British Gas and EDF Energy are being urged to “up their game” and improve their “unsatisfactory” customer service following a recent survey.
Both energy suppliers came towards the bottom in consumer champion Which?’s annual energy firm survey, as well as Boost, Scottish Power, Ovo Energy, Shell Energy and E.ON Next.
In comparison, Octopus Energy, Ecotricity and E (Gas & Electricity) were on the upper end of the scale for customer service.
The consumer watchdog polled more than 9,000 energy customers in October as part of its yearly customer satisfaction survey.
British Gas was ranked worst for customer service, according to Which?'s survey
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It also assessed the behind-the-scenes practices and policies of 18 energy firms to come up with an overall score.
Octopus Energy was given an overall score of 73 per cent and was the only supplier to be awarded a five-star rating for customer service.
In second and third place, Ecotricity and E (Gas & Electricity) scored 72 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively.
Both received four stars for their overall customer service and quality of communications about energy bill costs.
Comparatively, British Gas, Boost, Scottish Power, Ovo Energy, Shell Energy, EDF Energy, E.ON Next and British Gas all received customer scores of less than 60 per cent.
Despite being the energy supplier to a fifth of households in Great Britain, British Gas was ranked the worst performer overall after taking account its customer services practices.
The firm received an overall score of 56 per cent and scored only two stars for the majority of categories, including accessibility for customers and value for money, and three stars for customer service.
Furthermore, British Gas only got four out of 10 for its handling of complaints with points mainly being lost for the sheer volume of customer complaints it received per 100,000 accounts in the first half of last year in comparison to other firms.
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Octopus Energy topped Which?'s survey of energy firms
OCTOPUS ENERGYRocio Concha, the director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said: “With energy prices still punishingly high and limited chances for consumers to save money by switching suppliers, good customer service is more important than ever.
“While Octopus Energy, Ecotricity and E were all named Which? Recommended Providers and scored highly for their customer service, others fell short of customers’ expectations.
“Which? is calling for any providers who are falling short on customer service to up their game and ensure customers are able to contact them easily and get the answers they need.”
A British Gas spokesperson said: “This survey is behind the curve and is based on data that is up to a year old.
“Since that period, we’ve targeted more than £25million of investment on improving service and customers are seeing a difference – this includes hiring 700 new contact centre agents and extending our opening times.
“We continue to be focused on customer service and helping our most vulnerable customers through our sector leading £100million customer support package.’’
GB News has contacted Boost, Scottish Power, Ovo Energy, Shell Energy and E.ON Next for comment.