Best and worst energy suppliers revealed: Ecotricity tops customer service league table - and Extra Energy is bottom
- The tool includes energy suppliers with a ranking of biggest 18 companies
- Ecotricity and Flow Energy are joint top, both with 4.25 stars
- Consumers will be able to see costs alongside the customer service ranking
Households can now use a new online tool to compare the customer service provided by energy suppliers.
The tool has been created by Citizens Advice to help people decide between energy suppliers not solely on price, with a league table of the biggest 18 companies rated on customer service.
Smaller firms Ecotricity and Flow Energy top the charts, both with a ranking of 4.25 out of five.
They are followed by Economy Energy, SEE, Utility Warehouse, EDF Energy and First Utility with four stars.
Putting on the pressure: Having extra information on what a supplier is like to deal with could also help consumers make a final choice, Citizens Advice says
At the other end end of the spectrum is Npower with three stars and ScottishPower and Extra Energy with a lowly 2.75 and 2.5 stars.
Citizens Advice says it has launched the at-a-glance star ranking to help people make an informed choice about switching.
The tool uses a star rating ranking from one to five, with the total number of stars given to each supplier depending on varying factors, including ease of switching, ease of contact, complaints, bill clarity and switching guarantee.
Citizens Advice in its research discovered that while price is the biggest factor in encouraging consumers to switch, having extra information on what a supplier is like to deal with could also help households make a final choice.
The star rating will appear as part of the organisation's price comparison tool, which means people will be able to see costs alongside the customer service ranking.
Gillian Guy, chief executive, said: 'Customers shouldn't feel like they have to take a leap of faith when choosing a new energy supplier.
'While people said that price was their primary consideration when switching energy supplier, customer service also has some bearing on their decision.
The new star rating will make it easier for people to tell how good a supplier is at customer service so they can make sure they find the company that best suits their needs: on price and service.'
Latest figures from the Ombudsman Services revealed energy suppliers lost more than £5.2billion last year as poor service led customers to switch to rival firms.
A consumer partner at energy watchdog Ofgem's senior partner said: 'This is an important new tool. People have been able to compare energy suppliers' prices for some time.
'It shines a light on suppliers and puts pressure on poorly rated companies to up their game or risk losing customers.'
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