Furious domestic and business energy customers are resorting to making increasingly aggressive complaints over rising energy bills, according to British Gas.
The UK’s biggest energy supplier has revealed that customers struggling to pay their bills, including business electricity and commercial gas customers, were taking their anger out on call centre staff.
The admission was made by British Gas managing director Phil Bentley in an email to staff and reported in weekend newspapers.
“We’ve seen a groundswell of anti-British Gas comments, with increasingly aggressive tones,” Mr Bentley said.
“All our call centres are under extreme pressure from more angry customers struggling to pay bills.”
Mr Bentley blames the media for exaggerating the energy price rises and enraging customers who then vent their anger at staff in British Gas call centres.
‘There is no doubt in my mind that the energy industry is facing a crisis: a crisis of affordability, a crisis of investor confidence, a crisis of relentless media criticism. In short, a “crisis of trust”.’
British Gas has further angered customers by refusing to pass a 9.4% fall in the wholesale price of gas to its 9.2 million customers.
Last week the supplier announced that it would reduce its electricity tariffs by 5%. Business electricity customers whose energy contracts are coming up for renewal, or those on variable rates, could benefit from these falls.
Mr Bentley’s comments come just days after consumer organisation, Which? released a report showing the ‘big six’ energy suppliers, which includes British Gas, received 4 million consumer complaints last year.
Julian Morgan, managing director of the Energy Advice Line, the UK’s leading business energy price comparison and switching service, said customers were frustrated at the behaviour of energy suppliers.
He urged business energy customers who had grievances they could not resolve to call the Energy Advice Line for help.
“Business electricity or commercial gas users who feel they have a legitimate problem with their bill, their business energy contract or business energy tariffs should contact us and we may be able to help,” Mr Morgan said.
“Not only can we make sure that firms are on the best available business energy deal, but our team of experts may be able to help with other problems like billing errors.”
The Energy Advice Line is the UK’s leading energy price comparison and switching services for business, and enables firms to compare the market for the best possible business energy deals at the touch of a button.
The service has a team of business experts who can give advice about business energy contracts and how to avoid expensive contract rollovers. For further information visit www.energyadviceline.org.uk
Tags: Business Electricity, Business Energy, Business Gas
