EDF to give Citizens Advice £3m after Ofgem probe

Power regulator Ofgem today said EDF Energy is to pay £3 million to help benefit vulnerable customers after a probe by the watchdog found that the supplier breached complaint-handling rules.

Ofgem’s investigation was sparked by a more than 30 per cent jump in complaints recorded by EDF as its introduced a new IT system in 2011.

The regulator found that, between May 2011 and January 2012, EDF “did not have appropriate procedures in place to properly receive, record and process all customers’ complaints in accordance with complaints handling rules”.

EDF, which took prompt action to rectify the problems, has agreed to pay £3m to the Citizens Advice “Energy Best Deal Extra” scheme and the Plymouth Citizen Advice Bureau’s Debt Helpline.

Sarah Harrison, Ofgem’s senior partner with responsibility for enforcement, said the payment was “a step in the right direction to rebuilding consumer trust”.