Archive for the ‘Ofgem’ Topic
News: Consumer Focus welcomes Ofgem’s decision to levy a significant fine on SSE for systemic failure in its direct selling operations
Published: 3 April 2013
Adam Scorer, Director of Policy at Consumer Focus said: ‘This is not a case of one bad apple or one rogue sales team. The problems at SSE affected the whole direct selling operation and represent a fundamental failure at one of our biggest energy companies. Other companies have also broken direct selling. This has been [...]
News: Ofgem statement on market reforms
Published: 21 February 2013
Responding to Ofgem’s statement on the Retail Market Review, Mike O’Connor Chief Executive of Consumer Focus said: ‘These reforms are welcome and over due. We have allowed what should be a fair market for an essentially simple service to become a byword for complexity and confusion. ‘Energy suppliers know that consumers do not have confidence [...]
News: Ofgem’s warning of future energy bill rises
Published: 19 February 2013
Responding to Ofgem’s warning of future energy bill rises, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive, Consumer Focus, said: ‘Keeping the lights on is a real challenge which the nation has to meet. We need to invest but we also need to think about how we protect the most vulnerable consumers who can least afford higher prices. In [...]
News: Ofgem calls for more powers to prevent mis-selling to businesses
Published: 3 February 2013
Responding to Ofgem’s calls for more powers to prevent mis-selling to businesses, Adam Scorer, Director of Policy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘There is a real protection gap on energy issues for small businesses. Many small businesses don’t have the resource or knowledge to tackle the confusing process and high pressure tactics often encountered from energy [...]
Publication: Switched on? Consumer experiences of energy switching
Published: 28 January 2013
Switching should be one of the key ingredients keeping our energy market competitive. In theory, consumers voting with their feet over which energy company they use should help keep energy firms on their toes – competing on pricing to attract new customers and retain their existing ones. But the problem is that energy switching rates [...]
News: Customer compensation on E.ON errors
Published: 27 November 2012
Responding to Ofgem’s agreement of £1.4m customer compensation and a £300,000 goodwill gesture for incorrect termination fees and overcharging following price rises from E.ON, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘We welcome Ofgem acting on evidence that fixed-term deal customers lost out when E.ON incorrectly charged termination fees or overcharged after price rises. [...]
News: Customer questions on pricing lead to scepticism on profits
Published: 15 November 2012
Responding to Centrica’s interim management statement announced today, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘Consumers will be sceptical over supplier profits given questions over how justified recent price rises have been. ‘We need profitable companies for our economy and to invest in energy infrastructure. But customers need to know that the relationship [...]
News: Lack of confidence on energy costs, pricing and profits is deepening customer distrust
Published: 14 November 2012
Responding to SSE’s half-year profits announced today, Adam Scorer, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Consumer Focus, said: ‘The furore over wholesale costs, energy pricing and company profits has deepened consumer distrust in the energy industry. ‘Energy companies need to make profit so they can invest in our energy infrastructure. But if confidence is [...]
News: Ofgem energy business market changes will mean greater protection for SMEs
Published: 26 October 2012
Responding to Ofgem’s final non-domestic Retail Market Review proposals, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘Today’s proposals will be particularly welcome news for hard-pressed SMEs. Ofgem is proposing extending microbusiness protections to many more small and medium businesses.1 This means they will have greater access to free help and redress when things [...]
