Liberal Democrat Annual Conference Fringe Event 2024

On Monday 16^th September, Energy Ombudsman (part of Trust Alliance Group) hosted a Fringe Event at the Liberal Democrat Annual Conference in Brighton to discuss restoring trust and confidence in regulated markets.

Trust Alliance Group’s Senior Leader Policy and Public Affairs, David Pilling was joined by Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy & Climate Change and Transport, Damian Lyons Lowe, Founder and Chief Executive, Survation and David Maddox, Political Editor, The Independent, for the panel event, with Ryan Shorthouse, from Bright Blue chairing the event.

The event attracted a full audience as the panel examined the reasons behind falling consumer trust and confidence in recent years and looked at why consumer trust is an essential part of a fair, dynamic and effectively functioning market.

Representing Energy Ombudsman, Communications Ombudsman and POPLA, David Pilling from Trust Alliance Group, highlighted the risk of consumers losing trust in the market because of poor customer service and challenges, such as incorrect billing.

When consumers experience these challenges and are unable to resolve their complaint in a timely manner, their trust in that supplier (and sometimes the overall market) is negatively impacted. Having an ombudsman to turn to when a complaint has not been resolved empowers consumers and helps them to feel that they are being treated fairly, which in turn helps to build trust.

Ombudsman schemes are also great for businesses. Not only does it show a commitment to providing the best service for customers, but they can benefit from the insight generated to help build their brand and customer loyalty.

Although number of cases handled by the Energy Ombudsman fell by 22% between January – June this year, compared to the same period in 2023, numbers are still higher than pre-energy crisis levels. This shows that the energy industry is still emerging from a challenging period where the sector struggled to meet the demand from consumers, with customer service, billing and smart meters remaining the top three complaint types.