Ofgem Reviews 107

Contacted ofgem regarding Bristol Energy taking 2 1/2 times more off my Direct Debit following going bust expressing this would place people into financial hardship . They were only concerned when I stated I would suggest to people to stop there DD to protect there hard earned cash . They were not bothered at protecting consumers interest. I have reviewed Bristol energy on trust pilot suggesting people with energy companies that have gone bust to stop there DD.

Our new smart meter failed and Octopus, the supplier, did nothing about it for about 6 months despite our complaints to them. We complained to Ofgem and at that point both Ofgem and Octopus advised that smart meter suppliers have until June 2025 to fix issues with smart meters. We therefore cannot benefit from cheap electricity at night. Ofgem upheld that ruling despite our complaint. Ofgem are essentially approving suppliers to do nothing to fix broken smart meters. No protection for the consumer from Ofgem.

NOT worth their income. ALL of them should be fired and a NEW energy watchdog set up NOT employing any past OFGEM employees/CEO's and WITH REAL TEETH, NOT a government lap dog who are not bothered as they are making a TON of money through the 5% VAT they charge for the current misery....

Not worth a star

Dont bother ringing to raise a complaint, the line now automatically cuts you off.
Dont waste your time trying any other number, you will not get help.
SSE decided to hand my account to OVO without discussion let alone permission. Ofgem are OK with this.In the meantime OVO rip me off, and I am supposed to wait 8 weeks before going back again.
The consumer is being ripped by OVO, Ofgem is ripping the taxpayer off.

Ofgem is not fit for purpose

As a UK energy consumer, I am concerned about the honesty of OFGEM.

I buy "green energy" but have now discovered that it is from fossil fuel.

OFGEM currently provides a way for fossil-fuel burning to be labeled as green energy.

"The Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme ***provides transparency*** to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable generation." (ofgem.gov.uk)

It does not provide transparency at all. It hides the fact that energy companies are buying energy obtained from fossil-fuel burning and then claiming it is from renewable sources. Source: How green is your 'green' energy tariff? The Guardian 02/04/2021

How exactly is that "providing transparency"? Quite the opposite.

In Ofgem's own words "It is critical that consumers can trust that tariffs marketed as green will in fact make the expected positive impact"

Then why, Ofgem, are you saying one thing and doing another by allowing fossil-fuel burners to hide behind REGOs?

It is not clear to me whether Ofgem works for the people of this country or for the fossil-fuel burning energy companies.

Perhaps the register of interests of the board of directors of Ofgem is incomplete and warrants further investigation? Why are the interests of connected persons not recorded?

I am not sure who regulates the customer service of Ofgem but I have been trying to do a simple change of house owner for a Domestic RHI scheme since February and it has been nothing short of painful, unresponsive and unnecessarily complex. They claim they have all the info they need for my application now and that was 3 weeks ago but can’t get back to me with and status or expectation of when this will be finalised. My suspicion is this is deliberate so they don’t provide the credits for as long as they possibly can. I have read on line that Customers have given up and switched their solar panels off in protest which hardly helps the planet but I share their frustrations

Monthly Direct Debit must be based on Actual Monthly Usage- and NOT on average Annual Usage which adds 25% extra usage to calculate direct debit and thus consumer credit is built up by energy companies.

People with good credit rating must be allowed to pay bill payments based on actual monthly usage

Ofgem should change its regulatory
code immediately to ensure consumers don't front fund energy supplier.

We should all lobby ofgem via MPs

then energy companies won't be able to fork in huge amount of unnecessary credit.

Hub have gone into administration.
they have ripped £44.55 off my balance SO FAR.
My 12 month contract finishes 30 August 21.
I paid a MONTH IN ADVANCE at the start of the contract.
I had a balance of £272.20 credit on 11 August 21.
The balance dropped to £181.70 on 12 August 21
They have not generated my final bill which should be £45.95
OFGEM promised that our balance would be protected. Hollow promise

Ofgem appears to be responsible for overseeing the smart meter program. The management of the smart meters in terms of communicating between providers of energy is the responsibility of Capita.

Well, it appears so difficult to transfer a smart meter from one provider to another that it is easier for the energy provider to install a new one.

I am on my third smart meter (installation due in a week or so) because the various providers appear unable to read a smart meter that was put in by someone else?

Smart Meters GB says this is a myth. Well unfortunately, it is a fact.

Ofgem are useless. Not in any way fit for purpose.
Energy companies going under left right and centre. When they do, Ofgem are so corrupt they give the business to a French company that has sent what were UK jobs offshore.
I still haven't received my credit balance from the same situation over 2 years ago.
Ofgem cause problems but do not help to sort it out. They don't talk to the customers whose tax pays for their service and staff.

Would give zero if I could. No Regulation of the Energy industry in this Country whatsoever. Definitely not there for the consumer, yet we pay their wages and that goes for the Ombudsman. Get rid of them and knock the cost of our Energy Bills.

I was a Tonik energy customer. Ofgem transferred me over to Scottish Power. Thank you for giving me additional unwanted stress while I recover from Covid. Scottish Power are the worse company in the UK, even the CEO hasn't had the good grace to write back.
Because of them I've missed out on the warmer home scheme, I'm on a low income and unable to work at the moment, I've been left scrabbling for money and harassed for money at one point 3 to 4 times a day while I was in hospital with a high heart beat. I was trying to rest, when I left hospital I returned home to 6 letters demanding money. Scottish Power are more concerned about money than their customers, they don't see nor care for vulnerable customers at all.
Now finding it hard to leave Scottish Power as I'm stuck in a contract I didn't agree too, nor want, as I'm still waiting for the welcome package, it means I can not leave Scottish Power.
Ofgem should of given customers a choice of whom to go with, you should not of made the choice for us.
Help me leave Scottish Power without additional unrealistic charges please.

I can see that there are a lot of unhappy people on this website but I can only give credit to Ofgem for getting me out of right mess .
We were with Tonik Energy and I had a real gut feeling that things were not right and also reading an article called This is money made my mind up about the dire financial situation of some of the energy companies.
Trouble is we were literally 100`s of £`s in credit with Tonik. We have solar panels but I let the credit build up because Tonik were offering 3% interest on credit balances which is more than any bank
Luckily Ofgem got all our money back before Tonik went bust so its a thumbs up from me

OFGEM transferred me to a REALLY bad company called Scottish Power and now refuse to help. I was with Yorkshire energy who ceased trading on 2nd Dec and you moved us to Scottish Power-that was a huge mistake on your part, they are a REALLY terrible company, you know this because you fined them £18 million. They took 7 weeks to transfer my account and tell me what my tariff details were. The tariff was far more expensive than the one I had with Yorkshire energy and because they kept that information from me for 7 weeks it meant that I had to stay on this very expensive tariff for all that time before I could apply to switch. I've then had to wait a month before my switch to another company-why in this digital age, do customers have to wait a month for the switch to take place? It's been 10 weeks since Yorkshire energy ceased trading and I have STILL not had my credit balance of £68.91 transferred over to Scottish Power. Scottish Power are blaming Yorkshire energy for this. ALL the customers you transferred from Yorkshire energy to Scottish Power are having the same problems and are very annoyed as this is no fault of ours, yet we have been inconvenienced and over charged by Scottish Power and left waiting for a refund on our credit from Yorkshire energy for 10 weeks. OFGEM AND THE OMBUDSMAN REFUSE TO HELP US. If you look at the Trust Pilot reviews for Scottishpower.com you will see they have scored 1 and all the many complaints from customers like me. They also have a scottishpower.co.uk Trustpilot account which I presume they set up after their .com account scored so badly. OFGEM themselves fined SP 18 million so why on earth are they transferring customers to them.

Supplier owed me several hundred pounds. Ignoring all correspondence. I complained to OFGEM. That got a reaction from the Supplier: they did pay most of the balance. But the agreement not to use estimates for meter readings was not complied with: hence the underpayment. OFGEM then took the suppliers word that all was OK, and closed the case. Without any confirmation from me. OFGEM then ignore all further correspondence. They say to start the process again: complain to the supplier. After 8 weeks you can register another complaint with us. So chocolate fireguard (see earlier) is a generous description.
One extra star for getting the supplier to pay something back.

What do Ofgem actually do???? Recently got transferred to another supplier when YE ceased trading, but you get transferred to one that has endless complaints against it and also are being investigated. When you complain to Ofgem about your energy company and they eventually reply, you just get referred back to who you are complaining about. Sorry but a useless government department, money spent on this dept could be better spent elsewhere.

Time to withdraw funding from this useless agency, first you have to jump through endless hoops just to register to make a complaint.
These are the shambles that appointed Scottish energy to take on the failed Yorkshire energy customers, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Just look at the Trustpilot reviews they must be in Scottish energy's pocket to have made such an incompetent move.
I'm going to contact my MP as a tax payer I strongly object to funding Ofgem, and getting nothing back, outside government this would be called theft or fraud.
If an energy company owes you money or worse still pursuing a debt you don't owe, don't bother with this lot go straight to the small claims court most cases are cut and dry in the customers favor.

Ofgem passed my account to Scottish Power after my old supplier went bust. I have already left SP once because of bad service. Ofgem know they have a shocking service record and fined them £18 million last year because of it - so why are they awarding them new customers to annoy?

OFGEM are a Useless Government Agency !!!!
OFGEM is Useless at Managing the Energy Sector !!!!
OFGEM give Trading Licences to Utility Companies that cannot Sustain a Company in the Energy Market !!!!
OneSelect, Together Energy, Tonik Failed Companies I have Used, that have gone into Administration plus others recently like, Green Energy and nPower ????
When these Utility Companies go Bust (into Administration) OFGEM appoint another Energy Company and then just Washes their Hands of the Whole thing !!!!
They don't Ensure the Administrators, complete Transfers in a Timely manner, they don't Ensure Customers in Credit, receive their Credit in a Timely manner (should be the first Accounts to be Sorted).
OFGEM is uncontactable and if You do Manage to speak to someone they Just Fob You off, Saying "It is NOT OFGEM'S Responsibility" to manage Complaints.
Complaints a Customer cannot make as the Utility Company is in Administration and the Administrators are uncontactable, or they say Contact the Energy Ombudsman, who can Do Nothing; as there is NO Complaint raised.
OFGEM should handle Complaints on Dealings with Utility Companies in Administration.
OFGEM should handle Customers of Utility Companies in Administration, ensuring the Customers Switch to a New Company, rather than being FORCED onto another Company, NOT of their Choice.
If OFGEM had to handle Customers of a Utility Company in Administration they would Understand the Problems, Customers have, BUT OFGEM just Hides !!!!
OFGEM is Currently NOT FIT for PURPOSE and should have a Ministerial Review of All Processes and Procedures, basing them more on Customers, rather than the Energy Companies ????

Ofgem allows Ovo Energy to advertise Warm Home Discount but not pay it.

OVO Energy are just another example of energy companies overcharging the public to make vast profits from an essential service.

Ofgem handed all EE customers to OVO to be locked in to expensive tariffs. Then rather than fine OVO when they were found to be ripping off the public, allowed them to make a voluntary contribution to energy charities who refer everyone to Citizen's Advice.

Energy provision in the UK is a corporate scam from top to bottom and Ofgem allow it to continue.