British Gas bottom in Which? annual energy firm rankings as the consumer champion calls on providers to tackle customer service failings

British Gas came bottom in Which?’s annual energy firm survey, as the consumer champion calls on providers to improve unsatisfactory customer service and ensure they are providing value for money. 

Energy prices have stayed punishingly high this winter - with the price cap currently at £1,928 a year for a typical household. Cornwall Insight predicts prices will likely remain above pre-2021 levels until the end of the decade.

Fixed deals have been slowly returning to the market but Which? has seen few offers that are significantly cheaper than the price cap. With little chance for consumers to save money by switching suppliers, customer service is more important than ever and a major  factor people use to sort good suppliers from bad. 

In October 2023, Which? surveyed more than 9,000 energy customers for its annual customer satisfaction survey. The consumer champion also carried out an in-depth assessment of 18 energy firms’ behind-the-scenes practices and policies to find out which energy firms are powering ahead and which are falling short.

There is little to separate the firms with the lowest customer scores in Which?’s customer satisfaction survey. Boost, Scottish Power, Ovo Energy, Shell Energy, EDF Energy, Eon Next and British Gas were the worst performers and received customer scores of less than 60 per cent. 

However, factoring in Which?’s in-depth assessment of companies’ practices puts British Gas as the worst performing energy firm overall, followed jointly by Boost (part of Ovo) and So Energy. Last year, it was firmly in the middle of the pack. 

British Gas supplies over a fifth of households in Great Britain but received the lowest overall score of 56 percent. In Which?’s customer satisfaction survey, it received just two stars for most categories - including accessibility (whether you can engage with your energy provider the way you want or need to), value for money and accuracy of energy  payments. It received three stars - an average score - for customer service overall. 

In the consumer champion’s behind-the-scenes assessment, British Gas received just over half marks for customer service and just one point out of 10 for performance against its smart meter targets. It also received four out of 10 for how it handled complaints - losing points primarily for the volume of customer complaints it received per 100,000 customer accounts in the first half of 2023 in comparison to other suppliers.

At the other end of the scale, three firms powered ahead of the competition - with Octopus Energy, Ecotricity and E (Gas & Electricity) achieving coveted Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) status and getting the highest customer scores. Octopus Energy was named a WRP for the seventh year running. It received an overall score of 73 per cent. It was also the only firm to achieve a five-star rating for overall customer service in the consumer champion’s customer satisfaction survey. 

Ecotricity and E (Gas & Electricity) were also named WRPs with overall scores of 72 and 71 per cent respectively. Both firms also scored highly for customer service in Which?’s customer satisfaction survey - receiving four stars for their overall customer service and quality of communications about energy costs. 

During an unrelenting energy crisis, it is more crucial than ever that any energy firms that are falling short up their game and improve their customer service. A quarter of people Which? surveyed who had engaged with their energy firm in the last year to get help with a problem said the company had made it difficult. 

This is why Which? is campaigning for companies to improve their customer service. Customer service standards dropped for many businesses during the pandemic - but in too many cases they have not returned to an acceptable level. It is clear that waiting times need to be cut, customers should be getting better help with their queries and businesses need stronger incentives to up their game.

The consumer champion wants consumers to be able to easily contact companies, without unnecessary barriers and in the way that suits them best  - whether that is speaking to a person or a chatbot. Everyone should be able to get the answers they need without long waits or endless loops, be kept informed and treated fairly, with empathy and as an individual.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: 

“With energy prices still punishingly high and limited chances for consumers to save money by switching suppliers, good customer service is more important than ever. 

“While Octopus Energy, Ecotricity and E were all named Which? Recommended Providers and scored highly for their customer service, others fell short of customers’ expectations.“Which? is calling for any providers who are falling short on customer service to up their game and ensure customers are able to contact them easily and get the answers they need.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

Which? surveyed 9,025 energy customers in October 2023. Fieldwork was carried out online by an online agency on behalf of Which?.

The customer score is based on satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Customers also rated aspects of service, which are presented as star ratings.

At least 50 responses were needed to give a rating, and sample sizes are in brackets in the table below.The Which? assessment score looks at supplier practices and procedures and is based on: customer service (30%), supporting customers who need it (30%), complaints performance (30%) and performance against 2022 smart meter targets (10%).

The total score is a combination of customer score and Which? assessment score.

Which? Recommended Providers must achieve a 70% customer score and score above average in the Which? Assessment.

100Green and Good Energy received too few responses in our customer satisfaction survey to get customer scores or overall ratings. They completed our supplier questionnaire so get a Which? assessment score. 

Full table of results 

Case studies 

Hilary and her husband - who is blind - are both in their eighties. Their energy account was transferred to British Gas when their previous provider, PFP Energy, ceased trading in September 2021.

British Gas determined they needed a new meter and several appointments were made for the smart meter monitor to be supplied. The engineer failed to turn up several times and Hilary and her husband are yet to receive a working smart meter monitor, which makes it difficult for them to manage their energy usage.  

Hilary and her husband were also flabbergasted when they received a letter from British Gas in July 2022 stipulating that customer queries were to be dealt with over the phone or online rather than via letter.

Hilary said: "When I rang about the issues we'd been experiencing, not only did I have to hold on for a long time but when I did get through, the woman who took my call had to go away and deal with each item separately while I held on. This meant the call took far too long.  We were also put on their list of vulnerable customers but it doesn't stop them asking for up-to-date meter readings from time to time.  Neither does anyone call to read the meters. Poor service."

Peter Smith moved into a new build property in July 2021. When his energy provider - Neon Reef - ceased trading in November 2021, Peter was transferred back to British Gas.

Unfortunately, due to the incorrect logging of meters, Peter was billed for two properties on his estate. He contacted the British Gas customer service call centre several times but found their advisors weren't able to resolve his issue.

Peter logged an official complaint with British Gas and contacted the Neon Reef administrators in order to resolve the issue. Thankfully, the Neon Reef team managed to confirm to British Gas that Peter did not own two properties on the estate.

Peter feels disappointed with the poor customer service he received from British Gas. It took months to resolve his issue and he found he was often left on hold - even in online chats.

He said: "It was a massive struggle to make contact with [British Gas], and when I did the overseas call centre could only handle items on the sheet in front of them. I was passed around from advisor to advisor, and eventually told that I must own two properties.  I logged a formal complaint and it took months to reach a resolution. I also had the angst of final demand letters.

Peter has now switched to Octopus Energy. He said: “Octopus and British Gas are miles apart."

Right of reply

British Gas said: "This survey is behind the curve and is based on data that is up to a year old. We appreciate all customer feedback and can confirm the issues raised in these two case studies relating to the supplier of last resort process from 2021 were resolved. Since that period, we’ve targeted more than £25m of investment on improving service and customers are seeing a difference – this includes hiring 700 new contact centre agents and extending our opening times. We continue to be focused on customer service and helping our most vulnerable customers through our sector leading £100m customer support package."

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

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