A new report has highlighted significant financial losses and time wasted by UK customers due to inadequate service from energy and broadband providers.
A report by consumer group Which? has estimated that energy and broadband customers in the UK lost nearly £300 million over the past year due to poor customer service.
The research, based on a survey of over 4,000 people, found that customers also spent 27.3 million hours dealing with issues related to their service providers.
In the energy sector, around one in five customers gave up trying to resolve their issues, with nearly a third of those left financially worse off, losing an average of £137.
In total, Which? estimates that 1.2 million energy customers lost £166 million due to unresolved problems.
The report also found that time was lost by many customers trying to resolve problems. On average, those affected lost nearly two hours dealing with energy service issues.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “Our research lays bare the dire state of customer service in the energy and broadband sectors – with nearly £300 million lost to poor service in a single year.
“The impact in terms of wasted time and on people’s emotional wellbeing is just as concerning.
“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.”
