The annual ranking of energy suppliers by Which? has been released and Scottish Power has come out at rock bottom.
In a survey of over 10,000 members, the consumer champion evaluated which firms have remained "calm in a crisis" – and which have let some customers down.
Coming out on top of the list of 15 was Octopus Energy, gaining the title of Which? recommended provider for the sixth year in a row. SSE Energy Services ranked third to last whilst Scottish Power was revealed as the worst rated supplier.
The average customer score was 54 percent this year – lower than it was in January 2022 (59 percent) and 2021 (64 percent).
The list is the result of the organisation's assessment of suppliers' practices and procedures in three areas: how well they conduct customer service, how they deal with complaints and how they support customers in need.
In comparison to the overall rating of 78 percent received by Octopus, SSE netted 58 percent whilst Scottish Power got just 51 percent.
Even lower was Scottish Power's customer rating (49 percent), earning two stars out of five for customer service and value of money, along with three stars for its complaints performance. It was the sole company to get one star for 'clarity of communication' about the energy market.
SSE was only awarded one star for three of the aspects in Which?'s customer satisfaction survey, including the clarity of its communication about the energy market, and two stars for the remaining two. Over half (54 percent) of SSE customers complained about an issue with their bill.
As the top scorer, Octopus was the only provider to receive a five-star rating in any category. Customers awarded it five stars for usefulness of information about energy costs and four stars for every other category.
Octopus customers were most likely to recommend their supplier – with nearly nine in ten (87 percent) saying they would recommend it.
However, there is some room for the supplier to fall. Octopus Energy took on an additional 1.5 million customers from Bulb in December last year and Which? says it will be "watching closely" to see if the firm will maintain its impressive performance.
The report comes as Which? calls for energy firms to do more to support consumers during the cost of living crisis. As energy bills have soared, it says households have been squeezed by "non-existent" cheap tariffs as millions have been forced to transfer to a new supplier after their former provider failed.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: "While customers are choosing to stay put due to a lack of deals in the energy market, our research has found that some firms are falling far short of meeting their customers' needs during the cost of living crisis.
"Providers must make it as easy as possible for customers to get in touch and seek support when they need it – or customers will vote with their feet and switch away when this becomes an option."
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