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When brokers go rogue — Citizens Advice Manchester
citizensadvicemanchester.org.ukWe welcome the news that energy regulator Ofgem wants stronger powers to protect the country’s smallest businesses from overzealous energy brokers. It’s just a shame it’s taken so long for this problem to be tackled. Over two thirds of small businesses buy electricity and gas from a broker, who acts as an intermediary between suppliers and customers. Good brokers should, in theory, engage with the small business by informing them of the best deals and tariffs on the market — but this doesn’t always happen. In its recent response to the government’s Consumer Green Paper, Ofgem said: “Our evidence suggests that some businesses that engage with intermediaries may be misled or left unsatisfied with their treatment. Strengthening our powers to enforce consumer protection law that applies to the non-domestic market, particularly for smaller businesses, would improve our ability to tackle misconduct by intermediaries. We would like to explore this with government.” In search of honest brokers When energy suppliers sell to households, Ofgem makes sure they meet strict standards. They must be transparent about who they work for and give accurate price comparisons. Suppliers have received big fines for breaking these rules. It’s clear that small businesses need similar protections. We give advice to small businesses through our consumer service helpline and Extra Help Unit. Our advisers have helped with cases where brokers have used sharp practice, even outright fraud, to win contracts. The financial impact on businesses who’ve been mis-sold can be severe — at its worst, it can tip a profitable business into the red. Last year, we published a list of the most common problems with brokers that small businesses contacted us about. The list includes aggressive sales, lack of transparency, misrepresentation and mis-selling. More specific examples include brokers claiming to be from an official body, claiming a new product is necessary and hiding commercial relationships with specific energy suppliers. There’s no obligation to record the conversation between a broker and a business that leads to a sale, which means complaints are very difficult to prove. Instead, these businesses rely on the good will of their energy supplier to end their contract. This lack of protection has dire consequences not just for individual businesses but for the market as a whole. There’s evidence of an engagement gap in the sector and we think some of this is down to the behaviour of brokers. The good ones are good, but if you’ve had a bad experience in the past, you might not be willing to use a broker again. This is bad for the market and for consumers because there won’t be the same pressure to keep prices down. What can be done? To combat this, there needs to be regulation of energy brokers. We’ve been calling for this since 2004, but it’s still the case that business owners can’t rely on the same basic protections in their business premises as they can in their homes. At Citizens Advice, we believe the right response is a mandatory code of practice. This code should reflect the 6 voluntary principles we developed with Ofgem to encourage good practice among brokers. These clearly outline to the energy industry clear expectations of how we expected energy brokers to behave.
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When brokers go rogue — CitizensTranslatingManchester CitizensTranslatingManchester Home How we can help DebtTranslatingEnergyTranslatingFace to Face Facebook Messenger Hate Crime HousingTranslatingMoneySmart Training Stay Safe Online Training Pension Wise Self Help SkypeTranslatingTelephone Universal Credit Support Web Chat Assisted Digital Visa Service Other Help Volunteering Volunteer Roles Benefits of volunteering Apply to Volunteer DigitalTranslatingEvents Volunteer Telephone Triage Assessor Volunteer Receptionist Campaigning Work with Us News What we doWell-nighUs Disclaimer and Copyright Privacy Policy Contact Us Our Trustees Log in Make a Referral WAD Survey Home/ How we can help/Debt AdviceEnergy AdviceFace to FaceFacebook MessengerHate CrimeHousing AdviceMoneySmart TrainingStay Safe Online TrainingPension WiseSelf HelpSkype AdviceTelephoneUniversal Credit SupportWeb ChatAssisted Digital Visa ServiceOther Help Volunteering/Volunteer RolesBenefits of volunteeringApply to VolunteerDigital AdviceEvents VolunteerTelephone Triage AssessorVolunteer Receptionist Campaigning/ Work with Us/ News/ What we do/About UsDisclaimer and CopyrightPrivacy PolicyContact UsOur Trustees Log in/Make a ReferralWAD Survey News Stories from our teams Home/ How we can help/Debt AdviceEnergy AdviceFace to FaceFacebook MessengerHate CrimeHousing AdviceMoneySmart TrainingStay Safe Online TrainingPension WiseSelf HelpSkype AdviceTelephoneUniversal Credit SupportWeb ChatAssisted Digital Visa ServiceOther Help Volunteering/Volunteer RolesBenefits of volunteeringApply to VolunteerDigital AdviceEvents VolunteerTelephone Triage AssessorVolunteer Receptionist Campaigning/ Work with Us/ News/ What we do/About UsDisclaimer and CopyrightPrivacy PolicyContact UsOur Trustees Log in/Make a ReferralWAD Survey August 30, 2018 When brokers go rogue August 30, 2018/ Stuart Pearson Small businesses have dealt with quack energy brokers for far too long.We welcome the news that energy regulator Ofgem wants stronger powers to protect the country’s smallest businesses from overzealous energy brokers. It’s just a shame it’s taken so long for this problem to be tackled.Over two thirds of small businesses buy electricity and gas from a broker, who acts as an intermediary between suppliers and customers. Good brokers should, in theory, engage with the small merchantry by informing them of the weightier deals and tariffs on the market — but this doesn’t unchangingly happen.In its recent response to the government’s Consumer Green Paper, Ofgem said:“Our vestige suggests that some businesses that engage with intermediaries may be misled or left unsatisfied with their treatment. Strengthening our powers to enforce consumer protection law that applies to the non-domestic market, particularly for smaller businesses, would modernize our worthiness to tackle misconduct by intermediaries. We would like to explore this with government.”In search of honest brokersWhen energy suppliers sell to households, Ofgem makes sure they meet strict standards. They must be transparent well-nigh who they work for and requite well-judged price comparisons. Suppliers have received big fines for breaking these rules.It’s well-spoken that small businesses need similar protections. We requite translating to small businesses through our consumer service helpline and Extra Help Unit. Our tutors have helped with cases where brokers have used sharp practice, plane outright fraud, to win contracts. The financial impact on businesses who’ve been mis-sold can be severe — at its worst, it can tip a profitable merchantry into the red.Last year, we published a list of the most worldwide problems with brokers that small businesses contacted us about.The list includes warlike sales, lack of transparency, misrepresentation and mis-selling. More specific examples include brokers ultimatum to be from an official body, ultimatum a new product is necessary and hiding commercial relationships with specific energy suppliers. There’s no obligation to record the conversation between a usurer and a merchantry that leads to a sale, which ways complaints are very difficult to prove. Instead, these businesses rely on the good will of their energy supplier to end their contract.This lack of protection has dire consequences not just for individual businesses but for the market as a whole.There’s vestige of an engagement gap in the sector and we think some of this is lanugo to the behaviour of brokers. The good ones are good, but if you’ve had a bad wits in the past, you might not be willing to use a usurer again. This is bad for the market and for consumers considering there won’t be the same pressure to alimony prices down.What can be done?To gainsay this, there needs to be regulation of energy brokers. We’ve been calling for this since 2004, but it’s still the specimen that merchantry owners can’t rely on the same vital protections in their merchantry premises as they can in their homes.At Citizens Advice, we believe the right response is a mandatory lawmaking of practice. This lawmaking should reflect the 6 voluntary principles we ripened with Ofgem to encourage good practice among brokers. These unmistakably outline to the energy industry well-spoken expectations of how we expected energy brokers to behave.Energy brokers play an important part in the energy industry. Trusted advice, given with the whilom 6 principles in mind, has a crucial role in towers the conviction of our country’s smallest businesses to engage with energy. This has never been so important — businesses have opportunities to goody from unconfined deals, new generation smart meters and cost-saving energy efficiency measures. But all of these opportunities are at risk while unaccountable brokers hassle and mislead businesses. August 30, 2018/ Stuart Pearson/ Comment /Source Stuart Pearson Learn how stuff online can save you ... Too many people struggle to make a ... Copyright © 2015 CitizensTranslatingManchester. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 1010167. Company limited by guarantee. Registered number 2697257. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN:617659