Consumer Action Monitor

Key themes in the 2020 CAM report include:

• Complaint Numbers; Faced with the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, were consumers compelled to make more complaints to their energy and telecoms providers, or did complaining become less of a priority in 2020?
• Vulnerability; How did the public health and economic crisis impact the most vulnerable in society? Were the challenges faced by vulnerable consumers exacerbated by the pandemic and, if so, how did they respond?
• Green Agenda; Did the green agenda diminish in importance for the average consumer? Or did the events of 2020 cause consumers to take more notice of sustainability issues and providers’ environmental credentials?
• Trust and Loyalty; How did Covid-19 affect relationships between consumers and providers in energy and telecoms? Did they share a mutual understanding of the challenges faced and act with more empathy, or did the pandemic result in corrosion of consumer trust and loyalty?
• Complaint Timescales; What are the perceived timescales associated with independent dispute resolution in the mind of the British consumer? Are we as ombudsman, energy and telecoms providers and regulators doing enough to educate consumers about the timescales involved with access to redress, or is there more work to be done?