Published: May 12, 2008 - 04:00 PM
Victorian electricity suppliers see complaints rise
The Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria released their figures for the 6 month period to 31 December 2007 on 8th May 2008. The report shows that whilst enquiries to the Ombudsman are down 19%, actual complaints received have climbed by 12%. A total of 8,152 complaints were received during the 6 month period, 7,550 of those relating to electricity supply, gas supply and dual fuel supply (when gas and electricity supply are bundled together).
The report shows two prominent trends in relation to the issues customers are experiencing with Victorian electricity and gas suppliers. Firstly, most complaints related to billing, this area showing an increase in complaints of 33%. And a second worrying trend for customer service is that the instance of complaints to the Ombudsman where customers had already contacted their suppliers directly two or more times but were unable to resolve their dispute increased. According to the Ombudsman this trend illustrates that Victorian electricity and gas suppliers can improve their complaint resolution procedures both at the point of first customer contact and after the complaint has been escalated.
The Energy Ombudsman is there to help Victorian consumers when they have a complaint with their gas and electricity suppliers that they have unsuccessfully tried to resolve directly with the energy companies themselves. 92% of the complaints over the 6 month period were received from residential energy customers with most of those electricity and gas supply complaints relating to high electricity and gas costs and errors on accounts. Disconnection of electricity and gas supply and difficulty in paying electricity and gas bills also rated highly.
David Power, Director of ShopAround.com.au says that: "The trend in rising complaints to the Energy Ombudsman shows that customers can benefit from shopping around and comparing energy companies if they're not happy with the service they are receiving. The analysis of the complaints show that cheap electricity and cheap gas prices are definitely issues for consumers - but they aren't the only issue. Levels of customer service are also important to consumers when they choose which electricity or gas companies they will use. With the price of electricity and gas prices set to increase over the coming years, Victorian gas and electricity companies can really make a difference by getting their customer service right."
« Back to article list
Related Links
Share this article