Martyn James: How to get an energy problem sorted

Does that sound right to you? Energy problems regularly top the list of consumer complaints I’m asked to help sort out on the television and radio and it’s the number one sector for complaints from readers. Energy firms have repeatedly been warned and fined by Ofgem for poor service, errors and more. So what’s going on here?

I’ve been investigating complaint handling by the energy suppliers for over a year now and it’s clear to me that complaints aren’t being logged, people are struggling to get the problems sorted out, final decision letters are not being issued and people are simply giving up.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by an energy problem it doesn’t have to be this way. Here’s my guide on how to make a complaint and how to take it further.

Work out what it is that’s bothering you

It’s not always easy to explain what’s really bothering you. Keeping things simple is the best solution. Try to reduce the complaint to a few simple points.

• What’s gone wrong.
• What needs to be done to sort things out.
• Additional things that have arisen as a result of the problem (poor service, incorrect debts, etc.)

Think of your complaint as a (very) short story. Start at the beginning with what went wrong and finish with a summary of what you want to sort things out.

Rather than write lots of paragraphs, set out what’s happened with bullet points. This makes the complaint easier to follow and understand. It’s also easier on the eye for the person who investigates the case and helps you stay focused.

What’s the solution?

It’s really important that you tell the business or organisation what it is that you want to resolve the problem.

This could include:

• How you want to problem sorting out.
• Compensation for financial loss (explain how you reached that figure).
• Compensation for distress/inconvenience (this is known as a ‘gesture of goodwill’ payment. Keep it realistic and explain why the money reflects your experience).
• Consequential loss (these are losses you’ve experienced as a consequence of the problem – but can be harder to prove).

Getting the business to listen

Most people who are unhappy with energy suppliers tell me that it was hard to get the business to listen to their complaint. This is where your complaint summary helps. The most important rule: state ‘this is a formal complaint’.

If you make the complaint on the phone, call at ‘off-peak’ hours (peak hours are in the morning, early evening and around midday). If you can’t find a complaint number on the website of the business, type ‘complaint’ or ‘contact’ and the brand name in to a search drive. It’s often quicker to find the number that way.

If you put your complaint in writing, ask for an email address to send it in. If there’s only a ‘live chat’ option on a website, tell them that you want to email or send the complaint in writing.

Energy businesses are obliged to address all complaints in writing unless you agree otherwise. Their ‘final response’ should set out what they’ve done to resolve your complaint and any compensation that they might be offering. They have a maximum of eight weeks to sort things out completely. But – good news alert – a consultation is under way that could halve that to just four weeks!

Taking things further

If you aren’t happy with the resolution you can take your case to the Energy Ombudsman. It’s dead easy to do and you can just upload your original complaint along with supporting documents and photographs too. You can also ask the Ombudsman to consider the time and trouble it has taken to make the complaint.

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist. For more from Martyn, visit martynjamesexpert.co.uk