What to do if you think you have been mis-sold energy
A guide to some of the options open to you as a consumer if you believe you have been mis-sold to by SSE or any other energy company.
A £10.5m record fine for energy giant SSE
Ofgem's £10.5m fine imposed on SSE is the biggest ever authorities have imposed on an energy supplier.
SWALEC customers to see electricity and gas prices rise
The energy supplier, which has a million accounts in Wales, says cost pressures have made an average price increase of 9% "unavoidable."
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What to do if you think you have been mis-sold energy
A guide to some of the options open to you as a consumer if you believe you have been mis-sold to by SSE or any other energy company.
Read the full storyConsumer Focus: SSE 'not a case of one bad apple'
Consumer Focus has welcomed Ofgem's decision to fine SSE for the "systemic failure" in its direct selling operations.
– Adam Scorer, director of policy at Consumer FocusThis is not a case of one bad apple or one rogue sales team. The problems at SSE affected the whole direct selling operation and represent a fundamental failure at one of our biggest energy companies.
Other companies have also broken direct selling.
This has been a stain on the energy market since the introduction of competition. While the situation has got better and many companies have decided to end doorstep sales, the recent history casts a long shadow and Ofgem are right to take this scale if action.
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SSE 'very sorry' for mis-selling breaches
In response to Ofgem's £10.5m fine for mis-selling, energy firm SSE's corporate affairs director Alan Young said the firm was "very sorry" about the breaches of the rules.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme
What we were doing was not adequately telling people about the terms and conditions of their contract or adequately making sure they had the information they needed to switch.
We have set up an independent compliance unit to make sure, to monitor, to audit, to randomly check energy sales across all channels now so customers can have the assurance when they are dealing with us there are safeguards in place and proper structures.
We have totally reformed our business in this area, we have restructured it.
Mr Young also defended the management team still being in place, insisting SSE was one of the "best companies in Britain".
A £10.5m record fine for energy giant SSE
Ofgem's £10.5m fine imposed on SSE is the biggest ever authorities have imposed on an energy supplier.
Read the full storyExamples of misleading claims made by SSE
According to Ofgem, some of the misleading claims made on the doorstep, over the phone or in-store to customers by energy firm SSE were as follows:
- Telling some customers that they would save money when in fact they were switched on to a more expensive contract
- Saying that by switching to SSE they would be getting the full reductions they’re entitled to, “just like the government intended”.
- Saying that other suppliers were putting their prices or that price increases were higher than they actually were.
- Suggesting they could put them on a “preferred customer tariff… with no standing charge”, omitting that they would be charged higher first tier unit rates instead of a standing charge.
SSE has a £5 million mis-selling compensation fund
Energy firm SSE has in place a £5 million mis-selling fund, from which customers can receive compensation if they have been mis-sold products.
Ofgem is encouraging anyone who believes they have been missold to by SSE to call the fund’s dedicated line on 0845 0707 388.
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SWALEC's parent company fined £10.5m for mis-selling
Utility giant SSE, which owns Welsh energy supplier SWALEC, is to be fined £10.5m for "prolonged and extensive" mis-selling.
Energy watchdog Ofgem said it found "failures at every stage of the sales process" across SSE's telephone, in-store and doorstep selling activities.
SWALEC prices rise 9%
A Welsh energy supplier will increase its prices for electricity and gas by nine per cent on Monday. SWALEC is part of the SSE group, the UK's second largest energy firm, and has around a million domestic customers in Wales.
There is more help and advice on the DirectGov website energy advice pages, and the Citizens Advice Bureau's website has a number of leaflets and help guides to download, with information on how to get the best deal.
SWALEC customers to see electricity and gas prices rise
The energy supplier, which has a million accounts in Wales, says cost pressures have made an average price increase of 9% "unavoidable."
Read the full storySWALEC prices to rise by 9% in October
Welsh energy supplier SWALEC says its prices for electricity and gas will rise by 9% from 15 October.
In a letter to customers, Chief Executive Ian Marchant says that supply costs "have increased significantly" over the last year, and these pressures have made a price increase "unavoidable."
– Extracts from letter to customers - Ian Marchant, SWALEC Chief ExecutiveIncreasing prices is one of the hardest decisions any business has to take, particularly in difficult economic conditions, so I am very sorry that we’ve had to announce an increase from 15th October.
Over the last year the costs we face have increased significantly including the charges for delivering electricity and gas to your home, the cost of environmental and social obligations, and what we have paid for the energy we’ll supply to you this winter.
SWALEC says it will be contacting customers before 15 September to give them more information about the rises, and promises there will be no more price increases before the second half of 2013 at the earliest.
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