Two updates in under a week!? Just as well I'm sitting down to write this!

According to The Guardian, the eight energy suppliers that went bust this year (so far), will cost the bill-payers of the UK around £80 million this year. (The joys of the limited liability company!) And whilst that only amounts to 25p per month per household, it's not exactly what the regulator is for, is it? 

Recall that last time I pointed out that Ofgem almost caused a supplier to go bust by sending them customers, even though that supplier was already failing to fulfil one of its licensing obligations (publishing its quarterly complaints-handling reports on its website).

Since collating statistics on the energy sector for Social Consumer, I've noticed that one sure-fire indicator that a business is in trouble is that they stop reporting on complaints handling. I'm not yet sure what never starting to report on those things means... but I don't think it's good.

And speaking of failed businesses with appalling records in customer service, The Telegraph reports that the "boss" of recently failed Extra Energy has already applied for another licence for future energy supplier 'Lite Energy'. Given the shambles that Extra Energy devolved into, one wonders what this new venture will be "lite" on? Or is that Lite's off? At this stage, we're 'lite' on detail, but we'll keep you posted!

I'm off for a medicinal whiskey; maybe that'll help with the 'lite'-headedness brought on by all these updates.


Alan @ Social Consumer