MARTYN JAMES

Take back the power when complaining to energy firms

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How happy are you with your energy company?

According to data from regulator Ofgem, satisfaction with energy suppliers is at an all-time high.

Apparently 82% of people surveyed gave their supplier the highest satisfaction rating. A further 77% said it was easy to contact their supplier. Oh, and complaint levels about energy are dropping too.

Does that sound right to you? Energy problems regularly top the list of consumer complaints I'm asked to help sort out on the television and radio and it's the number one sector for complaints from readers. Energy firms have repeatedly been warned and fined by Ofgem for poor service, errors and more. So what's going on here?

I've been investigating complaint handling by the energy suppliers for over a year now and it's clear to me that complaints aren't being logged, people are struggling to get the problems sorted out, final decision letters are not being issued and people are just giving up. It doesn't have to be this way.

Here's my guide on how to make an effective complaint.

Work out what's bothering you