NMa: complaint processing by energy companies has improved, but is not yet satisfactory
'Complaints should be processed more rapidly and companies should make a better job of keeping to the agreements made with consumers.' So says Pieter Kalbfleisch, Chairman of the Board at the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa). 'Complaint processing by energy companies has evidently improved by comparison to our first measurement, though structural arrangements are still insufficient.' This is apparent from an investigation that the Office of Transport Regulation (DTe) of the NMa carried out for the second time among approximately 2000 customers of the ten largest energy providers. Their complaints related to services provided in the period running from August 2006 to January 2007 and have by now been processed.
On the basis of the results of the first investigation, the NMa called on all providers concerned to draw up a so-called 'improvement plan', outlining the changes necessary to improving complaint processing procedures. Increased consumer satisfaction attests to the appreciable effects of these 'improvement plans' after one year. The NMa expects these effects to be even more clearly visible in future measurements.
Last year consumers judged the quality of complaint processing to be far below par, awarding 4.3 points out of 10. Following NMa exhortations, clear improvements have become apparent and companies score a 4.7. This amounts to a 10 percent improvement over the course of one year. However, there are considerable differences between the various companies; results for the sector as a whole are not yet sufficient. Five providers show above average results. First of all, this includes ENECO, showing a relatively high average mark, which moreover constitutes a substantial improvement over the zero measurement. Though to a slightly lesser degree, this also goes for Nuon, which achieved a considerable improvement. Greenchoice, RWE and Cogas also show above average marks. At RWE the improvement over the zero measurement was substantial; at Greenchoice the improvement was slight. Complaint processing at Cogas deteriorated as compared to the previous measurement. Among the ten companies under investigation, Essent and DELTA show average results. Essent established a considerable improvement, while DELTA did not improve on the zero measurement. Oxxio, Intergas Levering/ Dong Energy and NRE/E.on show less than average marks. The marks for Oxxio did, however, substantially improve on last year's results. At Intergas Levering/ Dong Energy a slight improvement was found.
At Intergas Levering/ Dong Energy, NRE/E.on and Oxxio, the NMa is investigating the causes of low consumer satisfaction with the quality of complaint processing procedures. This investigation will gave way to an assessment of the need for supplementary measures. The complaint investigation in its entirety will be repeated a year from now.
The complete results for the zero measurement and first measurement round have been made available on the NMa website