EDF, Utilita and British Gas are the UK’s worst energy providers according to a new survey by Citizens Advice, with the ratings the lowest ever recorded since the comparisons started to be taken.
Waiting call times for customers of French-owned EDF rose from under a minute to more than five, with a rating of just two stars for service.
High-profile customers such as Sir Grayson Perry recently slammed the company’s service desk for being “no help” when his monthly direct debit payments jumped from £300 a month to £39,000.
Ecotricity was top of the pile followed by Ovo Energy EON Energy, ScottishPower and Octopus Energy.
An EDF spokesman said: “We recognise our call answer times haven’t been up to the high standards we set ourselves and are committed to doing better, getting back to the market-leading service our customers expect.
EDF also said it was unhappy with the way the rankings were calculated.
“We get as many emails, texts and WhatsApps as we do calls, but Citizens Advice places a heavier weighting on call-wait times to calculate the overall score, which we’re calling on them to change,” a spokesman said.
Results were based on customer surveys carried out between January to March this year.