SSE has received a fine of £1.25 million at Guildford Crown Court after being found guilty on two counts relating to the use of doorstep sales aids in 2009. The figure is thought to be the largest ever fine from a court case brought by Trading Standards. Stephen Forbes, Director of Sales, Marketing and Energy […]

Energy suppliers fail to call back when resolving customer complaints, says Ofgem. In their research called ‘Customer Complaints Handling’, Ofgem found suppliers failed to notify about complaints being resolved and only a third received any communication of apology or compensation. Some customers have ‘given up’ contacting suppliers regarding complaints. The regulator claims power companies need […]

SSE lost an appeal today over allegations the firm tricked customers into switching from their existing energy firm. The company was found guilty on two counts out of seven charges at Guildford Crown Court in May 2011 and now its appeal has been thrown out. SSE said it was “very disappointed” with the result of […]

The new Energy and Climate Change Secretary has welcomed today’s action by regulator Ofgem in directing a £4.5m ‘fine’ from power supplier EDF back toward the energy consumer. EDF were found guilty of breaches to its sales processes. Ed Davey said: “This is a welcome example of the independent regulator taking real action to protect […]

EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers, is the worst performing amongst the Big Six and has retained its ‘zero-star rating’, according to research from Consumer Focus. The most recent quarterly energy complaints data shows a small overall decrease in complaints levels across the industry. Customers speaking out fell overall by an average […]

The UK arm of EDF Energy recorded record profits of €1.91 billion (£1.59bn) last year, despite its sales dropping by 8%. The French firm says the mild winter was the reason it sold less gas to its customers. Henri Proglio, Chairman and Chief Executive of the EDF group said: “2011 was marked by solid financial […]

Big Six supplier E.ON has decided to overhaul its Direct Debit (DD) policy after customer complaints it was unfair. The changes came into effect on January 16th this year but were only announced yesterday. The change centres around something called the “Spring Review” date when they expect customers on DD contracts to have a zero […]

Independent energy company Ovo Energy has reduced its dual fuel fixed tariff prices for new and existing customers by 5%, making its ‘New Energy’ tariff the cheapest on the market. The company says they have been able to pass on a reduction to customers due to a decrease in wholesale market costs. Ovo’s ‘New Energy’ […]

Consumer Focus has published a checklist for energy customers, which aims to provide insight into the necessary information on their energy supply. Published in collaboration with Ofgem, the checklist details facts surrounding consumer rights, expected level of service and how to best switch supplier. Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: “Energy bills […]

Independent energy supplier Ovo Energy has decided to cancel its intended January price rise for its variable rate customers due to a drop in wholesale costs. Ovo Energy said it would increase gas and electricity prices by 3.5% for 10,000 of its customers. Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus has welcomed the news: […]