The consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group 2023 report

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Since 2014 JeanPierre Hervé has served as the Consumer

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group

He was among the f irst independent ombudsmen listed in

February 2016 as a Consumer Ombudsman

for a f iveyear term a mandate renewed by the State

Commission in February 2021 With expertise in mediation

consumer af fairs energy and energy ef f iciency

he dedicates his independent knowledge to assisting

all applicants and stakeholders including consumer

associations institutions and legal services

A look back at 2023

with Jean-Pierre Hervé,

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group

“Seeking fairness:

a guiding principle and

a challenge amidst the

energy crisis

J.-P. H. : The Mediation team faced an unprecedented cri-

sis scenario: a doubling of mediation cases and a signif icant

surge in complaints, including a record number from claim-

ants who had terminated their contracts! To address these

new challenges, we adapted and restructured our organisa-

tion. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my team for

their dedication, commitment, and professionalism during this

demanding period.

The surge in complaints mainly af fected ENGIE’s Consum-

er Division (individual customers), linked to the sharp rise in

prices experienced by consumers in 2022. Additionally, there

was an increase in complaints related to Energy Saving Cer-

tif icates (EEC), as the crisis prompted consumers to invest

in energy ef f iciency. For ENGIE Home Services (EHS), after

a successful year in 2022 regarding complaint handling, the

number of complaints in 2023 increased by 1.6 times, and the

number of mediations by 2.4 times.

It’s worth noting that complaints from businesses also saw a

signif icant uptick due to expanded admissibility rules.

Furthermore, nearly 30% of complaints could have been re-

solved through mediation if ENGIE subsidiaries had adhered

to the complaint management process properly.

“In response to the crisis, the

Mediation team has adapted and

reviewed its organisation.”

J.-P. H. : We anticipate that our eight recommendations

will yield results, leading to a natural decrease in the num-

ber of mediations. As mentioned previously, we’re looking

for improved quality from the company’s complaint services

to address the 30% of relatively straightforward cases more

ef fectively. Additionally, the Mediation team is advocating for

early consultation before introducing new of fers or processes,

focusing on prevention rather than just remediation.

Finally, in 2024, Mediation is rolling out its new online

complaint form, featuring a user-friendly tool accessible

directly on smartphones without the need for additional

devices like computers, scanners, or printers. This move

aims not only to maintain the selectivity of cases for

mediation but also to enhance accessibility and align with

users’ preferences and behaviours.

J.-P. H. : The number of complaints has increased by 40%.

We still receive many premature complaints: this is due to our

high visibility (on contracts, on energy supplier or service

company websites, on energy bills, and on my own independ-

ent website), which is a very positive development. In fact, we

received 2,457 requests and handled 849 mediation cases

in 2023 (a 93% increase), improving the inadmissibility rate

(65% versus 75% in 2022).

This inadmissibility often stems from claimants contacting us

directly within two months of their initial written complaint,

without reaching out to the complaint service of the relevant

ENGIE subsidiary. However, this doesn’t leave the applicant

without a solution. We have successfully redirected 100% of

the inadmissible requests, with the agreement of the appli-

cants, to the appropriate level of complaint handling within

the relevant supplier. Ultimately, only 10% to 15% of these

redirected cases return to Mediation because ENGIE’s com-

plaint service has been able to provide a resolution.

Despite the challenging circumstances, the mediation suc-

cess rate (84%) and satisfaction rate (91%) remained high

in 2023 The average processing time remained around

two months 63 days for consumers

However Mediation has noticed an increasing strain in rela

tions due to the dif f iculties stemming from high inf lation and

rising energy prices Given that this trend may continue active

listening and legal analysis provided by Mediation remain vi

tal and wellsuited tools

J.-P. H. : In the energy sector, issues arose from a mix of

factors. Firstly, consumers received reassuring messages

about the government’s protective tarif f shield, which, in real-

ity, did not apply universally each year. Consequently, house-

holds may have been less diligent in critically assessing their

energy contract renewals in 2022 especially during such chal

lenging times

From the suppliers perspective there was a signif icant shift

in approach Previously complaint management focused on

consumption analysis as stable prices meant consumption was

the main factor behind bill increases However this changed to

a scenario where price f luctuations played a key role renew

al notices lacked clarity there were challenges in encouraging

consumers to compare options and managing instalments was

tied to bill adjustment rather than contract renewal

Concerning EEC consumers often struggled to adhere to the

precise yet rigid processes mandated by the government

mainly due to concerns about potential fraud Meanwhile

organizational changes at EHS disrupted established quality

procedures

In the midst of the energy crisis

that shook France and Europe,

what were the developments

for Mediation in 2023?

What is your outlook

for 2024?

What types of issues

did you deal with?

JP H Yes the Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR

Directive is currently under review at the European level

Corporate mediators have provided feedback through the

Mediators European Energy Mediators Group both at the

European and French levels At this stage their input has been

considered at the European level

In particular ef forts are being made to prevent mediations

from merely becoming complaint services there is a risk that

companies may not thoroughly address situations and too hast

ily delegate complaints to mediations By overly expanding the

scope of admissibility for mediation theres a risk of transform

ing independent mediation entities into mere subcontractors

for complaint handling on behalf of the company

Will there be any changes

to the regulatory framework for

consumer mediation in France?

J.-P. H. : Absolutely, that should be the goal for EN-

GIE subsidiaries. Successful mediation hinges on proximi-

ty and attentive listening, which means spending more time

addressing disputes unresolved by the company. Customer

services can’t match the level of personalisation and exper-

tise provided by the Mediation, which consequently results in

higher costs per case. Its ef fectiveness should be measured

by the reduction in the number of mediations, linked to the

implementation of improvement recommendations issued to

company subsidiaries annually.

In 2023, I made eight recommendations to ENGIE, half of

which directly addressed the challenges posed by the en-

ergy crisis. I consistently urge ENGIE’s services to enhance

processing times while improving success rates, as we do

not want customer complaint services sacrif icing response

quality, ultimately burdening the Mediation department!

Should there be a push

towards reducing the complaint

processing time?

Despite the longer mediation processing times, our success

rate in mediations remained remarkably high. Despite the large

volume of requests, we made a conscious decision not to sacri-

f ice the quality of our analyses and personalised approach. In

this challenging context, applicants greatly needed to feel un-

derstood and heard.

“We shifted from a complaint

management culture based on

consumption analysis before the

crisis to a scenario where price

f luctuations became the primary

explanation for increases.”

And if we look at the f igures…

Discover all the

activity reports

of the Ombudsman for

the ENGIE Group