SSE has retained its number one position in an industry performance report, receiving the lowest rate of complaints of the major energy suppliers.
The Energy Supplier Performance report which is published quarterly by Citizens Advice (formerly by Consumer Futures) ranked SSE as the top performer of the six major energy suppliers in all key categories.
This most recent report covers the period from October to December last year and rates SSE with the best complaints score of 31.5 per 100,000 customers, also an improvement on its performance in the last quarter.
The Energy Supplier Performance Report includes complaints data from Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Futures and Ombudsman Services. SSE has consistently held the top spot since 2010*.
SSE’s low complaint rate is recognition of the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering high standards of customer service and follows its announcement in March to freeze energy prices until at least 2016.
Will Morris, Group Managing Director, Retail, said: "At SSE we believe that one complaint is a complaint too many, but we're extremely proud to be consistently the best performing energy supplier in this area. The figures show that there's no such thing as the Big Six when it comes to customer service, with our worst competitor receiving ten times more complaints.
"Our customer service has been voted the best in the sector eight years running and we've just announced the longest price freeze the energy industry has ever seen; it's time for the rest of the industry to wake up and start delivering for customers."
Jacqui Maxwell, SSE Head of Customer Service, added: “At SSE we are dedicated to delivering the very best for our customers and being consistently placed top is a fantastic achievement for us.
“We always aim to resolve complaints and concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible in a friendly and positive way and this is further evidence that the service our employees are delivering is the right one.
“As always, we won’t stop here. We’ll continue to make improvements to ensure we respond to the needs of our customers and provide the service our customers deserve.”
SSE has made a number of improvements and industry leading commitments over the past two years, these include:
• Freezing prices until at least 2016
• Simplifying tariffs and bills
• A Customer Service Guarantee – which gives money back to customers if SSE fails to meet a set of promises
• Putting an end to cold calling
• A Sales Guarantee - which gives customers peace of mind when they buy from SSE.
SSE supplies energy across Great Britain through its retail brands Southern Electric, SWALEC, Scottish Hydro and Atlantic. SSE’s customer service credentials have also been acknowledged by being named best for Customer Service by uSwitch 8 years in a row.
*2010 –2012 Consumer Focus Five Star Rating and Consumer Futures (now Citizens Advice) Energy Performance Report October 12 – December 2013
http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/news/new-league-table-shows-mixed-picture-on-energy-complaints
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_20140513.htm