CRU Customer Care Insights Report

The CRU Customer Care Team Quarterly Insights Reportfor Q1 and Q2 2023 can be found here

The CRU has today published insights into its Customer Care Team (CCT) and complaints resolution service during the first half of 2023. 

The CRU provides a free dispute resolution service to customers who have an unresolved complaint against an energy supplier, network operator or Uisce Éireann. The CRU also provides independent advice and information for customers about energy or water services, consumer rights, and supplier obligations.

The CRU monitors the number of complaints and contacts concerning energy suppliers and network operators. The report also highlights key customer messages, such as the importance of carefully reading your bills, understanding your tariff and contract, submitting regular meter readings and being aware of your consumer rights.

The CRU is aware of the impact high energy prices is having on households and small businesses, especially those that may already be struggling to pay their bills.  There are several enhanced protections in place for all energy customers and for those who qualify as vulnerable customers. 

The CRU continues to advise and encourage customers that are having difficulty paying their bills to engage with their supplier. Energy suppliers are obligated to work out a manageable payment plan with domestic customers who are in difficulty.

It is important that all customers ensure they are on the best tariff for their needs and those who switch suppliers or renegotiate with their current supplier can still find the most savings available in the marketplace. 

Energy

In the beginning of 2023, the CRU’s CCT continued to receive high volumes of customer contacts, however, Q2 saw these volumes begin to ease. For example, while contact levels in Q1 2023 (3,788) were 35% higher than those recorded in the same quarter of 2022 (2,800), Q2 contact levels (2,275) decreased, and were 14% lower than those recorded in Q2 2022 (2,652).

The key drivers for an increase in contact levels from customers included the emergency electricity credit, which accounted for 12% of all customer contacts, billing and account problems, as well as customer service issues.  Many customers experienced significant difficulties in contacting their energy suppliers during Q4 2022. This was generally attributed to higher contact volumes experienced by suppliers as well as staffing issues. 

Customers experienced long call wait times and reduced responsiveness from suppliers across other communication channels such as web/email. This issue was seen with larger suppliers in particular, with Electric Ireland (59%), SSEA (20%) and Bord Gáis Energy (9%) accounting for the majority of these contacts during Q4 2022.  

The number of customers reporting experiencing this issue has greatly reduced in 2023 and represented 2% of overall contacts for Q1 and Q2 2023, compared to 11% of contacts in Q4 2022. 

The share of customer contacts for each of the seven largest suppliers remained broadly in line with their market share, with the exception of Electric Ireland, whose level of customer contacts increased from 46% in Q2 2023 to 57% in Q2, which is higher than its combined percentage market share of 45%. 

The number of complex complaints being received by the CCT has been steadily increasing over the last seven quarters, since Q3 2021. There were 125 complaints opened in Q4 2022, and 152 complaints opened in Q1 2023, representing a 22% increase in complaints between these quarters. This increase in volumes continued into Q2 2022, which saw 168 new complaints lodged, an additional 11% increase from Q1.

From a supplier perspective, Electric Ireland saw the greatest increase in complex complaints being lodged with an increase of 42% in Q1 and 75% in Q2, based on the 45 complex complaints lodged in Q4 2022.