Scottish Power ranked Which? worst supplier

Scottish Power has been ranked by Which? as the worst energy supplier of 2022 in the consumer group’s latest customer survey.

Which? said this year, the average customer score was 54% – lower than it was in 2021 (59%) and 2020 (64%).

The results are based on a poll of more than 10,000 UK adults in October 2022 and Which?’s own assessment of suppliers’ practices and procedures in three areas – how well they conduct customer service, how they deal with complaints and how they support customers in need. The total score is a combination of both customer score and the assessment score.

Scottish Power, which supplies more than 5 million customers, was rated poorly by consumers for value for money and the clarity of its communications. The supplier received a total score of 51%.

A Scottish Power spokesperson said in response: “While we’re pleased to see the survey recognising the improvements made in our customer service and payment accuracy scores, we’re disappointed that it fails to recognise the extensive support and advice we’ve provided to customers during the cost of living crisis, our best practice activities for vulnerable customers, as well as our award-winning customer app.”

While Scottish Power was ranked the worst overall, Shell Energy and SSE Energy Services, which is owned by Ovo, were rated the worst by customers with overall scores of 48% and 46% respectively.

Shell received just one star for value for money and its customers were least likely to recommend it to others. Just under half (47%) of Shell customers said they would recommend the firm – compared to an average of 61% across all retailers.

More than half (54%) of SSE Energy Services customers complained about an issue with their bill.

Topping the table once again was Octopus Energy, which retained its Which? Recommended Provider title for the sixth year in a row with a total score of 78%.

As well as being the only recommended provider, Octopus was the only supplier to receive a five-star rating in any category – with customers awarding five stars for usefulness of information about energy costs.

It received a four-star rating for every other category and its customers were most likely to recommend their supplier – with nearly nine in ten (87%) saying they would do so.

Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus, said: “It’s never been more important for energy companies to look after customers. No company is perfect, but Which? make it clear that Octopus really is doing so much more than the old Big 6.

“But we’re not complacent – we’ll keep striving to improve and redouble our efforts to help people through the energy crisis.”

Also faring well is prepayment meter specialist Utilita which came second with a score of 67%.

Utilita has in recent years received poor results from customer ratings, including in the Citizens Advice star ratings table, and has previously pointed to the fact it is a specialist supplier which supports a large proportion of vulnerable customers.

The retailer ranked much higher in Which?’s assessment of supplier practices (75%) than in the customer survey (59%).

Speaking to Utility Week about his company’s results, chief executive Bill Bullen said: “It is a journey of continual improvement. We’ve constantly developed our product and service over many years so it’s always improving. The key thing is to respond to what customers are asking you for.”

He added: “Also, because of the nature of smart prepay, people become aware of your ability to deliver more, and they start demanding more of you and they inundate your call centre…but if you look at what customers are phoning in about, develop the product accordingly, then they stop phoning in.

“So in some respects, we’re not surprised by the Which? scores at all.”

Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “While customers are choosing to stay put due to a lack of deals in the energy market, our research has found that some firms are falling far short of meeting their customers’ needs during the cost of living crisis.

“Providers must make it as easy as possible for customers to get in touch and seek support when they need it  – or customers will vote with their feet and switch away when this becomes an option.”