At PowerSwitch.com we work hard to maintain a very high standard of service for you. Unfortunately, we don't always get everything quite right. If you’re unhappy with our services for any reason then we’d really like to understand why, so we can put things right as quickly and effectively as possible.
The energy industry is known for being far from reliable and has been criticised in recent years for not giving customers what they want. At PowerSwitch.com we pride ourselves on being different. We aim to be reliable and straightforward, working hard to resolve your complaint as fast as we can. We know that reliability is something that you expect and deserve, and it is therefore one of our key focal points in everything we do. This is why we’ve created a process that allows you to easily raise your concerns and have them dealt with swiftly.
To ensure you understand how we manage the process we have detailed below the way we work, so you’ll know at all times what we’re doing and how we’re moving forward. If you wish to make a complaint you can call our Customer Service Team on 0141 291 5004 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) and we will attempt to resolve your complaint.
This Procedure doesn’t cover loss of electricity and/or gas supply; if you experience problems with loss of supply you should contact your distribution company directly. Their contact number is shown on your bill as the Emergency Number or in the telephone book under electricity. If you can smell gas or are experiencing problems with loss of gas supply you should call the Gas Emergency Service on freephone 0800 111 999. Your electricity and/or gas supplier is responsible for passing on compensation when the electricity distributor or gas transporter that physically transports the energy to your home fails to meet their service standards on: ■ Planned interruptions to supplies; or ■ Supply network faults.
Contact Citizens Advice if you need help with an energy problem – for example with your bills or meters, or if you’re struggling to pay for the energy you use. They’re the official source of free and independent energy advice and support. They will also provide some limited advice to microbusinesses. You can seek advice from Citizens Advice Consumer Services at any time during our handling of your complaint.
Go to: citizensadvice.org.uk/energy or call their consumer service on 0808 223 1133. Calls are free.
Step 1 In the event that you do wish to make a complaint, please contact our Customer Service Team at your earliest convenience. Alternatively, you can arrange for someone else to contact us on your behalf. You can contact us by:
■ Calling 0141 291 5004 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
■ Complete a webform below; or
■ By sending a letter to PowerSwitch.com, 191 Eaglesham Road Glasgow G76 8RH.
We aim to resolve the complaint at the time of the first contact where appropriate and possible. A record will be made on your account of any conversations and resolution reached. All complaints raised will be acknowledged in a timely manner. If we need to collect further information or make some investigations into the issues raised we will arrange any further contact. We will also endeavour to keep in touch regularly at agreed times to ensure you are informed as to the progress of the complaint.
Step 2 Once your complaint is being managed by a member of our team we will aim to set contact dates and times with you to ensure you are always kept informed of the progress of your complaint, we aim to go no longer than 10 working days between contacts unless you agree otherwise with your complaint handler.
Step 3 Escalating your complaint If you are not satisfied with the response you may contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service (CACS) or the Extra Help unit (EHU) for independent, impartial and free advice. If you are a domestic customer you can contact CACS/EHU at any point of the complaints process. If we have told you that there is nothing more that we can do to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction we will issue a deadlock letter. You can then escalate this complaint to Ombudsman Services. Ombudsman Services is a free and independent service whose remit is to resolve customer complaints in an impartial way. Once a complaint has been passed to Ombudsman Services they will then investigate the issue. You are not bound by their ruling and can seek further advice if you feel it would be appropriate. You can also refer your complaint to Ombudsman Services if the complaint has not been resolved within 8 weeks of the start date of the complaint. However, you can be referred back to PowerSwitch.com if you have not followed the Complaints Handling Procedure identified above. Ombudsman Services can require PowerSwitch.com to provide an apology or explanation, a service or practical action that will benefit you and/or pay you compensation.
The contact details of Citizens Advice Consumer Service, EHU and Ombudsman Services are included at the end of this document. We will cooperate with Citizens Advice Consumer Service, EHU or the Energy Ombudsman if you wish to involve them in resolving the complaint. We will stand by any decision made by Ombudsman Services and every decision made is binding on us.