Energy Ombudsman announces return to normal service

Energy suppliers dealing with Ombudsman cases will return to the normal way of working from next month after being given more flexibility in light of Covid-19.

In an open letter to energy bosses, Matthew Vickers, chief executive at the Energy Ombudsman, outlined the changes which included no more prioritising complaints at the point of contact with customers.

In summary, all suppliers will be required to deal with all Ombudsman cases. The service will work with suppliers who have been working on only prioritised complaints to agree how to release any held (non-priority) cases in a “staged and manageable way”.

In addition, the usual timeframes for providing evidence will apply – there will be no time extensions by default. The additional 28 days suppliers have been granted during the lockdown will not apply to new cases but will remain for cases accepted up to and including 30 June.

Vickers added: “Should the Covid-19 situation change materially in coming months, we will consider whether these changes remain appropriate. We also recognise that there may be exceptional situations that arise beyond a supplier’s (or a customer’s) control that mean it is not able operate as normal with these requirements on each case.

“Should such situations arise we will consider and accommodate these where possible, and I would encourage you to keep in close contact with our team over the coming months to ensure we are aware of any challenges you may be having.”

The letter follows a similar announcement made by Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley earlier this week, in which he wrote to networks, retailers and the electricity system operator to say normal regulatory rules will apply from 1 July.

Elsewhere in the sector, energy suppliers have begun resuming the smart meter rollout more than two months after it was halted.