BobSmytherman 30 JohnWilliams Letters
Interview
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John Williams Areyoufrustratedwith utility companies?
IlIketothInk Iamafairlyplacid person andget on withmost people -whether they getonwithmeis anothermatter! However, there is abusinesssectorwhich Isimply loathe – the utility companies. It is the bane of amanaging agent’s life to have to deal with these people and, without a shadowof a doubt, the gas and electricity companies are the worst. Wewastesomuchtime(which
couldbebetterspent on the properties wemanage)dealing with having invoicesamended to show thecorrect name;tryingtomake sense out of ridiculous estimated/ actualmeterreadings; unravelling deemed contractsonout-of-contract rates; andcheckingfor hidden charges with no foundation.Icould go on. Theutility companiesnow have
thegalltodemanddepositsor insist on paymentbydirectdebit. Our policy is to always refuse buta couple of yearsago we were forced into a situationwhere the only way we couldobtain asupplyfor ten properties was to agree to pay by direct debit. Guesswhat happened next?Theyended up taking the wrongamountofmoney fromthe wrong bank accounts and then took forever to sort it out. Wepay suppliers every week but
by the timemeter readings have beenchecked,queries raised and invoices processedfor payment it could take up to two weeks - depending onwhen the invoice is received -tosettlethe account. Then call centres fromaround theworld startthreatening to cut off supplies unless the bill is paid
immediatelybycreditcard.My usualresponseis“jogon” or words to that effect. Deregulation, changes of
ownership and reorganisations in utility companiesmeanthat something as simple as changing thenameonabillorrequesting a newsupplymay involve two or three different utility departments and three different agents. If these companies want our business they certainly have astrange wayof
showingit.Anew supply could
Flat Living Winter 2011 Something as simple as
requestinganew supply may involve two or three different utilitydepartments
Perhaps now... the utility companies will finally wise up andtreat consumers in aprofessional way...
take weeks to sort out and yetwhen they want something fromus, they expect an instant reaction. You know thingsmust be bad
when thereare nowdedicated companies set upwho will ‘take away the stress of dealing with utility suppliers’.It’scertainly a tempting prospect, butshouldbe completely unnecessary. “We’re here to help our customers
in any way we can.”“We want to give you the information and advice you need to save energy and save cash too.” “Fixing your prices couldn’t be simpler.” These are just someof the statements to be foundonsupplier websites. I remain to be convinced – and I’mnot the only one. InMarch 2011, energy regulator
Ofgemannounced a clampdownon the customer complaint-handling procedures of three of theUK’s major electricity providers,meaning utilities need to show they are committed to increasing customer satisfaction andproviding quality services at reasonable cost without compromising levels of service. Then,onlyatthe endofJulythis year, British Gas was fined amassive
£2.5mby Ofgemfor the way it has mishandled customer complaints. Ofgemsaid: “The fineisa
warning fromOfgemthat all energy companiesmusttake complainthandling seriously and treattheir customersfairly.”Their investigation had found that British Gas had failed to re-open complaints when the customer reported an unsatisfactory resolution; failed to provide customerswithkey details about the service provided by the EnergyOmbudsman and failed to putinplace adequateprocesses andpractices fordealing with complaints fromsmall businesses. Perhapsnow,particularlywith
the rising cost of energy, the utility companieswillfinallywiseupand treat consumers in a professional way, focusing on customer care, with more dedicated teams dealing withmanaging agents and taking the timeto understand howwe operate.●
JohnWIllIAMS Director ofManagement and Professional Services at chartered surveyors Aston Rose Tel 0207 6291533
Websitewww.astonrose.co.uk
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