Energy brokers have a crucial job to do when serving businesses. In an age when many firms have been hit by rising costs, not least in their energy bills, finding a great deal has never been more important.
With more market choice now than when these things were centralised, there are lots of options out there and plenty of competition, which in theory should mean there are some deals available that will be much better than others.
This may not just be about a simple upfront price, as there could be variations depending on how much energy is used, when it is used and whether it uses green energy, the latter being a matter of corporate social responsibility for some firms as well as a key selling point if customers are likely to be attracted by such an ethical approach.
For all these reasons, you need energy brokers to be on the ball, taking their time to monitor the market and find the best deals, something you won’t have the time to do while dealing with everything else in your company manager’s in-tray. Should the broker let you down, therefore, you will have good reason to be unhappy.
How To Begin A Complaint
The question is how to proceed. In the first instance, you may find you can deal directly with the broker, who may correct an error swiftly, such as by moving you to a better supplier and perhaps refunding some fees you have paid. That kind of amicable agreement may mean a swift, easy resolution and everyone can move forward.
However, it is often not like that. Sometimes, when given substandard service, customers will feel that their initial complaints just don’t get listened to. As in so many sectors, however, there is a point of recourse through the Energy Ombudsman.
The Energy Ombudsman website stipulates what kind of issues it can deal with if you want to make a complaint. It stated that the most common issues are: Sales processes, customer service issues, charges, and problems that arise as a result of switching energy supplier.
At the same time, there are two matters it specifically does not deal with. These are: commercial decisions made by companies about whether to provide a particular service or not, as well as issues concerning energy services that are not about gas or electricity, such as the use of liquid natural gas.
Help For Small Firms
The Ombudsman has been able to help small businesses with such issues since its remit was extended to cover such firms in December last year.
It defines these firms as those with 50 employees or fewer, turnover of no more than £6.4 million and a balance sheet of no more than £5 million, while annual energy use should not be more than 200,000 kWh of electricity or 500,000 kWh of gas.
The first point it makes is that companies should always start by going through the complaint process provided by their supplier or broker. This process can last up to eight weeks before a deadlock letter is issued. It is at that point where the Ombudsman can get involved.
When you raise a complaint with the ombudsman and the case is opened, you have 14 days in which to provide your evidence. The ombudsman service will then review the case, considering evidence submitted by both parties.
The culmination of the process comes when the service delivers a decision which you can choose to accept, and if your broker is required to provide a remedy, they have 28 days to do so.
Over A Million Cases Handled
Established in 2006 to deal with customer disputes, the Energy Ombudsman service is approved by energy regulator Ofgem and over 2,500 energy firms are signed up to the scheme, so the one your broker fixes you up with should be among them (if it isn’t, you will surely want to ask why not). It has solved 1.3 million cases since it was set up.
The ombudsman is now part of the Trust Alliance Group, which is an association of dispute resolution bodies that cover a range of consumer and trade issues. This includes organisations such as the Communications Ombudsman and the Internet Commission.
Some people may be hesitant to complain when there is a problem, but as a customer, you should never just sit back and accept less than the service you were promised.
The reality of 1.3 million cases is that real issues do arise and sometimes those who can resolve them through their complaints procedure fail to do so for various reasons. That is why the ombudsman exists.
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