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Thomson Welcomes Ofgem Action Against Ovo Energy
Gordon MP Richard Thomson has welcomed the announcement by independent regulatory body Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) is taking action against OVO Energy following the company’s sub-standard handling of and response to complaints.
OVO Energy took over the domestic customer accounts of SSE which had previously taken over Scottish Hydro Electric, meaning the company has a particularly large customer base in the North of Scotland.
Ofgem said they have “set clear expectations and improvement targets [of OVO]” and “have requested detailed reporting on a range of complaint metrics and set OVO the objective of addressing all outstanding complaints, implementing all outstanding Energy Ombudsman decisions, while reducing complaint resolution times and the volume of referrals made.”
Commenting, Richard Thomson MP said:
“For many years, electricity customers in the North of Scotland enjoyed a good relationship with the old Hydro Board and this was generally the case with the various post-privatisation companies which took it over. Until now.
“I have had to deal with many cases on behalf of constituents who have got into dispute with OVO Energy. The action by Ofgem comes as no surprise as I have even had a case where the constituent had a ruling by the Electricity Ombudsman in their favour, but OVO simply dragged their heels and only implemented the ruling after intervention from myself.
“The increase in energy prices mean that there is very little competition for domestic electricity customers at the moment and people find themselves effectively tied to having to deal with OVO Energy, a company most local consumers did not choose to be with in the first place.
“I therefore hope that this intervention from Ofgem will lead to improvements in customer service for OVO Energy consumers and I will be keeping a close eye on the outcome.”
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