The Energy Ombudsman's Compensation System

GoodHouseKeeping

ben_glastonbury said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

ben_glastonbury said:

I think Ofgem should remove the contract with the company providing the ombudsman and give a contract to someone who will enforce the rules. 

Sorry?  What's this?

OFGEM should "give the contract for providing the ombudsman to someone else"?

I think you've completely misunderstood how that all works.

That's generally also a good example of why customer's desire for compensation and what would be sensible differs wildly.  For believing that they haven't had a bill correctly covered the period, why would large punitive compensation be sensible?

I thought the ombudsman was run by a private company appointed by Ofgem. Have I misunderstood.

I thought I was entitled to a bill. Having tried to get one from the supplier over a number of phone calls I put in a formal complaint in early December asking for a correct bill covering the period from Dec 2021 to August 2022. I referred it to the ombudsman  at the end of Feb after BG failed to provide any reason why they had arbitarily changed readings in a replacement bill or provide the requested bill. It is June and I have only now accepted the ombudsmans decision as it was clear that they do not believe that I am entitled to a bill covering the period in question. The supplier has admitted multiple instances where they have failed to provide acceptable levels of customer service. I did not say in my comment that I thought I should recieve a larger compensation/goodwill payment. The supplier has admitted they do not know why they changed the opening reading I want what I believe I am entitled to which is a bill covering the period from Dec 2021 to Aug 2022 so I can understand what they have charged me for, I still do not have this.    Which bit of how it should work have I misunderstood? Do you think we should just get a direct debit without getting a bill explaining why we owe the money? This is what the supplier and the ombudsman believe. 

The compensation in my case was mainly for the multiple poor levels of service, in incorrect billing, in failing to correctly follow the complaints process, failing to provide a deadlock letter after 8 weeks, failing to say who I could contact to help resolve the issue. 

No Ben, you are not wrong.  Companies that have ombudsman status - alternative dispute resolution, are still private companies whose objective is to make a profit.  They are barely accountable, they are linked to the Ombudsman Association but not regulated by them.  They have a very free hand and of course as contracted to an organisation, it is of course in their interest not to be awarding fair and reasonable compensation but to keep those costs to a minimum. 

It is perfectly possible to challenge what they say and to take the ombudsman to court and the energy companies to court, just because they exist don't mean that they operate lawfully, fairly or justly.

It is largely a con on the British public, with only cases that make headline news that may eventually be properly addressed.

Don't buy the line about going down the US route, it's utter nonsense.  Businesses all over the world exploit customers and it is the hard won and hard fought laws that we have in this country that we would do well to protect - they exist for all our benefit - when you need them.

Noting that many of these rights are in jeopardy by right-wing capitalists and MP's who have a great deal to gain by their removal - think wisely if anyone tells you something else.

tifo

Anytime i've used the Energy Ombudsman i've found them to be slow, lacking in knowledge, taking the supplier's side and generally useless in resolving the dispute fairly. A bit like other quangos.

As an example, i made a complaint last year about the debt collection actions of my supplier in February and March 2022. The supplier promptly said the matter had been dealt with several years ago! The ombudsman closed the file. I then had to argue, and it took several months to get looked into, asking how a complaint about actions done in 2022 was resolved a few years before that by the supplier? Did the supplier time travel? The supplier used a complaint from earlier to say the matters had been looked into. After investigating the ombudsman then said the supplier had done nothing wrong when clearly they had and it was documented.

Also within the same complaint the investigator told me they don't know the answer to my queries. It was passed for review and I was then given answers, these proved the supplier was in the wrong but the ombudsman didn't do anything, kept the original decision of declining the complaint.

QrizB

tifo said:

Anytime i've used the Energy Ombudsman i've found them to be slow, lacking in knowledge, taking the supplier's side and generally useless in resolving the dispute fairly.

As a general rule, the ombudsman does not investigate. They review your evidence and the supplier's, and reach a decision.

If the ombudsman lacks knowledge of your case it's because you haven't supplied the information.

GoodHouseKeeping

QrizB said:

tifo said:

Anytime i've used the Energy Ombudsman i've found them to be slow, lacking in knowledge, taking the supplier's side and generally useless in resolving the dispute fairly.

As a general rule, the ombudsman does not investigate. They review your evidence and the supplier's, and reach a decision.

If the ombudsman lacks knowledge of your case it's because you haven't supplied the information.

I am sure that you are correct.  And the issue here being that Ombudsmen processes are opaque and the general public rightly believes that an investigation takes place.  It is very clear that for most people, they would only go as far as taking a dispute to the ombudsman after considerable time and effort expended.

Essentially having an ombudsman route is no deterrent to any organisation.  They get away with a lot more than they pay out and only in extremely rare circumstances to they suffer any real damage.

peterg1234

Firstly I would like to say the "Energy Ombusman" as the energy companies like to refer to as mentioning "OFGEM" as the regulator is in-correct. As they are a non-entity

No regulation and certainly no compensation system unlike "OFCOM" who seem to do thier job, check out mobile phone costs .....the so-called "energy ombusman" is a third party ...company and not "OFGEM" all they do is deflect issues from the regulator, who it seems is a profit generating arm for the utility suppliers they do not argue charges,they do not argue supply issues, thats the DNO , they do not protect consimers with PAYG or PRE-Payment, or E7 or Non-Standatd  meters  they allow suplliers to charge what they like, UNLESS the government says so, unfortunately the government does not know thier business and seems to "blanket" every consumer as the same, which is not the case.

Simple investigation Goverment website "price Cap" 2022 only standard meter and tarrff.....?

Electricity ACT 2015 "GSOP" amendments 2023 pre-payment "removed" from written legislation ...IS THAT IT...

First things first clains culture or not... BT is a Utility suplier.... if they do not provide thier service "remember General Standatd Of Performance" mr energy compay?

BT do not provide service correctly ..  £5.73 per day "Automatic Compensation" fact!

If you think OFGEM is doing thier job... you have to be joking.. something is going wrong and neefs investigating "Martin" it is ypur job

MeteredOut

peterg1234 said:

Firstly I would like to say the "Energy Ombusman" as the energy companies like to refer to as mentioning "OFGEM" as the regulator is in-correct. As they are a non-entity

No regulation and certainly no compensation system unlike "OFCOM" who seem to do thier job, check out mobile phone costs .....the so-called "energy ombusman" is a third party ...company and not "OFGEM" all they do is deflect issues from the regulator, who it seems is a profit generating arm for the utility suppliers they do not argue charges,they do not argue supply issues, thats the DNO , they do not protect consimers with PAYG or PRE-Payment, or E7 or Non-Standatd  meters  they allow suplliers to charge what they like, UNLESS the government says so, unfortunately the government does not know thier business and seems to "blanket" every consumer as the same, which is not the case.

Simple investigation Goverment website "price Cap" 2022 only standard meter and tarrff.....?

Electricity ACT 2015 "GSOP" amendments 2023 pre-payment "removed" from written legislation ...IS THAT IT...

First things first clains culture or not... BT is a Utility suplier.... if they do not provide thier service "remember General Standatd Of Performance" mr energy compay?

BT do not provide service correctly ..  £5.73 per day "Automatic Compensation" fact!

If you think OFGEM is doing thier job... you have to be joking.. something is going wrong and neefs investigating "Martin" it is ypur job

I've read this 3 times and I'm still not sure what you're saying. It's a dig at some entity, but I'm not sure if its OFGEM, OFCOM or EOS (or maybe BT)

pfpf

MeteredOut said:

peterg1234 said:

Firstly I would like to say the "Energy Ombusman" as the energy companies like to refer to as mentioning "OFGEM" as the regulator is in-correct. As they are a non-entity

No regulation and certainly no compensation system unlike "OFCOM" who seem to do thier job, check out mobile phone costs .....the so-called "energy ombusman" is a third party ...company and not "OFGEM" all they do is deflect issues from the regulator, who it seems is a profit generating arm for the utility suppliers they do not argue charges,they do not argue supply issues, thats the DNO , they do not protect consimers with PAYG or PRE-Payment, or E7 or Non-Standatd  meters  they allow suplliers to charge what they like, UNLESS the government says so, unfortunately the government does not know thier business and seems to "blanket" every consumer as the same, which is not the case.

Simple investigation Goverment website "price Cap" 2022 only standard meter and tarrff.....?

Electricity ACT 2015 "GSOP" amendments 2023 pre-payment "removed" from written legislation ...IS THAT IT...

First things first clains culture or not... BT is a Utility suplier.... if they do not provide thier service "remember General Standatd Of Performance" mr energy compay?

BT do not provide service correctly ..  £5.73 per day "Automatic Compensation" fact!

If you think OFGEM is doing thier job... you have to be joking.. something is going wrong and neefs investigating "Martin" it is ypur job

I've read this 3 times and I'm still not sure what you're saying.

you read your meter a lot more times than that and still didn't know what it was saying

Lewie

For electricity the actual reading I gave them was 81484
They changed this to 81192. Both stated 'you gave us your meter reading'. Impossible.
For gas the actual reading I gave them was 22678
They changed this to 22630. Both stated 'Your first meter reading taken'. Again, impossible.
I gave both opening readings. And if, as they claim, they took the gas meter opening readings, where did they get them both from?
As for do I think it was a mistake... I can't answer for them, but if it's incompetence, WOW!!
Either way, think how many thousands were transferred. 

MeteredOut

Lewie said:

For electricity the actual reading I gave them was 81484
They changed this to 81192. Both stated 'you gave us your meter reading'. Impossible.
For gas the actual reading I gave them was 22678
They changed this to 22630. Both stated 'Your first meter reading taken'. Again, impossible.
I gave both opening readings. And if, as they claim, they took the gas meter opening readings, where did they get them both from?
As for do I think it was a mistake... I can't answer for them, but if it's incompetence, WOW!!
Either way, think how many thousands were transferred. 

Was this a change of supplier, or a move?

If the latter, the readings possibly came from the previous occupant. Was there a gap between the previous occupant vacating the premises and you moving in/taking the readings?

QrizB

Lewie said:

For electricity the actual reading I gave them was 81484
They changed this to 81192. Both stated 'you gave us your meter reading'. Impossible.
For gas the actual reading I gave them was 22678
They changed this to 22630. Both stated 'Your first meter reading taken'. Again, impossible.

That's a difference of 292kWh of electricity, and 48 m3 (about 540kWh) of gas. Total value ~£120.

And what were your closing readings from your previous supplier?