British Gas to simplify bills after admitting trust gap

British Gas says it will introduce simpler tariffs and more transparent bills as it looks to regain the trust of its customers.

BritishGas

The number of tariffs will be slimmed to two – variable and fixed – and bills will provide a complete breakdown of costs.

Phil Bentley, managing director of British Gas, admitted to the BBC that the energy supplier “had not made it easy for customers”.

He added: “It’s clear that we need to make things better for our customers. To make sure we do that, I’m committed to having an honest conversation with (them). We are very conscious of our social responsibility.”

Energy watchdog Ofgem, which has been working on plans to force the big six suppliers to improve transparency, welcomed British Gas’ “recognition that suppliers need an open and honest dialogue with their customers” but would need to analyse them in detail to see if they matched its requirements.

British Gas and the other major suppliers – EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power and Scottish & Southern – have come under fire from consumer groups and Ofgem for above inflation price rises.

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