Energy Provider Complaint Guide Every Household Needs

For households across Newcastle and the North East, rising energy bills have made every pound count. Whether it is an unexpected bill, a faulty smart meter or poor customer service, disputes with energy suppliers can quickly become stressful. Fortunately, consumers are not left to face these problems alone.

The Energy Ombudsman is an independent service that helps resolve disputes between customers and energy suppliers when complaints cannot be settled directly. It offers a free route to independent investigation and, where appropriate, can order suppliers to apologise, put mistakes right or pay compensation.

For many people across Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham and the wider North East, understanding how the process works could make the difference between accepting an unfair outcome and getting a complaint resolved.

What is the Energy Ombudsman.

The Energy Ombudsman is an independent dispute resolution service approved by Ofgem. Its role is to investigate complaints about participating energy suppliers after customers have already given the company a reasonable opportunity to resolve the issue themselves.

Unlike a solicitor or claims company, the service is completely free for consumers. It remains impartial throughout every investigation, reviewing evidence from both sides before making a legally binding decision for the supplier if the customer accepts the outcome.

When can you contact the Energy Ombudsman.

Consumers cannot usually go directly to the Ombudsman on the first day a problem arises.

Instead, customers must first complain to their energy supplier. If the issue remains unresolved after eight weeks, or if the supplier issues what's known as a deadlock letter confirming no agreement can be reached, the complaint can then be escalated to the Energy Ombudsman.

This process applies whether the issue involves electricity, gas or dual fuel accounts.

The complaints the Ombudsman investigates.

While almost any service-related dispute can be reviewed, some issues appear far more often than others.

According to the latest annual figures, billing problems account for more than half of all Energy Ombudsman complaints. Disputed energy usage, incorrect account balances and back billing remain among the biggest reasons consumers seek independent help.

Other common complaints include:

Smart meter installation or performance issues.
Poor customer service.
Incorrect meter readings.
Payment and debt disputes.
Delays when switching suppliers.

For residents across Newcastle and the North East, many of these issues have become increasingly familiar following the energy price crisis, which encouraged more households to scrutinise their bills than ever before.

How the investigation works.

Once a complaint is accepted, the Energy Ombudsman gathers evidence from both the customer and the supplier.

This may include copies of bills, emails, phone records, photographs, meter readings and any other relevant documents. Investigators assess whether the supplier acted fairly, followed industry rules and complied with its licence obligations.

After reviewing the evidence, the Ombudsman issues a formal decision explaining whether the complaint has been upheld and what action, if any, the supplier must take.

If the consumer accepts the decision, the supplier must comply.

What compensation could you receive.

Many people wrongly assume compensation is automatic. In reality, each case is judged individually.

Where mistakes have caused inconvenience, distress, financial loss or poor service, the Ombudsman can require suppliers to pay compensation alongside correcting the original problem.

Typical remedies can include:

Financial compensation.
Corrected bills.
Refunds.
Account adjustments.
Written apologies.
Practical actions to resolve the complaint.

The exact amount varies depending on the circumstances. Industry reporting has shown average goodwill and compensation awards commonly ranging from around £70 to more than £130 in many complaint categories, although more serious cases can receive substantially higher awards.

The latest complaint statistics.

Recent data suggests complaint volumes are finally beginning to fall after record highs during the energy crisis.

The Energy Ombudsman accepted 92,938 cases during 2024, representing a 24 percent decrease compared with 2023. Even so, complaint levels remained around one-third higher than in 2021, showing many consumers are still experiencing problems.

Billing disputes represented approximately 58 percent of all accepted complaints during 2024, making them by far the largest complaint category. Smart meters and customer service followed behind.

Another statistic likely to surprise many consumers is that fewer than half of eligible customers were correctly signposted to the Energy Ombudsman by their supplier when complaints reached the required stage during late 2024.

Why this matters for Newcastle and the North East.

The North East contains hundreds of thousands of households facing the same pressures seen across the rest of Britain, including rising living costs, higher energy usage during colder winters and increasing reliance on smart meters.

While there are no separate Ombudsman figures specifically for Newcastle, local residents experience many of the same complaint categories reported nationally. Billing accuracy, estimated readings and customer service remain recurring concerns raised by consumers throughout the region.

Knowing that an independent service exists gives households another option when normal complaint routes fail.

Knowing your rights.

Consumers should always keep copies of bills, emails and any correspondence with their supplier. Recording phone calls where legally permitted or keeping written notes of conversations can also strengthen a complaint if it later reaches the Ombudsman.

Many disputes are resolved before independent investigation becomes necessary, but where they are not, the Energy Ombudsman provides an important safeguard that helps ensure suppliers remain accountable for the service they provide.

For households across Newcastle and the wider North East, understanding how the complaints process works could save both money and unnecessary frustration.

Share your experience.

Have you ever had to make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman?