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

ENGIE’s energy supply entities (covering

market of fers, Consumer Division (DGP),

or fully digital market of fers like Happ-e,

as well as regulated tarif f of fers handled

by the Regulated Tariffs Department

(DTR) until its closure due to the phase-

out of regulated tarif fs) serve millions of

energy customers and manage numerous

contracts. These divisions are signifi-

cantly impacted, representing 87% of the

consumer mediations received by the

Ombudsman. The remaining 13% are

distributed among ENGIE Home Services

(EHS), FideloConso, and departments

managing Energy Savings Certif icates (as

shown in the left-hand graphs).

Eligible mediation requests from consumers

Issues with sharp price

hikes in contract renewals

and sign-ups in 2022

In 2023, the Ombudsman observed an unprecedented surge

in disputes related to contracts. Over 50% of mediation cases

were linked to contracts compared to around 14 in 2022 rep

resenting an increase of nearly 6 points Within the 485 of

contractrelated mediations the predominant concerns were

contract disputes especially regarding price disputes upon

renewal or when subscribing to new contracts in 2022 This

surge can be attributed to the impact of new supplier of fers

amid price volatility and increased wholesale energy costs

which were ref lected in retail prices within the limits set by

the tarif f shield The second most signif icant issue revolved

around billing or payment difficulties 305 in 2023 vs

618in2022 often stemming from misunderstandings about

gas and electricity consumption levels or meterrelated issues

A decrease in disputes related to inaccurate meter readings

especially in selfreadings was expected with the completion of

the rollout of smart meters across mainland France While the

rate decreased as anticipated the actual number increased by

40 221 in 2023 vs 155 in 2022 directly correlating with the

overall number of mediations. Instances related to electricity

slightly outnumbered those related to gas (221 for electricity

and 211 for gas), consistent with previous years. On July 1, 2023,

following the enactment of the energy and climate law published

on November 9, 2019, regulated gas prices for individuals were

discontinued. ENGIE customers not yet subscribed to market

price of fers were transitioned to a “gateway” of fer, resulting in

very few mediations related to this transition While the cate

gory Energy Equipment decreased by nearly 3 points 98

in 2023 vs 125 in 2022 the volume increased from around

50 disputes to nearly 80 ref lecting requests concerning the

installation troubleshooting and maintenance of individual

boilers heat pumps or photovoltaic panels Other mediation

issues remained relatively minor consistent with previous years

Only one mediation in 2023 pertained to the FideloConso

of fer individualization of heating and hot water charges for

homes in collective heating marketed by ENGIE Entreprises

Collectivités EC until June 30 2022 As anticipated ENGIEs

management ceased responsibility for aftersales service for

these installations from that date onward

Concerning the energy supply entities (DGP, Happ-e, or DTR

until July 1, 2023), the f irst three quarters of the year witnessed

a sharp increase in contract-related mediations. By the last

quarter, we observed a return to diversif ied reasons for medi-

ation, as seen in previous years. Disputes over consumption,

metering point inversions, faulty meters, and dif f iculties in set

tling Energy Savings bonus payments became more prevalent

once again.

Maintaining Quality of Service

in 2023

In 2023, the Ombudsman upheld the high standard of case han-

dling established since December 2014. The goal remains to f ind

a positive resolution for each party, with an ambition to process

submissions within 2 months, even when cases are incomplete.

Out of the 782 eligible submissions for individual mediations, 765

(compared to 362 in 2022) underwent mediation, while 17 (com-

pared to 31 in 2022) were deemed inadmissible. Additionally, the

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group handled 67 mediations in 2023

for submissions received at the end of 2022, two of which were

deemed inadmissible. In total, the Consumer Ombudsman for the

ENGIE Group handled 830 mediations in 2023, more than double

that of 2022 (409). They are distributed as follows:

• 688 closed admissible mediations:

- 686 fully concluded with a response from the claimant:

- 573 with both parties accepting the solution (compared to

294 in 2022)

- 113 with one party rejecting the solution (compared to 46 in

2022)

- 2 mediations not fully concluded, accounting for 0.2% of the

mediations considered (compared to 0.3% in 2022); the dis-

continuation of these mediations was due to the withdrawal

of the professional.

• 142 mediations received at the end of 2023 and still under

review at the beginning of 2024.

The two mediations received in 2022, handled in 2023, and were

closed as inadmissible for the following reasons: one claimant

opted for the MNE after contacting both mediators, and in the

other case, multiple suppliers were involved in the dispute. The

notable reduction in the number of inadmissible submissions

in 2023 ref lects consumers’ improved understanding of the

mediation process. This complements a relatively modest 40%

increase in ineligible submissions compared to the doubling of

the mediation volume.

1 See the corresponding criterion in the table Quality criteria of decree

n20151382 of October 30 2015 p27

2 849 including inadmissible mediations

MEDIATIONS BY ISSUE

2 0,3% Welcome, advice and support

48 6,1% EEC of fering

148 18,9% Consumption

91 11,6% Billing & payment

23 2,9% Technical distribution

9,8% Energy equipment

379 48,5% Contract dispute

14 1,8% Other contract-related reasons

MEDIATIONS BY ENGIE SUBSIDIARY

681 87,1% ENGIE Energy supply

for consumers

83 10,6% ENGIE Home Services

0,1% ENGIE Entreprises &

Collectivités (FideloConso of fer)

17 2,2% TEKSIAL, ENGIE Solutions,

My power, Certinergy

of consumer

mediations

87%

ENGIE Energy

Supply:

782

The number of inadmissible mediations from individuals in 2023

halved compared to 2022 17 in 2023 vs 31 in 2022 despite

the doubling of mediation volumes The reasons for rejecting

these 17 submissions summarised in the graph opposite are

as follows

4 submissions outside the Ombudsmans jurisdiction including

1 dispute involving two suppliers and 1 Belgian dispute

5 submissions referred to the National Energy Ombudsman

MNE under the 2015 agreement with the Ombudsman for

the ENGIE Group

6 submissions where the claimant chose the MNE after simul

taneously contacting both independent ombudsmen

1 unfounded request

1 refusal to enter mediation by the claimant

81%

of mediations

were resolved within

3 months in 2023

In 2023, the average processing time

for a mediation was 63.4 days. Despite

an unprecedented volume of mediation

requests attributable to the crisis, the

average processing time, for all disputes

combined, increased by just 5 days

compared to 2022 and remains close to

the targeted 2month timeframe

For mediations specif ically related to energy supply issues the

average processing time was 614 days in 2023 which was 2

days less than the overall average However for mediations

concerning energyrelated services the processing time was

81 days in 2023

As such 55 of mediations received a resolution within less

than 60 days and 81 the more complex cases were resolved

within less than 90 days Its worth noting that the Consumer

Code sets the deadline at 90 days For the Ombudsman the

Inadmissible mediation requests

from individuals

Out of the Ombudsman’s

jurisdiction/Refusal

of mediation by the

Ombudsman: 4

Transferred to the MNE by the

Ombudsman: 5

Claimant opts for MNE: 6

Unfounded request: 1

Refusal to enter mediation by

the claimant: 1