SSE Pledges to Pay UK Subscribers 20 Quid if their Customer Service Sucks

Utility provider SSE (Scottish & Southern Energy), which offers a range of broadband, phone, gas and electricity services to customers in the United Kingdom, has launched a new £20 Customer Service Guarantee that will see the operator cough up money if their support quality fails to satisfy a new customer charter.

In short SSE pledges to pay customers £20 for EACH of the five commitments detailed in their Customer Service Guarantee that they fail to meet. But this only applies if the claim is “made within 10 working days of alleged failure” and found to be valid (i.e. not a fault that was deemed “outside” of their control). The money will apparently be taken off your next bill.

SSE’s Five Commitments

1. We will call you back when we say we will.

2. We will never transfer you more than once when you call us, unless you agree.

3. We will give you the opportunity to speak to a manager if you ask.

4. When you call we will offer to find you ways to save money. This could include telling you about the products and deals that best suit your needs; explaining how you could benefit from the discounts we offer; or offering practical tips to cut your usage and reduce your bills.

5. If you want help with your energy bills we will offer support. This would consist of either offering you a suitable payment plan which considers your ability to pay, or checking if you’re eligible for assistance such as the Warm Home Discount and ECO Affordable Warmth. We can also discuss whether you could benefit from our priority services, such as Braille bills, a Textline service or a dedicated customer service adviser.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Deputy Chief Executive of SSE, claims, “this is about more than just £20. It’s about setting ourselves ever higher standards and making ourselves fully accountable for meeting them, not just talking about them.”

It’s good to see SSE attempting to adopt a pro-consumer approach to customer service, although only the first and third commitment really stand out as having the potential to mark a real improvement.

SSE’s Domestic Customer Charter (PDF)
http://www.sse.co.uk/…/CustomerCharterSSE.pdf