ScottishPower has been ranked Great Britain’s worst energy supplier for customer service in a survey from a leading consumer body, which placed many of the biggest suppliers near the bottom of the league table.
British Gas and EDF Energy were just above ScottishPower at the foot of the annual Which? rankings. These are based on a satisfaction survey of almost 12,000 energy customers alongside the group’s assessment of each supplier’s customer service.
Which? found that ScottishPower had the lowest customer satisfaction score and tied with EDF Energy for the second-lowest score on the consumer champion’s overall assessment. The weakest performer was So Energy, which finished fourth from bottom overall.
Other large suppliers in the lower half of the table included Ovo Energy, which ranked fifth from bottom, and E.ON Next, which tied with Ecotricity and Fuse Energy as the sixth worst suppliers.
“While four suppliers are outshining the competition, some big firms – including ScottishPower, EDF and British Gas – are letting their customers down,” said Emily Seymour, the Which? energy editor.
All three of the lowest-scoring suppliers questioned the Which? rankings, which they said at times appeared to contradict the customer service scores published by the charity Citizens Advice and the industry regulator.
A spokesperson for ScottishPower said the Citizens Advice scorecard showed the supplier had delivered “sustained, high-quality delivery for our customers” and was based on “much more robust and transparent methodology” than the Which? survey.
“We will continue to work tirelessly every day to deliver fast, efficient and helpful support to our customers,” the spokesperson added.
British Gas said Ofgem’s latest customer satisfaction data showed that the supplier had achieved the second-highest overall satisfaction score among the main energy suppliers, after complaints fell by more than 20% in each of the past two years.
“We know there is always more to do and are continually looking at ways to make further improvements for our customers,” British Gas said.
A spokesperson for EDF Energy said the supplier was “committed to continuing to improve the service we provide to our customers”.
“While the research highlights areas where we need to go further, it also reflects strengths in how we support customers who need additional help,” they said. “We are focused on building on these strengths and continuing our efforts to deliver improvements.”
Which? awarded four suppliers “recommended provider” status: E (Gas and Electricity), a Birmingham-based firm with more than 300,000 customers that topped the table overall, along with Octopus Energy, 100Green and Sainsbury’s Energy.
Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest domestic energy supplier, finished second overall and was named as a Which? recommended supplier for the ninth consecutive year.
Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy’s founder and chief executive, said: “Octopus was first recommended by Which? nine years ago when we had just 50,000 customers. Despite growing 160 times bigger over the last nine years, we’re still Which? recommended, and have been every year. This isn’t about scale – it’s about consistently focusing on our customers to deliver value, service and innovation.”
