Making comments and complaints

Customer service team dealing with customer complaints

Exceptional customer service is at the heart of our mission to change the energy sector for good.

We want to deal with any comments and complaints you have effectively and thoroughly.

Our customer principles are:

  • fair
  • accessible
  • straightforward
  • transparent

We are committed to upholding these principles to all our customers.

On this page:

Let us put things right

If something is not quite right, please contact our customer care team and we’ll do everything we can to help you. 

If you feel let down, we will investigate any issue swiftly and aim to provide you with a solution the first time you contact us.

Wherever possible we’ll give you a named contact for reference and they will personally help to put things right.

We'd also like to hear from you if you're happy with the service you've received, so please get in touch. Or you can share your positive experience by recommending us.

How to make a complaint

If you wish to make a complaint, please contact our customer care team.

You can either do this yourself or arrange for someone to contact us on your behalf by phone, email or post. If someone else is contacting us on your behalf, you will need to give them the authority to do so.

If you already have an account with us, having your account number to hand will help us assist you with your complaint. This can be found on your welcome letter or any bills or statements for your account.

Our customer care team will make a record of your complaint and any agreement reached between us to resolve the issue. Complaint records are used to help us improve our service and avoid future customer dissatisfaction.

If we're unable to resolve your issue straight away, we will try to keep in touch with you so you’re kept up to date on our progress.

Find out more about how we treat our customers.

Need to speak to someone else?

If your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can ask to speak to a supervisor (also known as a 'floorwalker'). If someone is available while you are on the phone, they will take over the call and work with you to resolve your complaint.

If no-one is immediately available or the issue requires further investigation, the details of your complaint will be passed on in order for someone to call you back by the end of the next working day.

Please be advised that Citizens Advice consumer services can be consulted at any stage during the complaints process.

Still not resolved?

If a supervisor is unable to resolve your complaint, the case may be escalated to our Complaints team.

This is a team of energy experts within our business, dedicated to investigating complex issues and resolving customer dissatisfaction in a fair and efficient manner.

Performing a thorough investigation can take time, but the Complaints team will aim to contact you within 5 working days to resolve the case.

Your case will be assigned to a Complaints Advisor, who will have up to 8 weeks to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction.

Further complaint escalation: Energy Ombudsman

If the Complaints team are unable to resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, you will receive a letter advising you on how to escalate it to the Energy Ombudsman.

The Energy Ombudsman is a free and independent service, offering advice and an impartial investigation of complaints. Please note that Ombudsman Services require a complaint to go through Bristol Energy’s internal complaints process before they will accept a case; you may be referred back to us if you have not followed the steps laid out above.

Under certain circumstances, you may be offered a Deadlock letter when your complaint is less than 8 weeks old. This will be issued if we believe there is nothing more than Bristol Energy can do to resolve the issue you are unhappy about. A Deadlock letter will summarise your complaint, and advise you on how to escalate it to the Energy Ombudsman.

Contacting the Energy Ombudsman

Postal address:

Ombudsman Services: Energy
3300 Daresbury Park
Daresbury
Warrington
WA4 4HS

Telephone: 0330 440 1624

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.ombudsman-services.org/energy

You are not bound by the Energy Ombudsman’s ruling and may seek further advice if you wish to do this.

The Energy Ombudsman can direct us to provide an apology or explanation, a service or action that will benefit you, or provide a financial award. Bristol Energy will stand by any decision made by the Energy Ombudsman.

We will co-operate with Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman if you wish to involve them in resolving your complaint.

Know your rights

Contacting Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues. You can obtain more information by reading their consumer rights checklist, calling them, visiting their website, or filling in the web form.

Telephone:

Consumer Service - Telephone: 0808 223 1133

Consumer Service Welsh Speaking - Telephone: 0808 223 1144

Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/energy

Find out more: