British Gas has been ranked as the worst energy supplier by Which? as they received a score of 56 out of 100 after the consumer site analysed customer support, customer service and smart meter performance.
British Gas challenged Which? saying the information that was used is out of date and the survey is “behind the curve” and is based “on data that is up to a year old.”
Octopus Energy was ranked top and Ecotricity and E (Gas & Electricity) achieved the highest scores of the Which? survey.
More than 9,000 energy customer were surveyed in October for its annual customer satisfaction and 18 energy firms were assessed for their policies and behind the scenes of their practices.
The Which? survey assessed Scottish Power, Ovo Energy, Boost, Shell Energy, EDF Energy, E.ON Next and British Gas who all received customer scores of less than 60% of
Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha 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.”
An Ofgem spokesman said: “It is more important than ever that energy suppliers are there for their customers which is why we recently introduced a robust set of additional rules to drive up standards of customer service in crucial areas such as call waiting times and proactive outreach and support for customers who are struggling with debt.
“Suppliers must remember that customers who receive poor service can and will vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere.
“Over the past 12 months we have seen a rise in switching as competition slowly returns to the market. People should weigh up all the information, seek independent advice from trusted sources and consider what is most important for them – whether that’s the lowest price, the security of a fixed deal or a higher standard of customer service.”
A British Gas spokeswoman said: “This survey is behind the curve and is based on data that is up to a year old.
“Since that period, we’ve targeted more than £25 million 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 £100 million customer support package.’’
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