SSE is, in 2019, one of the biggest energy companies in the UK with over 8.5 million people taking gas and electricity from the company every day. Formed from the merger of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the Southern Electric Board in 1998, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) quickly began expanding operations with a number of acquisitions. In 2010, it formally changed its name to SSE, at a time when it had a reach well beyond Scotland.

SSE operates Airtricity, SWALEC, Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro Electric and Atlantic Electric and Gas.

With such a vast number of customers, complaints are always going to pop up. There are countless reasons to complain, from bad customer service to disconnected lines. Whatever your reason for wanting to complain to SSE, simply follow these steps:

Stage one: Contact SSE with your complaint

The first step is to get in touch with SSE’s dedicated complaints team and let them know about your grievance. To do so, contact them:

• On the phone, via 0345 071 7800. Open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and from 8am-2pm on Saturday
• Via letter, by sending your name, account number and/or full address so they can contact you back. Send letters to: PO Box 7506, Perth PH1 3QR

SSE try to resolve all complaints on the same day over the phone, or the next working day after having received the letter. If you’d prefer to speak face to face with a member of their complaints team, contact SSE for details of their nearest office.

• SSE Scottish Hydro
• SSE Airtricity

If SSE can’t resolve your complaint by 8pm the following working day, you’ll proceed to stage two.

Stage two: Contact with the Head of Customer Service Team

If your complaint hasn’t been resolved, or not resolved to your satisfaction, you’ll be passed on to the Head of Customer Service team, who will undertake an independent internal review and aim to reach resolution within 5 working days.

You can contact the Head of Customer service via:

• Email, at headofcustomerserviceteam@sse.com
• Via the phone on 0345 071 9853
• Online via the complaints form
• Through the post by sending a letter to: PO Box 7506, Perth PH1 3QR

Stage three: An independent, external review from the Ombudsman service

If SSE’s offer of compensation or apology is unacceptable, you can contact the Ombudsman Service. Complaints can be made to the Ombudsman if:

• You’ve received a deadlock letter from SSE
• You have not received a deadlock letter, but at least eight weeks have passed since you first made your complaint to SSE. Complaints to the Ombudsman must be made within the first 9 months of making the complaint to SSE.

SSE are bound by law to obey any decision the Ombudsman makes, but as a consumer you are not. As such, if you still don’t feel as though your complaint has been adequately satisfied, you can pursue your complaint elsewhere. However, doing so will void your right to the Ombudsman resolution, potentially leaving you with nothing if the Ombudsman rules against you.

To contact the Ombudsman, use these contact details:

• Telephone them on 0330 440 1624 (Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm)
• Visit their website at: ombudsman-services.org/energy
• Write to them at: Ombudsman Services: Energy, PO Box 966, Warrington, WA4 9DF
• Email them at: enquiries@os-energy.co.uk