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Consumers have voted energy companies as the worst offenders for sending confusing bills to customers for the third year in a row, according to an independent study.
Research from Uswitch.com shows that just 30 per cent of consumers find their bills easier to understand following Ofgem reforms in April.
Designed to improve the clarity of bills, these reforms require clear information to help consumers manage their energy, such as a projection of each consumer’s personal usage and information on supplier’s cheaper tariffs to help consumers choose the cheapest deal.
The majority of those surveyed, or 53 per cent, reported seeing no change to their bills and over half, 51 per cent, do not recall seeing cheaper tariff information on bills since the reforms. Of those that have this information, just 41 per cent switched their deal.
uSwitch.com’s director of consumer policy Ann Robinson said: “While it’s encouraging that a third of consumers say their bills are easier to understand, the majority are still having difficulties getting to grips with them. The findings clearly show that Ofgem must look again at the effectiveness of their reforms, and work with consumers and suppliers to produce a bill format they can understand.”
The study was conducted on behalf of uSwitch by independent researcher Opinium Research from 26th to 29th August 2014 and included 2,012 UK adults.
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