Research has found that the level of customer service received by small businesses from utility companies is poor.

Research by the Forum of Private Business found that a third of small business owners said customer service from utility companies was either poor or very poor.

Many business owners complained that utility companies rolled them over into more expensive contracts with very little advanced notice.

The research also found that 35% of business owners thought it was difficult to switch suppliers and 40% thought that contractual terms and conditions were poor or very poor. Nearly 50% of those that completed the survey thought utility costs were too steep.

The chief executive of the Forum of Private Business, Phil Orford said “Ofgem does not have the necessary powers to protect all small businesses and, unless we establish proper levels of service and transparency which allow them to make informed choices, they will continue to suffer at the hands of utilities providers”.

Businesses don’t have long to look for cheaper energy suppliers and if they come out of a contract early they are liable to be charged a penalty. Not only that but the research found that small business owners found it difficult to remember when contracts were due for renewal while others thought the window of opportunity for cancelling a contract and renewing was too small.