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Important information
From 1 October 2008, energywatch is being closed down and will no longer be handling consumer complaints or enquiries.
If you have a complaint or enquiry relating to your energy supply company or network operator or require information or advice on general energy issues, please contact them directly or call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
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Making a complaint about an energy company or the industry
Ofgem does not deal directly with consumer complaints or enquiries.
Where a domestic or commercial energy consumer has a complaint or enquiry relating to their energy supply company or network operator, they should contact their energy supply company or network operator in the first instance.
Further information on the new arrangements can be found here
Where a consumer has already been in contact with their energy supply company or network operator or requires information and advice on general energy issues, they should contact Consumer Direct.
What is Consumer Direct?
Consumer Direct is the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues. Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services. Consumer Direct can direct consumers to the relevant body to handle their enquiry and can also investigate simple consumer complaints.
Contact Consumer Direct
By telephone: You can call them direct on 08454 04 05 06.
Via the internet: You can contact Consumer Direct directly via their online complaint and enquiry service at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.
Alternative dispute resolution – The Energy Supply Ombudsman
Domestic consumers can now seek additional help with billing and transfer related disputes. The Energy Supply Ombudsman was established in July 2006 and can deal with complaints against any of the supply companies or network operators. The Ombudsman can ask your supplier or network operator to apologise and take practical action to resolve a dispute and in some cases make a financial award. They may be able to deal with your complaint if you have exhausted your supplier’s complaints process or if your complaint is more then 8 weeks old.
They can be contacted on:
Telephone: 0845 055 0760 or 01925 530263
Fax: 0845 055 0765 or 01925 530264
Textphone: 18001 0845 0511513 or 18001 01925 430886
Email: enquiries@energy-ombudsman.org.uk
Energy Supply Ombudsman website - link opens in a new browser window
Consumers - Ofgem's role
Ofgem's Consumer Affairs Team manages enquiries regarding our policies and ensures that matters are referred to the energy supply companies, network operators and Consumer Direct appropriately.
Team Telephone: 020 7901 7295
Fax: 020 7901 7196
Email: consumeraffairs@ofgem.gov.uk