SSE has today announced that it will issue automatic refunds to direct debit customers with more than £5 credit at the end of their yearly billing cycle.
Previously, although customers have been able to request their credit to be refunded at any time, automatic refunds were made on balances of £100 or more. However, after today SSE will reduce this threshold to £5 at customers’ annual reviews, and within the next 12 months expects to begin reviewing all direct debit customer accounts twice a year to provide further reassurance that payments are set at the right level for customers' usage.
Tony Keeling, Director of Customer Service at SSE said:
"SSE has always believed in doing more for our customers; that's why we are delighted to announce a significant change to our direct debit policy that will help reassure customers they are getting a good deal.
"As well as looking to provide a half-yearly review of all direct debit customer accounts, we will be issuing automatic refunds if customers are more than £5 in credit at the end of their yearly billing cycle.
"Where we can make a difference for our customers, we take action. This comes after we were the first supplier to end cold calling, simplify our tariffs and introduce the industry's only £20 Customer Service Guarantee. There's always more we can do and we'll continue to listen to our customers and react to what they tell us."
Rt Hon Gregory Barker, Minister for Energy and Climate Change, said:
“I welcome this move by another of the major energy companies. There is still more to do but this builds on the Coalition reforms to the energy market which I’m pleased to see industry implementing.”