BUSINESS ENERGY: Complaint Handling Statement and Procedure for Micro-Business Customers

Complaint Handling Statement and Procedure for Micro-Business Customers

At 3rdLine IT we are committed to customer service. Should we let you down then please feel free to lodge a complaint which we will endeavour to resolve as quickly as possible.

Are a micro-business customer as defined by Ofgem.

You are a micro-business customer if:

1.You consume less than 293,000 kWh of gas a year;
2.You consume less than 100,000 kWh of electricity a year; or
3.You have fewer than 10 employees and a turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2m.

If you are not a micro-business then you should initially direct your complaint to anthony@3rdlineit.com the Managing Director.

If your complaint is about an energy supplier as opposed to 3rdLineIT and their partners, you should initially raise the complaint directly with the supplier themselves. This can then be escalated to the Energy Ombudsman if you are not happy with the outcome. More advice and contact details can be found on the Energy Ombudsman website (www.ombudsmanservices.org/energy).

How to contact us

The easiest and quickest way to resolve your complaint is to telephone us on the number listed below. Alternatively, if you are unable to phone or would prefer to write, you can contact us by email, or by post using the address listed below.

Address: Zeal House, 8 Deer Park Road, London SW19 3UU

Telephone: 020 8545 9663 (from 8am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday)

Email: help@3rdlineit.com

Our process

All our advisors are trained to offer you the best possible customer service and will do their utmost to help you. If they need to involve their Manager, they will do so to ensure the matter is resolved.
We aim to reply to written correspondence within 72 hours of receiving your letter. However, more complex issues may take longer as we may have to contact other agencies or suppliers to help resolve your complaint.

As part of resolving your complaint, we will offer you an explanation and an apology. We will also take remedial action and may award compensation in appropriate circumstances at our sole discretion.

Step 1 – to resolve your complaint at the first point of contact

When you telephone us with a problem our advisor will attempt to resolve matters with you whilst you are on the call. However, if necessary your complaint will be escalated to a Manager or specialist person. We want to agree a solution within 72 hours.

If you write to us with a problem please provide your full contact details as we aim to fully resolve matters within 72 hours after we receive your letter. We may try to contact you by telephone to help with this resolution.

If we cannot resolve your complaint fully or have not agreed a form of resolution within 72 hours after your first contact, then you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2 – to resolve within 5 working days of escalation from Step 1

Following Step 1, if the complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, then you can raise the matter with our Complaints Team who will undertake an independent internal review and aim to reach a resolution within 5 working days. You can contact the Complaints Team, providing your name, account number and / or full address, as follows:

Address: Zeal House, 8 Deer Park Road, London SW19 3UU

Telephone: 020 8545 9663 (from 8am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday)

Email: chris@3rdlineit.com

If you would prefer, you can deal with your complaint throughout this process by speaking with us rather than writing.

Step 3 – Independent Code Manager

If you haven't received a satisfactory response from our Complaints Team within seven days, we will contact you to request your permission for your complaint to be referred to the Independent Code Manager.

The TPI Code of Practice is a set of standards that sets the benchmark for responsible, high quality TPI’s acting as intermediaries between micro-business customers and suppliers. The Independent Code Manager oversees the day to day running of the Code and is responsible for dealing with any complaints made about TPI’s that have signed up.

You can contact the Independent Code Manager by emailing info@tpicodemanager.co.uk or you can visit the TPI Code of Practice website (www.tpicodeofpractice.co.uk) where you can find further information and contact details.

Sales and Marketing Complaints

Any sales representative or third party that speaks to you face to face on our behalf is expected to act appropriately. If you are a micro-business customer and you have a complaint in relation to any 3rdLine IT sales or marketing activities, we will investigate and clarify. If appropriate we will also take remedial action and may award compensation in appropriate circumstances at our sole discretion.

Energy Ombudsman

If you still remain dissatisfied with resolution of your complaint, or the complaint has been unresolved for over 8 weeks, you can contact the Energy Ombudsman (www.ombudsman-services.org/energy) who can offer advice as well as a dispute resolution service:

Ombudsman Services: Energy
PO Box 966
Warrington WA4 9DF
Telephone: 0330 440 1624
Email: enquiry@ombudsman-services.org

Please note that the Ombudsman service is impartial and free to use as a customer of 3rdLine IT.