Biennial assessment of the Ombudsman Services under the ADR Regulations
Reports, plans and updates
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In September 2015 Ofgem appointed The Ombudsman Service (Ombudsman Services) as the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body for the energy sector under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations 2015. The Ombudsman Services plays an important role in ensuring good consumer outcomes and trust in the energy market by investigating disputes between consumers and energy suppliers when consumers remain dissatisfied with the way their energy company has handled their dispute.
In accordance with Ofgem’s role as the Competent Authority, we are responsible for assessing every two years whether the Ombudsman Services still meets the approval criteria under which it was appointed. We have completed this assessment for the period 2017-2019.
We can confirm that, in our view, the Ombudsman Services met the relevant criteria. However, we have identified areas of further improvement and discussed these with the Ombudsman Services to ensure that the ADR body continues to provide consumers with a fully effective dispute resolution service. The improvements identified include the provision of information in more prominent locations to raise greater awareness of:
- the contact details and complaints process for progressing postal complaints;
- the availability of translation services;
- the availability of support functions, enabling the completion of complaint forms by ADR staff; and
- the method of the Ombudsman Services appointment and the duration of their appointment.