2023 report - The consumer

The consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group 2023 report

TAKING ACTION / MEDIATION ACTIVITY IN 2023 TAKING ACTION / MEDIATION ACTIVITY IN 2023

Annual history of the number

of claims received

from individuals

Excellent results

despite an unprecedented

surge in disputes!

Here is a review of the 2023 activity report of the Ombudsman

for the ENGIE Group, who managed to uphold quality and close

engagement amidst an unparalleled energy crisis.

When the independent Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE

Group receives a request for mediation, the f irst step is to

ensure it falls within his purview.

It is crucial to note that the Ombudsman operates in line with

the provisions of the Consumer Code (article L.616-2), while also

honouring the contractual terms between ENGIE and its cus-

tomers, in scenarios where:

• customer services (level 1) and national consumer services

(level 2) have either responded to the complaint (in writing) or

have failed to do so within two months at either level;

• the customer expresses dissatisfaction with the provided

response (thus constituting a dispute);

• the claimant voluntarily seeks Mediation as a f inal recourse to

seek an amicable resolution to the dispute.

Article L.616-2 outlines the instances of inadmissibility.

The Mediation team conducts an annual evaluation of the

ef fectiveness of ENGIE’s complaint resolution mechanisms.

This evaluation is published on the Ombudsman’s independent

website or included in his annual report. The aim is to prevent

overburdening caused by inadequate complaint handling within

ENGIE Group.

It is important to remember that

the Ombudsman should serve

as an alternative to legal action,

not a replacement for the company’s

complaint resolution services.

Once a claim is deemed admissible, the claimant typically

receives a conf irmation letter within an average of 48 hours.

This letter acknowledges receipt of their request

and confirms its eligibility for mediation

based on available information. If the

claim has been misdirected, a letter

is sent to the claimant specify-

ing the appropriate entity to

address their concerns, unless

the claimant prefers other-

wise. The “Claim Journey”

section (see page 16) outlines

the various stages of the pro-

cess and scenarios encountered.

Typically, it is the customer who reaches out directly to the

Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group. In such cases,

approval from ENGIE is sought for mediation (which is granted

in 99% of instances). However, if there is a deadlock with their

contact, companies within the ENGIE Group can instigate the

complaint. Nonetheless, it is essential to always secure the con-

sumer’s consent before initiating mediation for their dispute.

The Ombudsman cannot initiate the complaint.

Mediations double,

40% increase in request

for mediation

Unprecedented! The number of consumer mediation cases that

qualif ied more than doubled from 393 in 2022 to 782 in 2023.

Meanwhile, the total number of complaints received by the

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group (those evaluated for admis-

sibility under article L.612-2 of the Consumer Code) surged by

40% in 2023, reaching 2,457 (compared to 1,772 in 2022), after

having dropped by 20% between 2021 and 2022.

For full transparency, in 2023, the Ombudsman also concluded

65 cases received in 2022. The increase in complaints, though

not as steep as that of mediations, shows how consumers have

increasingly embraced the mediation process to reach this third

level of amicable dispute resolution when necessary to resolve

their issues with ENGIE. The FAQ pages on the Ombudsman’s

website, explaining the mediation process, saw particularly high

traf f ic in 2023!

In 2022, when the number of mediations had slightly decreased,

an improvement in the handling of complaints within ENGIE

entities had been observed. However, in 2023, the processes

implemented to enhance complaint handling could not with-

stand the surge in complaints.

For claimants whose requests were pro

cessed we were able to analyse their

satisfaction regarding

Timeliness of processing 90 in 2023

compared with 91 in 2022

Understanding of their dispute 94 in

2023 vs 86 in 2022

Quality of communication during the

processing of the f ile 96 in 2023 vs

89 in 2022

Quality of the proposed solution to

resolve the dispute 85 in 2023 vs

65 in 2022

Overall satisfaction with the

Ombudsmans actions remained con

sistently high compared to 2022 91

For reference it was 92 in 2021 90

in 2020 86 in 2019 84 in 2018 and

85 in 2017

This continued high satisfaction can

be attributed to the Mediation teams

handson approach even amidst an

unprecedented surge in requests and

heightened demands from claimants

Additionally a notable 95 of claimants

compared to 82 in 2022 87 in 2021

86 in 2020 74 in 2019 and 76 in

2018 expressed their willingness to rec

ommend the Ombudsman to others

The Ombudsmans rigorous standards

explain why 84 of claimants accepted

the proposed solutions

Satisfaction: a key focus

of Mediation service

Every year since 2009, the Consumer

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group conducts a survey

among claimants to gauge their satisfaction with the mediation process

Here are the key results

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

2 522

1 571

1 848

3 555

3 978

3 352

2 515

2 527

1 772

2 457

Issues with the escalation

process within ENGIE’s

operational departments

84%

of claimants accepted

the solution

proposed by the

Ombudsman

The Ombudsman notes that 30% of the

cases eligible for mediation should have

been addressed within ENGIE entities,

specif ically within customer or consumer

services, instead of being referred to them.

This rate hardly decreased in 2023 compared to 2022, despite

ef forts to redirect complaints back to level 2 customer services

to prevent them from reaching mediation.

782

dissatisfaction with customer services: 559

no response from consumer services: 149

no response from customer services: 79

30%

of cases

received

by the

Ombudsman