Energy suppliers are “short-changing too many of their customers” regulators have warned as they announced planned new protections to help those struggling to pay their bills this winter.
Ofgem wants better support for consumers, including early intervention to identify them and offer them aid – such as temporary repayment holidays.
But suppliers may also have to keep phone lines open in the evenings and on weekends, following a fall in satisfaction with service.
Rapidly increasing energy bills have put pressure on Ofgem to rethink how it protects energy users in the UK.
It comes as the chancellor warned he wanted to “hear about how the collapse in the cost of crude oil is being fed through quickly to pump prices”, as he said financial results from some of Britain’s biggest companies this week would see profits for many rise significantly.
Under Ofgem’s plans suppliers would have to provide round-the-clock emergency support and be easier to reach, including via email and webchat.
They could also be forced to hand out customer service performance data to consumers.
And the regulator could also extend new protections to business customers, who have not been shielded by a price cap during the energy crisis.
Neil Lawrence, director at Ofgem, said: “Suppliers are short-changing too many of their customers, who deserve better.
“Customers need more support when they are struggling and should be able to contact their supplier without frustration or undue delay when they need help.”
In an article for the Times newspaper, Jeremy Hunt said when it came to some of the UK’s biggest companies: “I also hope we hear about what they have done and are doing for their customers directly.
“I would like to see higher interest rates passed on more quickly to savers. Some are stuck on a measly interest rate, when the base rate is more than double that and mortgage rates even higher.
“I want to hear about how the collapse in the cost of crude oil is being fed through quickly to pump prices. And I would like to know what food producers are doing to pass on falling wholesale costs so we can keep the weekly shop down.”