Energy Complaints

A question about : Energy Complaints

I am struggling to make an energy complaint.

We moved to a new build. We ascertained who our new supplier was but it took time to set up an account - they had record problems, but also we did not have the basic info we needed to switch to a much cheaper tariff.

I am struggling to find the standards by which the company must comply. I.e a code of practice or similar. Their own website does not have any such document, nor does the regulator.

How is it possible to make a complaint, ultimately to the ombudsman if there aren't clear standards by which you can measure what should/should not occur?

Best answers:

• What basic information are you missing?
  Obviously you won't know your annual consumption in kWh, so will have to guess.
  As you need to do is contact your chosen new supplier and give them your account number with the existing supplier and you can take it from there; or you can get one of the comparison websites to do this for you.
  The Ombudsman won't deal with any complaint until you have reached deadlock with your current supplier.
  There won't be much point in just generally complaining their service is poor; that is something from which x million of us suffer.
• We didn't have an account number for six weeks. We were also not supplied with terms and conditions, tariff rate etc. Couldn't get through to customer services, even when asked to make a complaint.
• Complaints are more about customer fairness than codes of practice.
  In moving into the property you automatically enter a deemed contract and are binded to the t&c's even though you've not received them. with most suppliers t&c can not be sent unless there is a live account.
  to be honest new builds are a pain when it comes to setting up accounts as the gas transporters often don't update the national database correctly when supplies and meters are fit. there are also issues in terms of updating plots to house numbers.
  If you spoke to them and told them the tariff you wanted they could agree in principle to add it when your account is live. your projected usage could be worked out on national averages.
  You have no grounds to escalate a complaint successfully unless you've spoke to them about the issue at the time you had no account and a record of this was made. at that point they should have come up with a proposal/resolution.
  Also i don't think there would have been much of a saving in 6 weeks.