer service misery as a result of a new billing system. It is these problems, and the high cost of energy, that underpins the lack of trust in suppliers and it is high time the industry learnt from its mistakes.”
In the latest Citizens Advice energy complaints table below the best performing supplier is at the top and the worst is at the bottom.
| Ranking | Supplier | Complaints per 100,000 customer in April to June 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SSE | 33.7 |
| 2 | E.ON | 79.2 |
| 3 | British Gas | 81.4 |
| 4 | EDF | 82.7 |
| 5 | Scottish Power | 256.0 |
| 6 | npower | 647.9 |
| Average complaints | 159.0 |
Previous quarter’s complaints figures below.
| Ranking | Supplier | Complaints per 100,000 customer in January to March 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SEE | 38.7 |
| 2 | British Gas | 75.4 |
| 3 | E.ON | 83.6 |
| 4 | EDF | 84.5 |
| 5 | Scottish Power | 197.7 |
| 6 | npower | 664.8 |
| Average complaints | 153.9 |
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.