Customer satisfaction survey results
Customer satisfaction survey results
Choosing a new gas or electricity supplier doesn't just have to be about comparing prices. You could also choose a top rated energy supplier using the Which? Switch energy satisfaction survey.
The Which? Switch energy satisfaction survey gathers opinions from thousands of energy customers and rates energy suppliers on a range of measures including customer service, value for money and accuracy of bills. Each energy supplier is given an overall satisfaction score based on its customers' overall satisfaction and their likelihood of recommending the energy supplier to a friend.
Our latest survey results shows that the big energy suppliers aren’t popular with their customers – only one in five of you overall feel that your supplier values you as a customer.
Energy company satisfaction survey results
The table, below, shows how Which? members rated the nine energy suppliers that they use. The providers were given star ratings for six different criteria as well as an overall satisfaction score.
The providers' scores for electricity and gas supplies have been combined and include responses from our previous survey conducted in May/June 2009. Where we didn't receive enough responses, you'll see n/a.
| Which? Switch energy company satisfaction survey? | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier | Bills | Customer service | Value for money | Online support | Phone support | Queries | Customer score |
| Good Energy |  |  | | n/a | n/a | n/a | 79% |
| Utility Warehouse | | | | | | | 75% |
| Ebico | | | | n/a | n/a | n/a | 73% |
| SSE |  | | | | | | 50% |
| Scottish Power | | | | | | | 40% |
| Eon | | | | | | | 39% |
| British Gas | |  | | | | | 37% |
| EDF | | | | | | | 37% |
| Npower |  | | | | | | 27% |
Table notes
Sample sizes: Good Energy (40), Utility Warehouse (266), Ebico (74), SSE(2,941), Scottish Power (2,010), Eon (2,876), British Gas (3,311), EDF(1,547), Npower (1,415). Total sample size was 14,480.
Good news for small energy suppliers
The results tell a familiar story, with the 'big six' energy companies scoring badly again. The top performer is a newcomer, Good Energy, followed closely by energy and telecoms provider Utility Warehouse, and tiny ethical supplier, Ebico.
One impressed customer described Good Energy as ‘brilliant’ – a word we rarely seen anywhere near the name of an energy supplier – and said that its communication and customer service was ‘probably second to none in any national business’.
At the other end of the scale, it’s business as usual for the big six energy suppliers, with Npower – which has recently improved the design of its bills – propping up the table with a truly appalling satisfaction score of 27%. One unhappy Npower customer said their experience of the company had been ‘awful’, but added that two previous suppliers were ‘no better’.
British Gas, EDF, Eon and Scottish Power also get poor satisfaction scores from Which? members. Scottish and Southern Energy gets a mediocre score.
You can find further information about how each company did in the survey by looking at our energy suppliers section.
What are the star ratings?
We provide each company with a star rating for each measure. One star is the worst and five stars the best. The more stars a company has, the better. We looked at seven core areas of customer service:
- Accuracy of bills: how the energy supplier is rated for the accuracy of its bills.
- Understanding bills: ease of understanding energy bills from the supplier.
- Customer service: how well customers feel they are treated.
- Online support: ease of use and satisfaction with online services.
- Phone support: ease of use, time taken to get through and satisfaction with telephone service.
- Queries: ability to resolve issues and speed of answering telephone and online queries.
- Value for money: how the supplier is rated for value for money.
- Customer score: combines overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommendation.
Our customer satisfaction research
In November 2009 we sent 15,596 Which? online panel members a survey about their energy supplier. We received 7,883 responses – 3,778 for gas and 4,028 for electricity. All suppliers except Good Energy supply both, so we have combined their scores in the results table above.
The percentage customer satisfaction score is based on the responses consumers gave for both overall satisfaction and their likelihood to recommend the energy supplier to a friend. Both questions are given equal weighting, and only those giving a valid response to both questions are included in the analysis. The responses are analysed and scaled to give a rating between 0 – 100%.
Why doesn’t Which? Switch give a rating for every energy supplier?
Where we didn’t have a large enough number of respondents, we aren’t able to provide a valid rating and a score. Results for suppliers with less than 30 respondents are considered statistically insufficient.
As we did not receive sufficient survey responses from customers of Ecotricity, First Utility, Green Energy UK, Spark Energy, Ovo and Utilita, we are currently unable to provide customer scores for these energy companies.
Cut your energy bills
Those switching energy suppliers using Which? Switch between 1 January and 21 October 2009 saved an annual average of £263.
Why wait to start saving? Compare gas and electricity tariffs now to find the best energy deal for you.