A national survey conducted by ACA Research on behalf of Australian-owned energy retailer Momentum Energy, has found that 94 per cent of Australians find it a hassle dealing with energy retailers.
Affordable prices are the biggest concern for energy customers, followed by confusing bills and poor customer service.
Affordable pricing was listed as the number one thing Australians care about when it comes to their energy retailer, at 82 per cent, followed by simple, easy to understand rates (53 per cent), good customer service (51 per cent) and being Australian-owned (38 per cent).
Momentum Energy Managing Director, Amy Childs, said the survey was commissioned to help Momentum drill down into the specifics of what was going wrong for energy customers.
“Energy simply isn’t working the way it should be,” Ms Childs said.
“Somewhere along the line, this industry lost its way and the focus moved away from what should always be our number one priority – making energy better for customers. It’s time to shift that focus back.
“It’s pointless being paralysed by all the change that’s happening in the industry. All we can do is focus on the immediate things we can do to create a better experience for our customers.
“We’ve made some improvements, but Momentum Energy acknowledges we can do better, particularly in areas such as call centre waiting times. We are using the findings of this survey – and other research – to get busy fixing things for our customers and making sure there is less hassle and more hustle when they’re dealing with us.”
Other findings from the survey indicate that:
- Only one in two Australians (49 per cent) think their current energy plan suits them
- Only two in five Australians (39 per cent) felt they were adequately informed about price increases
- One in three Australians (34 per cent) felt their energy retailer was ripping them off
- More than one in three Australians (37 per cent) said they never understand what is being discounted from their bill
- Only half of all Australians (47 per cent) think call centre staff are “friendly and responsive”
- Nearly one in three Australians (28 per cent) say they always spend a long time on hold when calling their energy company
Momentum Energy was one of the first retailers to take a public stand against misleading discounts, a position vindicated by the ACCC’s 2018 Retail Electricity Prices Inquiry.
