Consumer advocacy group Which? has noted issues with the customer service provided by British Gas and ScottishPower.
A survey conducted in May 2024 identified these two energy companies as having some of the lowest customer satisfaction scores.
The survey assessed customer satisfaction across nine sectors. Financial services had the highest satisfaction with a net score of +72.
Energy and broadband services were among the lowest, with scores of +51 and +52 respectively.
According to the survey, in the energy sector, ScottishPower and British Gas had particularly low scores.
ScottishPower recorded an overall customer service score of +34, while British Gas scored +43, both below the sector average of +51.
Despite some improvements since previous evaluations, ongoing issues remain, Which? said.
ScottishPower scored +23 for the time taken to reach a helpful representative and +33 for the time to resolve issues.
More than half of ScottishPower’s customers reported experiencing at least one customer service issue in the past year, with common complaints including long wait times on the phone and unhelpful responses.
British Gas scored +30 for contact time, +39 for query resolution and +43 for keeping customers informed.
According to the report, half of British Gas customers reported at least one service issue in the last year, with major issues including long phone wait times and difficulty reaching customer service.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “It is never ok for firms to provide sub-standard customer service, but in essential sectors providing vital services millions rely on every day such as energy and broadband, it is completely unacceptable.
“We have written to all firms about their consistently poor performance in our research.
“Which? is calling on them to give consumers the customer service they deserve and clearly communicate the steps they are taking to improve.”
A British Gas spokesperson told Energy Live News: “The survey is not representative, out of 4,101 respondents it included less than 500 of our customers and is based on data that is up to a year old.
“We’ve invested £50 million in our customer operations since the start of the energy crisis – this includes hiring 700 more UK-based contact centre staff at the end of last year, introducing longer call centre opening times and providing additional training to our dedicated colleagues on supporting customers in financial difficulty.
“This investment is working, customers are seeing a difference, that’s why as part of the trusted Uswitch Energy Awards last month we received recognition for Best Overall Improvement.
“We’ll continue to look at how we can further improve customer service. We’re also looking at new ways to drive customer engagement and provide targeted support through innovative initiatives, for example, our first of its kind “You Pay: We Pay” scheme that will 100% match energy payments made by customers who are struggling and most in need of help.”
A ScottishPower spokesperson told Energy Live News: “We service 2.9 million customers a year across a range of channels, including phone, chat, email and online.
“97% of customer emails were responded to within two days and our average speed of answering phone enquiries is under 107 seconds.
“These figures, published as part of a much larger and more robust study by Citizens Advice are more representative than the 217 customers (0.007% of our customer base) surveyed by Which? and puts us top of the large suppliers when it comes to customer service call waiting times and email turnaround.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to improve and enhance our services for all of our customers and will continue to do everything we can to help them.”
