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Experts explore the importance of data in both identifying and supporting vulnerable customers during the ongoing cost of living crisis as well as the prevalence of ‘digital vulnerability’.
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Citizens Advice is pushing for the creation of an ‘essential services taskforce’ to simplify and improve the support received by vulnerable customers. In its ‘Getting support to those who need it’ report the consumer charity outlines a number of challenges faced by vulnerable customers, namely the complicated process of supplying multiple service providers with their relevant data.
A survey by Citizens Advice found 4 per cent of consumers have already struggled to pay their energy bills while 9 per cent expect to fall behind. The survey also revealed that 50 per cent of pre-payment meter customers are struggling to top up, while 25 per cent say they are or expect to fall behind on energy bill payments.
Guidance outlining how energy suppliers should deal with customers during the coronavirus pandemic is to be published by the government imminently, Utility Week understands. The paper is expected to contain information from Citizens Advice as to what will be expected while the virus continues to affect both business and consumers.
Regulation is needed for third-party intermediaries (TPIs), such as autoswitching services, Citizens Advice has claimed. A report from the charity has found fewer than 15 out of around 70 energy suppliers are being offered by some autoswitching services claiming to cover the entire market.
Citizens Advice has set out a number of options for a potential successor to the default price cap in energy. They include mass opt-out collective switching, the creation of a backstop supplier for disengaged customers and the implementation of a “price to beat”
Citizens Advice has released its latest star ratings table in which it ranks suppliers for customer service. The consumer champion found that issues with billing made up the majority of complaints.
The consumer charity has, among other things, called for more protections of customers of failing suppliers. It has further reiterated its calls for the regulation of the heat networks.
The energy market has seen a number of supplier failures in the past two years. Following the publication of Citizens Advice's star ratings table, its senior policy expert looks at the progress of their previous demands for better customer service.
5 years ago
Citizens Advice's latest rankings of 39 suppliers has shown "there is still a big gap between those firms who provide an excellent service to consumers, and those who are letting people down"
There is little debate anymore that tackling the climate crisis is one of the most
Toto Energy's operations director Tom Nicholas says the company has been "reset" after issues concerning customer complaints led to the company shedding thousands of customers last year. The company has now taken on the majority of Solarplicity's customers.