Energy Ombudsman Recensioni 

Clear communication and process managed by one Case Manager (Ross Pell) who could not have been more attentive, clear and organised. The process is very fair, well-documented and efficient.

I have had to deal with the Energy Ombudsman on two separate occasions, involving different matters, and unfortunately my experience was essentially the same both times.

I found the process one-sided and lacking the level of independent scrutiny I would expect from an organisation whose role is to resolve disputes fairly. Evidence and arguments I raised did not appear to receive proper consideration, while the energy company’s position seemed to be given considerably more weight.

Having now experienced the process twice and reached the same conclusion on both occasions, I have very little confidence in the service.

Consumers usually approach an ombudsman because they have already exhausted the normal complaints process. They should be able to expect genuine independence, careful examination of the evidence and a fair opportunity to have their concerns properly considered.

Based on my experience, I would not recommend relying on the Energy Ombudsman for meaningful redress. Think carefully before investing significant time and effort in the process.
‐‐----------------------------------Update following the Energy Ombudsman’s response:
--------------‐---------------------------

The response below is exactly the kind of generic reassurance that caused me to lose confidence in the process in the first place. It does not address what actually happened in my case.

The Energy Ombudsman states that it considers the evidence presented by both parties impartially. However, in my case, its own correspondence later confirmed two serious problems with the investigation.

First, the Ombudsman acknowledged that some of the evidence I submitted could not be opened and that I had not been given an opportunity to resubmit it before the decision was made.

Second, and even more concerning, the Ombudsman expressly acknowledged that Scottish Power had submitted a response which “was not relevant to your case.”

Those are not minor administrative issues.

On one side, material submitted by the consumer could not be accessed before the decision. On the other, the supplier submitted material which the Ombudsman itself later accepted was not relevant to the case.

Yet a decision was still reached, and I was subsequently told that everything had been taken into consideration.

That is precisely why I consider the process to have been one-sided and to have created a clear appearance of evidential imbalance. A process cannot simply be described as impartial; its handling of the evidence must demonstrate impartiality in practice.

I formally complained about evidence handling and procedural fairness and specifically questioned how the Ombudsman could maintain that all relevant evidence had been properly considered in those circumstances.

Their public response still does not answer that question.

My criticism is therefore not simply that I disliked the outcome. It concerns the integrity of the investigation process itself: inaccessible consumer evidence, irrelevant supplier material, and a final position that nevertheless maintained that the case had been properly and impartially assessed.

Having experienced serious concerns with the Energy Ombudsman on two separate occasions, I remain of the view that consumers should approach the service with caution and should retain complete records of everything they submit.

I stand by my review.

It's really clear who funds the energy ombudsman when you deal with them. They are totally bias towards the energy company. It is not worth contacting them

energy ombuds man, refused to take the photos of the readings on my smart meter display into account, despite it clearly showed Utility warehouse were over charging me, and utility warehouse had wrote to me on 3 occasions that the smart meter was displaying the correct information, that showed they were overcharging me during the off peak night time rates

Raised a complaint with them as Northern Powergrid said something usually takes 6 weeks and it instead took 10 months, with terrible communication throughout to the point where I was spending hours getting in touch with them in my personal time, seeming to manage all of the works myself. They even admitted later when I kept pushing that they don't have the access to the data to be able to estimate 6 weeks.

Energy ombudsman looked over everything and decided they should give a £100 goodwill gesture. This wouldn't even cover my time at minimum wage, and I expect will do nothing to have Northern Powergrid change their ways, so I'm not really sure what it's doing.

I tried to appeal it or have it reviewed but there is no process for that. I asked how it is calculated but it seems to be just whatever the investigator decides. They listed a number of things included but said time soent dealing with sorting out Northern Powergrid wasn't one of them. I even found I have a disability which means the treatment Northern Powergrid showed affects me far worse than others, but even this was apparenlty not enough to have any impact on the "calculation". It seems extremely arbitrary which is the exact kind of thing which needs a peer review and appeals process.

So it seems I effectively have the choice of accept the £100 decision (which Northern Powergrid don't have to agree to), or nothing.

For 10 months I've been fighting Northern Powergrid to get green technology installed and do my part to save the planet. They've been a pain at almost every step.

There is no way we're hitting any green targets if this is the competance of the power distributors, and energy ombudsman can't do anything to discourage this behaviour.

If your house is attached, built any time before the 90s, and in the coverage area of Northern Powergrid, don't bother looking at green tech. It's not worth the hassle, and Energy Ombudsman can't seem to help with that. Or if you are, be sure to allow for at least a year for supply issues to be sorted.

Edit: Adding to this that the EV charger has gone up in price while all of this has been going on, so it's now looking like the goodwill payment which was already small IMO compared to the time I have had to spend managing Northern Powergrid will be used for that, effectively reducing it further or using it entirely.

So in addition to the stress and inconvenice of it all, they have now potentially impacted me financially.

The whole process was easy to follow, the case handler was very professional and helpful. They were a great help in a very stressful situation.

I have been extremely disappointed with the way my complaint against British Gas has been handled.
Having gone through the process expecting an independent body to properly investigate the dispute, I have been left feeling that the Ombudsman is far more interested in accepting the utility company's position than genuinely challenging it.
In my case, the central issue is a substantial backdated bill and whether British Gas has correctly applied the rules around backdating charges. Despite raising clear concerns and providing information to support my position, I feel the investigation has focused on the utility company's explanation rather than properly addressing the points I have raised.
At times, the process has left me wondering whether there is any real independence between the Ombudsman and the companies it is supposed to hold accountable. It can genuinely feel as though they may as well be on the utility companies' payroll.
Unless you have a lot of time on your hands and are willing to waste it, I would question whether going through this process is worthwhile. In my experience, it has felt like a pointless exercise with little genuine consideration given to the issues being raised.
I appreciate that the Ombudsman may not always agree with the customer, but independence should mean properly examining both sides of a dispute, challenging the evidence where necessary and providing a clear explanation for the decision.
Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.
Very disappointing and, in my experience, far from what an independent complaints service should be.

Great resolution and very thorough, worked very hard to get a great result on my half and would recommend.very happy with this service

My complaint was handled by the ombudsman representative Reluca. She explained the process concisely and clearly, making the experience much smoother than I had anticipated.

I sought their help with my energy company. I followed the case handlers advice. They agreed, without informing, or discussing with me, that the situation had been resolved. It had not. I escalated the complaint with one of their "coaches". Again I responded to her as she asked. No response whatsoever. I continued to send emails, and left phone messages. Still no response. I further asked to speak with her manager, three times. There has been no resolution since March.

Opened a case with them after being totally blanked by British Gas. Steve, my case handler, was brilliant. Listened to me and talked me through the whole process. Kept in touch and final outcome was in my favour. Just waiting to see if BG uphold the decision.
Would definitely recommend anybody contacting the Ombudsman if they're heading down a dead end.

Fairly straightforward

Another Ombudsman that when complaining heavy favours the company in question, bent Osbudman organisations are there to protect industries and profit from members of the publics losses and not effect any of there statistics . Your right not to trust your country we get unfairly treated by theses companies

After initial delay due to original case handler being replaced, I was very pleased with the decision reached

I contacted the Energy Ombudsman after trying for many months to resolve an ongoing complaint directly with British Gas. The case involved several issues and quite a lot of evidence.

I found the Ombudsman service professional, fair and thorough. They carefully considered the evidence, addressed the main issues I had raised and explained the final decision clearly. My complaint was upheld and appropriate remedies were awarded.

I am very grateful for the help and support I received. I now hope British Gas will fully implement the decision within the required timeframe.

On contacting energy ombudsman about my complaint I was treated very well. Everything was explained to me in details and what I didn’t know what to do it was explained in detail. The only thing I would like is to be informed on how things are going other than that I have no complaints

Unfortunately, the Ombudsman couldn't help because they have to follow Ofgem guidelines, which in my case, heavily favored the supplier. Why the supplier needs more protection than the consumer I'll never understand. It makes me think the Ombudsman is fairly toothless.

That said, it was easy to raise a complaint and add evidence, and the complaint was processed quicker than I expected.

They could improve by answering every part of the complaint specifically, rather than giving a general conclusion.

Communication with the decision-maker could be improved. Mine was reluctant to answer my follow-up questions and I gave up—the result being that to get an answer I will probably have to make a further complaint about a different supplier, which could have possibly been prevented. A few polite bits of guidance would have saved me, the supplier, and the Ombudsman time in the long-run.

A complete waste of time. Utterly powerless. Have a problem go to your bank and the small claims court. You have to sort yourself out. They are of no use whatsoever. Just hope tax payers money doesnt fund them

British Gas had been unwilling to resolve my 2-year-old ongoing dispute, but with the Ombudsman Services’ involvement, the issue was resolved within just a week, including an apology and token compensation.

Highly satisfied with the service and would definitely recommend Ombudsman Services to others.

Not at all helpful its to long to go into but was offered £340 from OVO then the Ombudsman came to the conclusion that £100 was suitable, furious " ovos staff : some of them" are not from this planet , if you know what i mean will never use them again.