Consumer NZ: Smaller power providers lead the pack

Consumer NZ’s latest power company satisfaction survey has found, yet again, the smaller retailers lead the power pack when it comes to keeping customers satisfied.

“Across the board the customer satisfaction rating is a measly 54%,” said Jessica Walker, Consumer NZ Communications and Campaigns Manager.

“The power providers doing a better job of keeping their customers happy tend to have a smaller market share.”

Powershop has come out on top of the annual survey. It’s the third year in a row the retailer has been awarded Consumer’s People’s Choice status, and the sixth time it has achieved the accolade since 2015.

Frank Energy also received the People’s Choice award. Powershop and Frank Energy received satisfaction scores of 74% and 67% respectively.

“Powershop and Frank Energy customers rated their retailers highly for resolving problems and customer support,” said Walker.

Towards the bottom of the pile are two of the big providers – Contact and Trustpower – each scoring satisfaction ratings below the industry average.

“But it’s Meridian’s customers who are the least satisfied of the lot, with a satisfaction score of just 46%.”

The retailers that score below the satisfaction average provide power to 56% of New Zealand’s electricity customers.

No such thing as a premium power product

Regardless of which company you purchase your power from, it is the same quality as wherever your neighbour gets there’s from.

“There’s no reason to stick with an excessively pricey plan or shoddy customer service.

“We urge New Zealanders to shop around; in most cases there’s no reward for being loyal to your retailer.

“The Powerswitch site lets you compare plans and providers in a matter of minutes, and if you choose to switch providers all it generally takes is the push of a button,” said Walker.

Powerswitch is an independent and free service that makes it easy for people to compare plans and power providers. Users of Powerswitch typically save about $400 a year when they compare and switch power plans.