SSE is working through claims under its Sales Guarantee and already has paid out to around 400 customers in the two weeks since Ofgem’s penalty announcement.
Two weeks ago, in light of our decision to accept a £10.5m penalty levied by Ofgem for past breaches of two Standard Licence Conditions relating to the sale and marketing of domestic energy, we encouraged any customer who felt they may have been affected to contact our dedicated Sales Guarantee line. Since then, we have taken more than 12,000 calls.
To help process claims swiftly and effectively, SSE has put in place a dedicated team of up to 150 customer service advisors to help customers who believe they have a claim and to establish whether or not they have been financially disadvantaged. The team has already processed a large number of claims and has paid out to around 400 customers, with payments, where due, typically ranging from £60 to £120. However, advisors are still working through a large proportion of the claims, taking time to ensure that each customer’s situation is given the care and attention it deserves.
When a customer makes a claim, SSE’s customer service advisors will run the details through our ‘calculator’, which has been independently audited for fairness and accuracy, to determine what, if any, financial loss has been suffered. SSE will then alert customers to the outcome of that calculation, before following up with them for a more in-depth conversation about their circumstances and to establish whether any more needs to be done to put things right. As of today, we've been able to have those conversations with 10% of customers who made a claim.
SSE launched the Sales Guarantee in January 2012 and has since sent almost a million letters to customers to raise awareness and let them know how to access it. Under the Guarantee, SSE promises that any customer who shows that they switched their energy supply to SSE after being given inaccurate information or being misled will have any resulting financial loss made good.
Jacqui Maxwell, Head of Customer Service at SSE, said: “We are determined not only to make good any losses suffered by our customers in the past, but also to maintain the highest standards of customer service while doing so. It’s been a huge effort right across the team to make sure customers’ concerns are addressed quickly and thoroughly, and we will keep working hard in the coming weeks to give each customer the care and attention they deserve. Some customers understandably feel let down and we want to take the opportunity to show them what we’re really about.
“I would urge any customer who feels they may have been affected and has not yet been in touch with us to call the dedicated Sales Guarantee line on 0800 975 3341 so that we can assess their situation.”