|
Choosing an energy supplier can be a confusing matter, as there are dozens of different companies offering a wide range of different tariffs and promising subtly different benefits. In many cases, people simply flock to the biggest energy providers in the country thanks to their prominent advertising campaigns and established reputations. However, the surprising truth is that some of the UK’s smallest energy providers are coming out on top when it comes to value for money, bill accuracy and customer service. Read on to discover what 2013’s energy satisfaction survey results are telling us about how to approach choosing the best energy supplier in the country. Who gets the best overall results? When Which? magazine surveyed seventeen different UK energy suppliers by gathering the views of over ten thousand individual consumers, Good Energy ended up being rated as the very best. It received an extremely high customer satisfaction score of 85%, and scored very well in almost every category. Specifically, it obtained five stars for customer service, five stars for its helpfulness with respect to energy saving, four stars for the accuracy and clarity of its bills, and four stars for its complains procedures. A close runner up was Ecotricity, who received a satisfaction score of 80% thanks to earning five stars for customer service and four stars for its bill accuracy, energy saving helpfulness and complaints procedures. Both of these companies received an average of three stars for their value for money, however, which is slightly less encouraging. Among the so-called ‘big six’ energy suppliers, SSE and E.ON tied for first place with an overall customer satisfaction score of 51%, though their value for money was no higher than any of the smaller companies. Overall, the big six energy suppliers received substantially lower scores than the average satisfaction scores received by the bulk of the smaller energy companies). Best for value for money Unfortunately, the consumers who chose to fill out the Which? survey did not deem any of the seventeen energy suppliers to be deserving of a five star rating for value for money. It is plausible that this low score in part reflects the fact that the average household is currently highly concerned about financial issues due to the pressure of the current economic climate. However, four suppliers earned four stars for their prices. These were Ebico, Ovo Energy, The Co-operative Energy and Utility Warehouse. However, it is worth pausing at this point to note that many people who responded on behalf of Utility Warehouse (i.e. around 37%) happened to be agents for this supplier or were receiving a discount for recommending a further consumer. Meanwhile, Confused.com’s assessment of 2013 tariffs indicated that worthy further contenders in the value for money category might be Flow Energy, iSupply Energy, and British Gas. Best for customer service and complaints Although value for money is the first thing that comes to mind when evaluating a supplier, it is not the only thing that matters when choosing a company to provide your home with energy. In particular, you also want to have a guarantee of receiving friendly, helpful and prompt feedback from the provider whenever you have a pertinent question or encounter some kind of difficulty relating to your tariff. You also want to be assured of good treatment and fair compensation in the event that you want to register a fair complaint. The Which? survey gave five stars for customer service to Good Energy and Ecotricity, so these two small providers seem like an excellent choice for those who are particularly interested in dealing with well-informed, polite employees. Runners up included Ebico, Utility Warehouse, Ovo Energy, The Co-operative Energy, and Marks and Spencer Energy (who all earned four stars for customer service). In addition, survey participants gave four stars for the complaints procedures employed by all of these particular companies (with the exception of Ebico, to whom the criterion was not applicable). Best for bill accuracy and readability As anyone who has ever received a shocking bill is well aware, it is highly stressful and confusing when you think you are being charged more than you owe. Given that this is the case, you want to choose an energy supplier who has a very good track record when it comes to sending out accurate bills that are easy to read. The Which? survey participants collectively decided that no provider earned a five star rating for their bills, but once again chose a decent group of four star providers. These were Good Energy, Ecotricity, Ebico, Utility Warehouse, Ovo Energy, The Co-operative Energy and Marks and Spencer energy. Best for energy saving Energy suppliers should also be willing to offer helpful advice that enables their customers to increase energy efficiency in this household, as this process allows you to save money and help the environment at the same time. The Which? survey rated Good Energy as a five star energy saving supplier, and an impressive eight further companies were awarded a rating of four stars. The four star energy suppliers were Ecotricity, Ebico, Utility Warehouse, Ovo Energy, The Co-operative Energy, Mark and Spencer Energy, Sainsbury’s Energy and E.ON. The worst energy suppliers Finally, it is also important to take a look at companies who earned particularly low scores for overall customer satisfaction. This year's Which? 2013 survey found that Npower (one of the famous ‘big six’) was rated as the worst energy supplier in the country, as it obtained a pitiful customer satisfaction score of just 39%. Npower received two stars in every possible criterion. Indeed, as was suggested above, the average small energy supplier tended to achieve much higher scores in all categories when compared to the average member of the ‘big six’. It is well worth keeping this information in mind when shopping around for your gas and electricity, as it is natural to assume that the best energy supplier might be one of the most prominently advertised. Sam Jones the author believes that if you are looking for the best energy supplier, go to the uSwitch.com comparison website, and use the online comparison facility to secure the cheapest energy provider.
Related Articles -
energy suppliers, energy deals, energyg saving, energy providers,
|
