Exploring the customer service experiences of water and energy consumers in vulnerable circumstances

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Supply and Retail Market

Ofgem and Ofwat jointly commissioned Walnut Unlimited to explore the customer service experiences of consumers in vulnerable circumstances. This gave us insight into these customers’ experience of engaging with their suppliers to find out about the support available to them. 

The research was commissioned to support the Vulnerability Summit 2024, jointly organised by Ofgem and Ofwat in September 2024. The Vulnerability Summit brought together leaders from the utilities sector (energy and water) consumer groups, charities, trade representatives and government to look at how best to protect vulnerable consumers.  

Read the full findings of this research on the Ofwat website.

Main points

  • few participants saw themselves as ‘vulnerable’, despite having financial or non-financial support needs 
  • participants lacked awareness and understanding of the services and support available to them 
  • for some participants, a lack of awareness meant they missed out on support they were eligible to receive  
  • participants had mixed experiences when trying to find support or more information, with some feeling that their specific circumstances were not understood  
  • participants stated that customer service needs to be proactive, simple and empathetic 

Methodology

31 water and energy bill payers were invited to participate in an online community for 7 days. Participants in the online community were invited to share insights and take part in activities. There were two online communities, taking place from 16 to 22 August and 27 August to 2 September 2024.  

Participants were asked to contact their supplier or find out more information about support available to them.  

This sample included consumers with a mixture of financial and non-financial vulnerabilities, including those: 

  • struggling to keep up with water or energy bills 
  • living with a physical or learning disability 
  • living with a long-term health condition 
  • having caring responsibilities