Changes to Consumer Representation within the Electricity Industry

16.10.2008

October 2008 sees the government introduce important changes to consumer representation. The new measures replace Energywatch with three separate organisations to look after specific roles continuing to offer consumers an effective support package.

Consumer Direct

Consumer Direct will operate as the government's advice and guidance helpline for customers who want to understand how to deal with specific energy complaints. Unlike Energywatch however, Consumer Direct will not take a complaint up on the customer's behalf.

Consumer Focus

Consumer Focus is the new name for the National Consumer Council. They will have a duty to investigate complaints from ‘disconnected' or ‘threatened with disconnection' customers and also ‘vulnerable customers'. Consumer Direct will refer customers to Consumer Focus where this is the case and they will take up the matter on behalf of the customer with their supplier. Taking on Energywatch’s advocacy role Consumer Focus will also identify policy issues of wider concern and raise them with the government or regulator as appropriate. 

Energy Supply Ombudsman   

Ofgem has appointed the current Energy Supply Ombudsman to become the new independent ombudsman for gas and electricity. The new arrangements formally extend the scope of the existing voluntary scheme and membership of the ombudsman scheme for all suppliers is now mandatory.

The ombudsman will be responsible for resolving billing and transfer issues between domestic, micro-businesses* and their suppliers. The ombudsman will only become involved if a customer has been through their supplier’s internal complaints process and has not received a reply within 8 weeks or where the supplier have stated a final position and the matter is ‘deadlocked'.

Opus Energy’s Complaints Charter

Opus Energy has a simple three step approach to customer complaints:

Step One

Customers who have experienced a problem with their electricity account or feel that some element of our Opus Energy’s service is not up to scratch should in the first instance contact the Customer Care team on 0800 630 0841 or via customercare@opusenergy.com

A thorough investigation into the circumstances of the complaint will be carried out and a Customer Care representative will contact the customer within five working days with the results of the investigation. At this point, we will provide a detailed explanation of what we will do to remedy the complaint.

Step Two

If the complaint has not been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction or if they would like the decision reviewed, they can contact the Operations Director who will respond within a further five working days, by writing to: 

Opus Energy Limited
Royal Pavilion
2 Summerhouse Road
Northampton
NN3 6BJ 

Email: operationsdirector@opusenergy.com

Step Three

Opus Energy is a member of the Energy Supply Ombudsman (ESO), which is an independent body that resolves billing and transfer issues between domestic customers, micro-businesses* and their energy suppliers.

If after following step one and two outlined above, the customer feels that Opus Energy has not resolved their complaint and their business is classed by the regulator as a micro-business*, the ESO may be able to help. Please note that customers will be referred back to Opus Energy if they have not first escalated their complaint via our formal complaints process detailed above.

 Click here to download a copy of the full Complaints Charter

If you have any questions about the changes or about Opus Energy’s Complaints Charter please contact Customer Services on 0845 3302655.

*A micro-business is a businesses employing 10 or less employees or spending no more than £5,000 on the relevant energy supply (main gas or electricity) or with a turnover of under €2 million.

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