How To Make A Complaint
Raising a complaint is a way for you to raise your issues to the energy supplier and afford them the opportunity to make things right. If no resolution is reached, you can take things further by contacting the Citizens Advice Consumer Service or the Energy Ombudsman.
Here are the ways you can raise your complaint.
1: Complain directly to your supplier
Your first step will be raising an official complaint with the energy supplier. You may already have tried to resolve the issue, but if you want to take things further, an official complaint must be raised with them so they have a final opportunity to fix the problem.
If you phone to raise your complaint, it is good to note down all the issues, so nothing is left out. Take a note of the date, time and person you are speaking to. Note down what you have been advised in case this needs to be referred to at a later date.
You can also email or send a letter clearly detailing the complaint and all relevant information for more complicated complaints. If you have a complaint or reference number, this should be included along with your account details.
After you have supplied all relevant information and evidence, your supplier will send you either a decision letter or a letter of deadlock within eight weeks.
If you are unhappy with any decision made or have not received a letter within the eight-week timescale, you can raise this to the Ombudsman.
2: Contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service
If you are unsure about how to raise a complaint, who you should be speaking to or require any other advice when dealing with the energy supplier, getting in contact with the Citizens Advice Consumer Service is a great way to get the information, you need.
3: Get in touch with the Energy Ombudsman
If you disagree with the energy supplier's decision or they have not got back to you in the advised timescale, raising this to the independent Energy Ombudsman will be your next course of action.
They are in a position to get the supplier to go over the complaint again, decide whether the decision made was fair, and force the supplier to respond to your complaint.
The energy supplier will have 28 days to respond to the energy ombudsman whose resolutions are enforceable in court.
Some cases may end in the Ombudsman advising the supplier to financially compensate you for the inconvenience caused. Other resolutions you could expect includes getting an apology from the energy supplier, a full explanation of what went wrong, an action that will correct the problem, and recommendations that should help the company avoid similar issues in the future.
Your complaint to the Ombudsman must come within 12 months of the decision they have made. If they have not given you a decision or got back to you, it is still advised to contact the Ombudsman as soon as you can.