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