Ombudsman in town to deal with energy complaints

The Ombudsman Services roadshow - and their Ombudsvan - comes to College Street from 9am to 5pm and will be welcoming complainers between the same times on Friday.

Their free, impartial service aims to help resolve complaints quickly and fairly when a supplier has been unable to deal with them.

People aiming to attend should bring the correct documents, including any correspondence they may have had with your supplier about an issue, their account number and a copy of the bill, if this is what you are disputing.

The Ombudsman Services' Consumer Action Monitor reveals that more than 250,000 complaints were made in Rotherham last year, but a further 250,000 were not acted upon. 

Only 81 energy and communications complaints were brought to Ombudsman Services in 2016.

Lewis Shand Smith, chief ombudsman said: “It’s important that residents in Rotherham know their consumer rights and don't put up with bad service. 

“Complaining should be an easy, hassle-free experience — if you're still in a dispute with a company after eight weeks, Ombudsman Services can look into the case for free and provide a resolution.

“We are extremely excited to be visiting Rotherham. 

“If you feel like a company is not listening to your complaint or you're not sure about how to go about raising an issue, come down and speak to us. 

“We will happily talk you through how to complain and can register a complaint for you there and then.'”

Ombudsman Services can investigate disputes between customers and suppliers that have been going on for eight weeks or more, or those that have reached a deadlock stage. 

Consumers must contact their supplier directly in the first instance before they can escalate the complaint to the ombudsman.

Visit www.ombudsman-services.org/consumer-roadshow or call 0330 041 2207 for more information.