Complaints Policy

Amber’s mission statement is to fix utilities, save the planet and make people happy.

We are passionate about ensuring our service to our customers is the best it can possibly be, always aiming to exceed their expectations. However, we accept that sometimes things can go wrong and we need to put them right. At Amber, customer excellence is at the forefront of everything we do. We are committed to resolving all customer complaints as expediently as possible, in a timely manner and to the highest standards.

To clearly set out a resolution path for all Complaints raised by Amber’s business customers.

This document defines what a business customer complaint is and sets out how Amber will deal with such a complaint, including the escalation pathway, where a first line resolution isn’t possible.

Business Customer Complaint

Amber believe there are two types of customer complaint:

• When a customer expresses dissatisfaction with an element of Amber’s service or;
• When a customer is unhappy with a third party’s service with whom they are contracted and who are managed by Amber.

Complaint Ownership

The Customer Services Team Manager has accountability for managing the customer complaints process. They have the authority to prioritise any complaint as a critical task for completion and will be responsible for communication with the customer during the complaint process.  The Function Leader has overall accountability for complaints within their area and will act as the point of escalation.

How to raise a complaint

Business customers can raise a complaint ticket on Amber’s CRM system by choosing “Complaint” from the dropdown box on the form or by raising a complaint directly to their Account Manager, or a member of the customer services team, who will then ensure that it is logged appropriately.

In order to manage a complaint effectively, we require as much information as the customer is able to provide, together with name, phone number and email of the complainant.

What we will do

• Within one business day we will contact the customer via their preferred channel, to acknowledge the complaint and gather all information to be able to resolve the complaint satisfactorily, first time. We will also clearly explain the steps, in Ambers complaint handling process, to the customer.
• If the complaint has been raised directly we will ensure the customer’s Account Manager is aware of the issue and the steps we are taking to resolve it.
• We will investigate the complaint and speak to all relevant parties.
• We will ensure the progress of the complaint is visible and accessible to the customer.
• We will endeavour to resolve the complaint within 2 weeks but in any event not later than 8 weeks the date it was raised.
• If the resolution is likely to take some time, we will provide regular updates to the customer, managing expectations accordingly.
• Once the relevant action has been taken to resolve the complaint (as far as reasonably practicable), we will notify the customer and clearly explain our proposed remedy.  N.B. This may include a financial offer of compensation, depending on the nature of the complaint.
• We will close the complaint once we know the customer is happy, with all outcomes from formal complaints communicated in writing.

If the customer remains unhappy

If a customer is unhappy with proposed remedy, and is not classified as a micro-business customer then Amber will escalate the complaint to the Head of Department or a relevant Director who will carry out a further evaluation and provide to the customer a full and final resolution proposal.

If the customer is classified as a micro-business then they have the option of taking their complaint to the Energy Ombudsman who administer the Alternative Dispute Resolution process on behalf of Suppliers and Third Party Intermediaries.

Managing Micro-business Complaints

A non-domestic energy consumer is defined as a micro-business if they:

• employ fewer than 10 employees (or their full time equivalent) and has an annual turnover or balance sheet no greater than €2 million; or
• use no more than 100,000 kWh of electricity per year; or
• use no more than 293,000 kWh of gas per year.

Should Amber be unable to resolve the customer complaint directly, or in the event the complaint remains unresolved after a period of 8 weeks, Amber will issue the customer a “deadlock” letter setting out their final position. It will also set out the time limit for raising an ombudsman complaint.

The customer will then have the option to write and complain to the Ombudsman, in their role as designated Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, for micro-business energy consumers.

The Ombudsman Services portal can be found here. The Ombudsman Services provide an independent and impartial Alternative Dispute Resolution service which is free for customers to use with the ultimate Ombudsman findings and outcomes binding upon the Third Party Intermediary.  Resolutions can include: an apology; an explanation of what went wrong; a practical action to be taken to correct the problem; and/or a financial award.

Customers may also contact the Ombudsman Services via:

Post: Ombudsman Services: Energy, P.O Box 966, Warrington, WA4 9DF

Phone: 0330 440 1624

Email: enquiry@ombudsman-services.org

All business customer complaints will be logged on Amber’s customer management system using clientsupport@amber.net, whether raised directly by the customer or by the Customer Services Team Manager or by the Account Manager.

All business complaints will have the date raised visible on our ticketing system so the customer can track the progress of their complaint.

We acknowledge that complaints can sometimes be complex and rely on other parties to resolve however we are committed to keeping the customer updated through the evolution of the complaint process.

All business complaints will feed into Amber Customer Service’s continuous improvement process and will be used to improve future performance where possible.