Energy Ombudsman has mixed reviews from customers. Customers particularly appreciate service and professional, though some mention concerns about customer service and communication.
Once aware of the process and access to the online system the complaint was handled very well and I received a fast resolution from Octopus. They had shown no interest in resolving my complaint about refunding my credit balance on transferring my energy account elsewhere. The Ombudsman case definitely made them sit up and deal with it and I received a full refund and compensation for the mistakes made.
Octopus haven't completed their actions in the given time frame and have no date to do so, yet you've closed the case stating that Octopus have completed their actions! I still do not have a working gas metre since Octopus tried and failed to install a smart metre in February, 5 months ago. All I want is a metre that works so I know how much gas we are using and what I should be paying.
Excellent service and case handled in the time frame stated I was kept informed throughout the process including personal phone calls Staff always friendly and polite
Thank you team. If not for you the energy supplier would have not resolved the complaint and I would have lost £100’s
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In the pockets of the energy companies, ridiculous they allow them to do anything they want and face no repercussions.
Date of experience: December 14, 2024
I found my experience with the Ombudsman incredibly frustrating after I had a 9-month dispute with Octopus Energy. There was a fire in my building, the power supply was cut off and won't be back on for at least 2 years. Despite this fact, Octopus accepted there was no power in the building but erroneously insisted that I continue to pay standing charges and they created estimated bills because they couldn't stop charges. Here started a 6-month ordeal with Octopus where they twice sent my details to debt collection agencies, gave me conflicting advice, opened accounts without asking, broke GDPR regulations and didn't once hit an agreed deadline. This significantly affected my mental health in what has been categorically the worst year of my life. I decided to take them to the ombudsman so that they would change their future practices and provide me with adequate compensation. At the end of a further 8-week process, the ombudsman found everything in my favour. However, they stated they couldn't make companies change their practices, couldn't investigate GDPR complaints, couldn't make companies remove charges and ultimately offered me less than 50% of the final offer from Octopus Energy. When I questioned why they couldn't give me at least what Octopus were already willing to give me, they stated that they could only award amounts in line with similar claims. This is despite their remit to award up to £10,000 in compensation and my ask was less than 10% of that. This has left me feeling that the Ombudsman isn't on the side of the consumer, it should be heavily punishing these energy companies but ultimately sides with them for arbitrary reasons. My advice to anyone pursuing personal compensation via the Ombudsman is to not bother. Take the final offer given to you by the Energy company and move on.
Date of experience: December 13, 2024
Clear, concise, timely and fair. Great online platform too.
Date of experience: December 13, 2024
US
Terrible didn't investigate my case properly Didn't contact or support Was given multiple different case handlers. Who didn't relay key information regarding my case. Do decision was based on minor details not key points including discrimination were missed completely from the decision findings. During the appeal decision date my final handler was non contact. Would e.mail to say delayed until Friday then no contact I contacted my handler and was told further delays. I informed/reminded my handler of the time sensitive nature given it was less than a week away and was no further contact passed the day of decision. Meaning ultimately the decision was made to take no action against the supplier. This has caused major impact on my health and my financial situation as it puts me into debt for elec I've not had and been over charged for also part of the case. It has caused major impact on my health and caused a sense of dread and doom. Made things worse not better
Date of experience: December 12, 2024
US
I was left overnight with no electricity, for over 24 hours, OVO would not send out a engineer, even though i was practically begging them, my old age parents were left in the cold and dark, i have made numerous complaints about OVO energy and nothing has been done, its been over a year since my last complaint, and they still haven't upheld any of the actions they agreed to, my new complaint started a few months ago, i still have not had any response from OVO regarding my £200 worth of top ups and still dont have a in home display, nor the £200 good will offered, I dont no what else to do, im stuck
Date of experience: December 12, 2024
Friendly advisor so much more I can't thank them enough.
Date of experience: December 11, 2024
US
(Will they copy and paste their standard message in reply underneath this review?) My expectations were dashed from the initial hope the ombudsman would see it the same way as I did. I went from a no goodwill offer to an immediate offer of £150 goodwill once it reached the Ombudsman. The ombudsman then agreed that there were also overcharges of £170. While they agreed and empathised with the poor service agreeing and pointing out examples of the ongoing saga, they then went on to agree with the offer of goodwill. Technically, they have discretion to suggest up to £10,000 in compensation for poor service. But check it out yourself - filter these reviews by clicking on 1 star - 42% of them are rated that way at the time of writing this. And then scroll down and see just how often the ombudsman agrees with the offer from the energy supplier. The energy suppliers aren't at all scared of the ombudsman. They are paid directly by the energy supplier for handing the case. Which appears to me to be the incentive they have for agreeing with the goodwill gesture - if the ombudsman did use their discretion and were truly impartial, I think they would value the time, and stress the energy suppliers cause their customers. But quite frankly, the ombudsman appears to me to be a facade, completely structured and weighted in favour of the energy supplier. Scroll down yourself and see how often they agree with the energy supplier? It's beyond suspicious wouldn't you agree? Almost as if there was a formula at play to ensure the energy suppliers stays enrolled in the scheme and paying them for each case they handle because it's worth it. Civil courts are much more impartial - so that is my next step - let's have a more independent judge assess the poor service. The only thanks I give the Omnbudsman is for their summary of the poor service I received this will be a huge part of the evidence I use in court. The sheer extent of that poor service, the harrassment, the hoops they made me jump through to evidence my various claims, and the stress and frustration this caused cannot, I believe, in any independent assessment be valued so low. If I copied and pasted the dozens of emails it would be the equivalent of a small book. When I tot up how much time I spent investigating and having to assemble my case, it exceeds the actual compensation I will seek. Besides that, there are the phone calls. And repeated phone calls being passed from person to person. The fact they repeatedly lost the evidence I sent them and I had to restart the complaint each time because they didn't have complete records of what had already transpired. The fact at the time of writing this, it is one full year since the issues were first noticed and raised. This has consumed lots of my life over the last year. And to be told all of this effort and harrassment is worth so little is beyond a joke. One example, because some of the problems related to a previous address. was my evidence of moving house being rejected. I supplied a copy of the tenancy agreement, my letter giving notice (as required under that agreement) and photographs of the final meter reading the day I handed back the keys. This was rejected because I needed to supply an "end of tenancy agreement" which they say is a legal requirement and issued as standard when you leave a rented property. This as far as I can tell is completion fiction. I googled the hell out of that one and asked a couple of letting agents, including the one who had handled that tenancy. They had never heard of any such document and I cannot find any evidence of a legal requirement or in fact that anyone I know has ever signed a separate agreement to end a tenancy. Things like this wasted so much of my time for what is clearly an untruth - they either have some preposterously wrong information about the real world outside, or forgive my cynicism, they threw that at me as a way of trying to worm out of responsibility for whatever bills were incurred after I left that property. Either way, that and a whole host of other issues in the previous property and the new property got me drawn into stressful and time sapping work to prove my innocence and my case against them. I share this not because it is the fault of the Energy Ombudsman, but rather that they knew all this and sided with the estimate of goodwill due that the energy supplier had already suggested. And that's why I believe more people should not accept the ombudsman's decision as it is unlikely to reflect the true compensation you are due for poor service. I am actually looking forward to facing the energy supplier in court and would recommend more people consider this to feel that sense of true justice the ombudsman appears unlikely to be able to supply.
Date of experience: December 11, 2024
For my case, this was a brilliant service. Thoroughly professional in making the incomprehensible nonsense of the energy company I was in dispute with, comprehensible.
Date of experience: December 10, 2024
