E.ON are the third largest energy supplier in the UK. Formally known as Powergen, E.ON supply 8 million customers. E.ON’s green credentials are healthy, as it is committed to producing cleaner, sustainable energy through the increasing use of wind farms. Their customers are based predominantly in the North West, East Anglia, and the East Midlands. So how does their customer service performance compare to the rest of the competition. Again, we will refer to the two biggest studies of customer satisfaction currently available, with reference to 2014 results.
Which? Customer Satisfaction Survey 2014
The large-scale customer satisfaction survey run by Which? saw E.ON coming in 12th out of the 18 energy suppliers rated. They scored three out of five stars on all assessed categories, which included customer services, dealing with complaints, and billing accuracy and clarity.
Related: E.ON Rewards loyalty scheme guide
In 2012, figures revealed that they were average for the number of complaints per 1000 customers, but their resolution rate was good, with 92% of issues resolved on the same, or next working day.
uSwitch Energy Award Rating 2014
E.ON scored top marks against the other Big Six suppliers, coming out first for Customer Satisfaction. It increased its customer satisfaction score by 5%. E.ON was the only one of the Big Six to come out on top in two categories – ‘Incentives and Rewards’ and ‘Energy Efficiency’. This is impressive, given the strength of the smaller energy suppliers in the poll. This is the third year running that E.ON have scored top for customer satisfaction amongst the larger suppliers in the uSwitch Energy Awards, which is a strong indicator that their performance is well controlled and that there is commitment to excellence.
EON – Good News and Bad News
E.ON became the first supplier to offer cash loyalty rewards. It offers Clubcard points, and high street vouchers as incentives, and an Age UK tariff for those over 60. In 2015 it launched the cheapest fixed tariff on the market. E.ON were also the first energy supplier to implement a price drop in 2015. It dropped gas prices by 3.5% in January 2015, which saved an estimated £24 on an average bill.
Like all of the Big Six energy suppliers, however, E.ON do not have an unblemished record, according to Ofgem, the industry regulator. They were fined a record £12 million by Ofgem in 2014 for mis-selling for more than three years. This involved selling tariffs, between 2010 and 2013, which were not the cheapest available. They were fined a further £7.7 million for billing irregularities.
This information should be viewed in context: since 2010 Ofgem has levied fines on energy companies across the board to the tune of £100 million, £39 million of which was for mis-selling.
These figures show how important Ofgem is in protecting customers’ interests. None of the energy companies emerge unscathed, and shocking though it is, this should be taken into account. In other words, no one energy company is much better than another when it comes to regulation compliance. E.ON’s record fine is notable, however, and the victims of its mis-selling were amongst the most vulnerable customers (those on the Warm House Discount scheme, aimed at households which may struggle to p