Bristol Energy Reviews: Is it a good supplier?
Launched in 2015 by the Bristol City Council, Bristol Energy recently sold its residential customer base to Together Energy. Did the Bristol Energy reviews foreshadow the suppliers failure? Should new customers still switch to Bristol Energy? Read on to find out.
In September 2020, Bristol Energy sold its residential customer base to Together Energy for £14 million. The new supplier will continue to use the Bristol Energy brand name and operating company.
Bristol Energy reviews
The table below reveals the average Bristol Energy review scores from Which? and Trustpilot. The provider was not included in the latest survey from Citizen's Advice.
| Customer review site | Average Bristol Energy rating |
|---|---|
| Which? | 64% |
| Trustpilot | 64% |
Customer satisfaction in regard to energy suppliers is made up of a number of factors: customer service, pricing, and billing. We work through each of these areas individually below.
Customer Service Reviews
The latest Which? annual survey from September gave Bristol Energy three out of five stars for customer service. Which? found that it took Bristol Energy three minutes 45 seconds to answer the phone. While this is rather short (some companies took more than 40 minutues, according to Which?) we found many complaints on Truspilot concerning issues with contacting the supplier.
“Poor customer service.... Putting you on hold forever and vague answers.”
On the contrary, Bristol Energy does have one trick up its sleeve: face-to-face customer service! Thanks to the Bristol Energy Hub, customers can drop in and talk to its energy experts during its opening hours (Mon-Fri; 9am-5pm, Wed; 10am-5pm).
Tariffs & Pricing Reviews
According to the Bristol Energy reviews, customers seem rather pleased with the price they pay for gas and electricity.
“Since moving to Bristol Energy I have saved so much money. I was fed up with being ripped off by the big companies and moved to BE (Bristol Energy) and have never looked back.”
Billing Reviews
Bristol Energy's billing system has also been one of the main focuses of bad reviews on Trustpilot. Customers have complained about being charged too much, as well as being accused of owing the supplier money.
“Really bad. Understaffed or badly staffed. The bill system is a mess.”
In the case of inaccurate bills, the fault doesn’t always lie purely with the supplier. Estimated readings might be used to calculate bills when meter readings have been entered late or not correctly. This estimated usage might be more than the customer actually used, therefore creating an inaccurate bill.
Bristol Energy is also working to improve its service based on these issues:
- To reduce reliance on estimated readings it’s installing smart meters and developing measures to improve meter reading submission methods for more accuracy.
- To help customers keep track of their energy usage and not be surprised by their bills, it’s again installing smart meters and directing customers to energy charities that can give them advice on how to be more energy efficient on a daily basis.
Did you know you can track your energy usage on your Bristol Energy online account? Head to our Bristol Energy login page for details on how to access your account and take advantage of this service.