Energy complaints hit ‘record high’

The number of complaints made against the energy companies has hit an all-time high, according to figures released by the Energy Ombudsman.

The number of complaints in the first quarter of 2014 more than tripled compared to the same period last year.

Between January and March, there were 10,638 complaints, while in the same period in 2013 there were only 3,277.

There were more than 2,000 complaints about customers not receiving bills, while 1,474 consumers complained about billing charges.

Chief energy ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: “Consumer frustration and dissatisfaction is something that we hear about every day, and we welcome any attempts by Ofgem to make the energy market fairer.

“With energy complaints trebling in the first quarter of this year and problems relating to billing the greatest concern, increased transparency is something that should be addressed.”

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer watchdog Which? said: “The fact that consumer complaints continue to rise is further proof that the energy market is broken and it is right that it has been referred for a full-scale investigation.”

Energy UK said that “most consumers” have no problems with their service but added that “occasionally things do go wrong”.

In a statement, the trade association added: “No one wants to see complaints rise, but companies use this information to improve the service they provide.

“Anyone with a problem needs to contact their supplier first and at Energy UK we are making it easier for customers to find out what to do.”