Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH SEPTEMBER 2019 | 27 Customers Southern Water has been named as one of the UK's top ten com- panies for complaint handling as it reduced customer complaints by 40 per cent over two years. The Institute of Customer Service recognised Southern as the only utility company to make its top ten, with improvements continuing from its 2015/16 reduction of 30 per cent. The wider sector saw rises in WATER Southern bucks the complaints trend with a 40 per cent reduction complaints, according to watch- dog the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), which reported a 4 per cent increase in com- plaints from domestic customers about services provided by water companies. The head of billing and collections at Southern, Mark Field, said the company was "incredibly proud of its achievements". He added: "This is testament to the hard work delivered over the past four years, which has focused on improving the customer experi- ence through focusing on proac- tive customer case management and making improvements across our billing and opera- tional front-line service." The company has assisted 195,000 customers with schemes and tariffs for people in need of This week Supplier finds 26,000 'unsafe appliances' British Gas engineers identify unsafe appliances in customer homes in six months of safety checks Big six energy supplier British Gas says engineers have identi- fied more than 26,000 unsafe appliances in customer homes while conducting routine safety checks during H1 2019. The Centrica-owned retailer said workers installing energy meters detected unsafe appli- ances in one in 20 homes visited – with the most common faults found in boilers and old cookers. One customer was even found to have had a cooker that was leaking "dangerous levels" of carbon monoxide when an engineer visited to install a smart meter. The research found that 63 per cent of respondents admitted they had used an appliance despite it being faulty, and 8 per cent said a fire had started in their home because of a broken appliance. Furthermore, 9 per cent said they would "probably still use" an appliance if they saw it spark. Additional statistics include: 22 per cent are dealing with broken washing machines or driers; 19 per cent have a broken laptop; 25 per cent revealed their lighting is badly wired; only 28 per cent of people know when their appliances were last tested or the age of the wiring in their home; only 46 per cent have taught their children how to use an appliance safely. Lauren Vazquez, engineer and safety expert for British Gas, said: "We're regularly visiting customers who haven't had their electrical wiring or gas appliances checked in 10-20 years, which is a concern. "We all have so many gadgets in the house nowadays that it can be difficult to keep on top of them all, but it's important to keep an eye on whether they're working as they should." AJ PAN-UTILITY Vulnerability Registration Service officially launched Industry professionals last week officially launched the Vulner- ability Registration Service (VRS) to protect customers across dif- ferent sectors, including utilities. The VRS is a centralised reg- istration tool designed to help people who consider themselves to be financially vulnerable and in need of help to register their details online, free of charge, and indicate to businesses and organisations they deal with that they require sensitive handling and support. Legally authorised third parties are also able to register those for whom they care at no cost. It is also designed to combat the associated risks to mental health. The purpose of the VRS is to empower vulnerable consumers by allowing them either to self- exclude themselves from credit and financial promotions or to slow down the credit application process. The VRS has already seen 10,000 customers register volun- tarily, before its official launch. Helen Lord, director of the VRS, said: "We believe passionately that consumers have a right to be treated with care and respect in their inter- actions with businesses and organisations, particularly when their personal circumstances leave them more vulnerable to financial harm. "We are encouraged by the positive response the VRS has enjoyed from businesses who, like us, can see the benefits that this initiative can bring to help them treat their customers fairly and compassionately throughout the relationship. "We urge other like-minded organisations to work with us to really help transform the qual- ity of life and peace of mind of vulnerable consumers." The new service was unveiled to more than 80 industry profes- sionals including specialists in consumer protection; regula- tors; and compliance and policy managers in financial services and utilities. At the launch the VRS also revealed the results of a survey conducted by ComRes about vulnerability. It found that two in five British adults have experienced a life event that le£ them feeling vulnerable, either financially or socially. The survey found 54 per cent of the public think businesses definitely or probably should be required to identify whether a prospective customer is vulner- able in order that they can be better protected against harm. Furthermore, 50 per cent believe that businesses should have more regulatory require- ments on them to identify vulnerable consumers. Only 15 per cent of the public agree that businesses do enough to protect vulnerable customers. Payday lenders and gambling firms were particularly identified as needing to do more. Old cookers and boilers: most common faults extra support. Under its Water for Life business plan covering the next five years, Southern intends to make more improvements to its customer service, including reducing customer bills. The non-domestic sector was criticised by CCWater last week for failing to get basics such as customer billing right as it con- tinues to receive high numbers of complaints.

• Cover