/TAKING ACTION / MEDIATION ACTIVITY IN 2023

The agreement stipulates:

• the promotion, by each ombudsman, of the

contact details of the other to enable con-

sumers to be aware of available remedies and

to choose their ombudsman;

• the transfer of cases between them that

they cannot handle within their own areas

of competence

the annual assessment of the convention

and the publication of this assessment in

the activity report of each ombudsman

All these criteria have been met because:

• Regarding the promotion of contact

details:

- both mediators have referenced each other

on their websites;

- they have published the signed agreement

online;

the Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE

Group has also informed claimants that they

have the option to appeal to the MNE both

in letters and in email replies if the pro

posed solution is rejected

• With regard to transfers (of which the

number is comparable to last year):

- mediators passed on to each other

f iles that did not fall within their area of

responsibilities;

- they have also consulted each other when

an applicant simultaneously contacts them

for the same request and potentially trans

ferred it

lastly as provided by the Energy Code arti

cle L1221 the MNE has handled requests

from applicants who have approached them

following disagreement with the proposed

amicable solution of fered by the Consumer

Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group

A respected agreement

In 2015, the National Energy Ombudsman (MNE) and the Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group

signed an agreement. Each year, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, an assessment

of its operational implementation has been conducted.

More specif ically the transfers in 2023 were as follows

BALANCE sheet for individuals

Outside the scope

competence

Claimants who have applied

to 2mediators in parallel or who have

started an investigation with the MNE

Applicants to the MNE following

ENGIE mediation

From the Ombudsman

for the ENGIE Group to the MNE

5 6 56

From the MNE to the Ombudsman

for the ENGIE Group

0 0

Source Consumer Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group

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starting point for this deadline is the date of receiving the

request, even if the dossier is incomplete. The significant

increase in complaints at the customer and consumer services of

ENGIE’s Consumer Division largely explains the extension of the

average processing time for mediation requests. This delay has

had a ripple ef fect on Ombudsman’s response time to claimants.

Additionally, if these services do not respond within 2 months,

the claim becomes eligible for mediation. Another consequence

of this surge in complaints was the Ombudsman’s handling of

disputes not yet addressed by customer or consumer services.

By fall 2023, ENGIE’s Consumer Division had been reorganised

and strengthened. (see p. 18-19).

Crisis-specif ic dispute resolution methods were shared between

this consumer service and the Ombudsman, resulting in better

alignment and time optimisation. Similarly, the Ombudsman

standardised their approach to these disputes.

All of these actions contributed to preventing further delays in

processing mediation cases.

Setting aside cases directly tied to price increases during the

crisis, which underwent standardised mediation procedures, the

bulk of other received cases were intricate, involving multiple

concurrent issues. This signif icantly lengthened investigation

times, for both suppliers or distributors and Mediation alike.

This was especially notable in 2023 for disputes involving ENGIE

Home Services, the Group’s energy service provider, where the

average mediation processing time stretched to 81 days. The

recommendation to “Accept the implementation of a ‘Method

Agreement’ mediation solution that formalises the parties’

future responsibilities” aims to streamline the processing time

for these cases (see page 32). Additionally, a reorganisation at

this subsidiary level also led to processing dif f iculties for com-

plaints at the customer and consumer services.

The rate of disputes resolved amicably reached 84% this

year on average (compared to 87% in 2022).

The rate of disputes resolved amicably reached 84% this year

on average (compared to 87% in 2022). For energy suppliers to

individuals, it stands at 84%. For disputes related to services

involving ENGIE Home Services, this rate reaches 72%. This

averaged agreement rate remains commendable in a period

where many claimants found themselves pressured by bills they

were utterly unable to af ford.

51%

of claimants contacted

the Ombudsman via

the online form in 2023

%