Inaccurate energy bills and meter readings
According to www.noteservice2010.com most complaints about energy companies are about inaccurate, late or unclear bills. In 2005, new standards for bills were introduced to make things easier for consumers after watchdog Energywatch (now part of Consumer Focus) complained to Ofgem, the energy companies’ regulator.
Code of Practice for Accurate Bills
The Code of Practice for Accurate Bills says, among other things, that:
- your energy supplier should try to read your meter at least every two years. If it can’t access your meter, the energy company will ask you to take a reading
- if you do not receive a bill for more than a year and it is the energy supplier’s fault, you do not have to pay any outstanding debt for energy you used more than a year ago.
If you have a dispute about a bill you can complain to your energy supplier or the Energy Supply Ombudsman, an independent body set up to resolve disputes about energy bills. The service is free to consumers and the Ombudsman can award compensation to people who have received particularly poor service from an energy supplier.
Dealing with poor service from energy companies
When you sign up with an energy supplier, you will have to sign a contract. This will include the standards of service your energy supplier promises, for example, how often it will read your gas and electricity meters and how it will respond to queries and complaints. Where service standards are part of your contract, the energy supplier is legally bound to stick to them.
All gas and electricity companies must also follow Guaranteed Standards of Performance set by Ofgem. These say energy suppliers must pay fixed compensation for things such as power cuts, missed appointments and not responding to queries.
