Our Work

Helping vulnerable people resolve complaints

Our Extra Help Unit helps vulnerable consumers across Great Britain with their energy and postal complaints.

The team use its statutory powers to investigate complex complaints, for example, where someone has been disconnected or is being threatened with disconnection.

Our key aim is to achieve the best possible solution for vulnerable people to distressing problems. That means investigating cases, negotiating with energy and postal suppliers and then offering people our expert advice on the options available.

We also use our frontline knowledge to identify company failures causing disadvantage to vulnerable people and make representations to regulators to ensure issues are addressed.

Vulnerable consumers can be referred to the Extra Help Unit by the Consumer Advice consumer service, Ofgem, the Energy Ombudsman and their MSP, MP or AM. Calls to the Extra Help Unit are recorded for training purposes.

If you have a complaint please call the Citizens Advice consumer service. This provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues. Visit www.adviceguide.org.uk or call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.

Complaints about the Extra Help Unit

Consumer Focus is fully committed to providing an effective and professional complaint handling service to energy and postal consumers across Great Britain and postal consumers in Northern Ireland. However, if you feel dissatisfied with the service you have received from our Extra Help Unit (EHU) or with the way that it has handled your complaint with your service provider we would like to hear from you. For information on our complaints procedure see Complaints against the EHU (PDF 151KB).