Energy companies unreachable as customers flood client services departments

Customers are struggling to reach their energy companies with questions about their skyrocketing rates, BNR reports. Waiting times for customer services easily run up to over an hour, and calls are abruptly dropped. The consumer association Consumentenbond received hundreds of complaints and twice reported energy companies to regulator ACM.

Energy companies told BNR their customer services are flooded with “the many questions about rising energy prices.” Eneco is getting over 2,000 calls per day. Vattenfall’s call volume increased by 100 percent in six weeks. They refer customers to their website or app.

BNR called the energy companies to measure waiting times. These ranged from 45 to 90 minutes. Essent has a recording telling customers to call back later because it is “very busy” and then drops the call.

Consumentenbond launched an investigation into energy companies’ reachability after receiving a flood of complaints in recent weeks. “It is incredibly difficult to get hold of them,” spokesperson Joyce Donat said to the broadcaster. “You have to wait 35 minutes at Greenchoice, but at least we spoke to someone there. We didn’t get anyone on the phone at Energiedirect.”

“Many energy suppliers will increase their rates as of October 1,” Donat explained. “But people were unaware they could expect an increase on that date.” Typically, energy suppliers adjust their rates twice a year - on January 1 and July 1. But the current energy crisis has companies adjusting their variable rates more often.

Consumentenbond twice reported energy companies’ long call waiting times to the regulator ACM - the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets. “Companies are legally obliged to be reachable. They didn’t meet that requirement.”