Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and
Services, said:
“Switching is the ultimate way for consumers to avoid rip-off
energy tariffs, yet the regulator has estimated energy customers
would have been owed more than £70million in just one year for
switches gone wrong had automatic compensation been in place, and
with switching on the rise this figure could be even
higher.
“The regulator now needs to enforce its automatic compensation
standards so that energy companies get it right first time and
consumers are not put off switching – given they could
potentially save more than £300 a year."
Notes to editors:
-
Ofgem's Impact Assessment for Supplier Guaranteed
Standards of Performance for Switching estimated 1,867,824
incidence of switching problems leading to £73.1million of
potential repayment to customers based on 2017 data - see
1.17: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2018/11/impact_assessment.pdf
-
Customers looking for cheaper energy deals can
compare deals with Which? Switch, a
transparent and impartial way to compare energy tariffs and
find the best gas and electricity supplier.
-
Which? calculates that a medium user (using
3,100kWh gas and 12,000kWh electricity per year) on a
dual-fuel default or tariff standard tariff at the level of
the price cap could save up to £358 a year by
switching to the cheapest deal on the market. Based on
tariffs available in all regions in England, Scotland and
Wales, paying by monthly direct debit, with paperless bills.
Data is from Energylinx and correct on 10 April
2019.
-
The
results of Which?’s latest energy satisfaction survey can be
found here: www.which.co.uk/energy-table
