TAKING ACTION/MEDIATION ACTIVITY IN 2024 TAKING ACTION/MEDIATION ACTIVITY IN 2024

Quality standards maintained in 2024

In 2024, the Ombudsman maintained the high standards he has set since December 2014. The goal remains to

f ind a positive resolution for each party, with the aim of processing submissions within two months, even when

cases are incomplete.

In 2024, the average processing time for a consumer

mediation case was 77 days.

In 2024, the average time taken to process the consumer

mediation cases was 77 days, 14 days more than in 2023,

exceeding the target of two months. This is still well below

the 90-day period set by the French Consumer Code.

For requests relating to energy supply, the time taken was 74

days, three days less than the average, while for energy-re-

lated services it was 99 days.

An opinion was issued in less than 60 days for 42% of medi-

ation cases, and in less than 90 days for 68%. This short

timeframe starts from the date that the request is received,

even if the f ile is incomplete The high volume of complaints

received by the customer services and consumer services

departments of ENGIEs Consumer Division during the f irst

three quarters partly explains the longer average time taken to

process information requests for the Mediation service which

then has a knockon ef fect on the time taken by the Mediation

team to respond to claimants It should be noted that if these

departments do not respond within two months the referral

becomes eligible for mediation One impact of the high volume

of complaints was that the Mediation service handled disputes

that had not yet been examined by the supplier In addition

the DGP had to take a position on disputes arising from the

governments decision to reduce and then discontinue

the tarif f shield which caused a delay of a few extra weeks

Despite these constraints the Mediation team continued as

in 2023 to standardise the handling of recurring disputes to

optimise turnaround times and the quality of their processes

Apart from the claims directly linked to price rises during the

crisis, most of the other cases were complex and involved

several issues, so the investigation process took longer, both

for the suppliers/distributors and the Mediation Service. In

2024, this was particularly true for disputes involving ENGIE

Home Services (EHS): the average time taken was 99 days,

compared with 81 days in 2023. An internal restructure of the

subsidiary, which began in 2023, complicated the handling

of complaints by customer services and consumer services.

Furthermore, with a 37% increase in mediation cases relating

to EHS (114 in 2024 compared with 83 in 2023), this 99-day

timeframe had a signif icant impact on the overall average

timeframe. Consequently, the Ombudsman met with EHS

management, and measures were adopted to facilitate the

proposal of solutions (see p. 29).

In 2024, an average of 87% of disputes

were settled out of court (compared with 83% in

2023 and 87% in 2022).

The Mediation service has therefore returned to its pre-crisis

agreement rate, while handling the same number of cases as

in 2023. For the DGP, the rate is also 87%. For service-related

disputes, particularly those involving ENGIE Home Services,

the rate is 72%. It should be noted that this subsidiary refused

nine solutions proposed by the Mediation service.

An agreement rate of 87% is remarkable, especially at a time

when many claimants were under pressure due to dif f icul-

ties paying their bills. Despite a large number of disputes,

the level of quality has remained high thanks to the con-

tinued hard work of the ENGIE Group Mediation team,

which strives to f ind a fair solution (based on legal princi-

ples and fairness) for both parties, while compensating the

losses incurred. In some cases, the Mediation team noted

a lack of clear information about the sharp rise in prices,

the increase in the tarif f advertised as f ixed, and the failure

to adjust monthly payments at the time of the increase. In

April 2024, the Ombudsman for the ENGIE Group and the

National Energy Ombudsman (MNE) discusses the levels of

compensation for these losses at the 2023 review meeting.

The consumer service department, which has shown a real

willingness to resolve these disputes amicably, demonstrated

support for the proposal of fair solutions. Finally, this suc-

cess can also be explained by the mediation process, which

involves building relationships with each claimant in order to

listen to their expectations and give them a sense of agency

in resolving their dispute.

In 2024 the number of rejected solutions fell to 13 com

pared with 16 in 2023 and 13 in 2022 These refusals were

often linked to dif f iculties in paying the outstanding amount

In addition use of the dedicated online form rose sharply to

58 in 2024 compared with 51 in 2023 and 30 in 2022

Moreover 36 of mediation cases were sent by post com

pared with 47 in 2023 and 64 in 2022 and 6 by email

compared with 2 in 2023 and 6 in 2022 Entering com

plete and accurate information directly into the information

system is one of the Mediation teams objectives to ensure

requests are processed as quickly as possible

The development of the referral form for smartphones intro

duced in 2024 has helped increase the number of online

referrals

5: Inadmissible mediation requests

from individuals processed in 2024

5: Transferred to the MNE by the Mediation

service

13: MNE chosen by the claimant

2: Unfounded requests

Inadmissible requests for mediation

from individuals

Inadmissible

requests for

mediation

from individuals

handled in 2024:

25

Of the 662 eligible referrals from individuals, 642 were pro-

cessed (compared with 765 in 2023) and 20 were deemed

inadmissible (compared with 17 in 2023). The Mediation ser-

vice for the ENGIE Group also handled 149 mediation cas-

es relating to referrals received at the end of 2023, f ive of

which were inadmissible.

786 OF THE CONSUMER MEDIATION CASES HANDLED WERE DEEMED ADMISSIBLE, AND THESE CASES

CAN BE BROKEN DOWN AS FOLLOWS:

In total, 811 mediation cases (including 25 inadmissible re-

quests) were handled in 2024, a similar level to 2023 (849)

and almost double the amount in 2022 (441). For all individ-

uals and small businesses, the volume was similar to that of

2023 (1,058 in 2024 compared with 1,066 in 2023).

689

ADMISSIBLE MEDIATION

CASES WERE CLOSED

AND COMPLETED WITH

A RESPONSE FROM THE

CLAIMANT

601

WHERE BOTH

PARTIES ACCEPTED

THE SOLUTION

(vs. 573 in 2023)

88

WHERE ONE

PARTY REJECTED

THE SOLUTION

(vs. 113 in 2023)

97

MEDIATION CASES RECEIVED

AT THE END OF 2024 THAT

WERE STILL

UNDER REVIEW IN EARLY

2025

I N C L U D I N G A N D

For the f ive mediation cases received in

2023 that were processed in 2024 and

deemed inadmissible, the reasons were

as follows:

The number of referrals from individuals

received in 2024 and not retained remains

similar to 2023 (20 compared with 17).

The reasons for rejection are as follows:

REFERRALS OUTSIDE THE AREA

OF EXPERTISE (three disputes

involving two suppliers and one

where there was no contract with

ENGIE)

REFERRALS OUTSIDE THE

OMBUDSMAN'S AREA OF EXPERTISE

involving two suppliers and one

where there was no contract with

ENGIE)

REFERRALS MADE TO THE NATIONAL

ENERGY OMBUDSMAN (MNE)

in accordance with the 2015

agreement

REFERRAL FOR WHICH THE CLAIMANT

OPTED FOR THE MNE

REFERRALS WHERE THE

CLAIMANT OPTED FOR

THE MNE after contacting

the two independent Ombudsmen

REFERRALS FORWARDED TO THE

NATIONAL ENERGY OMBUDSMAN MNE12 3

4 1

2 1

2

UNFOUNDED

REQUESTS

22 23