In one case, an energy customer contacted the regulator and said his supplier had debited €2,274.73 from his bank account without authorisation. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie
Complaints to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) soared last year as the energy crisis hit customers, prompting suppliers to increase their support resources to cope with more queries.
The energy regulator received 12,373 complaints and queries from energy and water customers in 2022, an increase of 87% on the previous year, driven mainly by queries from electricity users.
“The CRU understands that suppliers are generally already focused on increasing customer support resources in response to higher contact volumes,” said the regulator.
Most of these complaints concerned leading suppliers including Electric Ireland, Pinergy and SSE Airtricity and were in relation to billing and account issues as well as customer service levels.
Electric Ireland, which has the largest share of electricity customers in Ireland, did not confirm whether it had invested in more customer care support in response to the turmoil facing its customers.
The State-owned energy company did say it was “acutely aware of the impact of energy bills on families and businesses” and it will “keep its prices under constant review”.
It also said customers having issues with their accounts or bills could call its support line or go onto its website. “Alternatively customers can either call Mabs or contact their local SVP [St Vincent de Paul] office”, the supplier said.
The CRU also received complaints relating to Bright Energy, Iberdrola and Panda Power, which all exited the retail energy market in the Republic last year. These exits resulted in customers contacting the regulator seeking information on what to do next or querying if they would receive refunds from the supplier to their accounts.
43% of complaints upheld
Of all the complaints that were investigated by the regulator, 43% were upheld in favour of the customer, which is up from 32% in 2021.
In one case published in the CRU 2022 Customer Care Annual Report, an energy customer contacted the regulator and said his supplier had debited €2,274.73 from his bank account without authorisation.
The supplier said this related to a legacy energy account the customer held over previous years.
The customer said it took 37 days of constant telephone calls before the supplier reacted to their claims and a further 116 days to have the €2,274.73 returned to his bank account.
For its customer service failures in this instance, the CRU directed the supplier award the customer €600 in compensation.
The share of customer contacts for each of the suppliers was broadly in line with their market share. Electric Ireland was the exception though, as its level of customer complaints was 35% lower than its combined percentage market share of 45%.
The suppliers whose level of customer contact levels exceeded their market share included Bord Gáis Energy, Flogas and Pinergy.
“2022 saw a significant increase in contacts from energy and water customers to the CRU’s Customer Care Team, driven by some unprecedented events in the global energy markets,” said CRU director of customer policy and protection Karen Trant.
“The CRU would advise all customers to remain informed when it comes to their rights and switching suppliers or renegotiating with your current supplier can still deliver savings,” she said.
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