Customer Service Guarantees

Electric Ireland Codes of practice for Residential customers

We are committed to providing you with high levels of customer service.
You can read our commitment to you below.

Code of Practice: Billing and payments (PDF)
Code of Practice: Complaints handling (PDF)
Code of Practice: Services for Pay As You Go keypad meter customers (PDF)
Code of Practice: Services for vulnerable persons (PDF)
Code of Practice: Efficient use of electricity (PDF)

Customer Charter for Business customers

Electric Ireland Customer Service Charter Commitment to Service and Value

Electric Ireland is the independent supply business of ESB Group. Electric Ireland is committed to offering our customers the best available advice and a flexible expert service. This commitment to service is the hallmark of Electric Ireland's offering to businesses throughout Ireland.

How Electric Ireland's customer service standards can benefit your business

Energy supply is critical to the success of your business. It impacts on all areas of your operations and in many instances is one of your key costs. The energy solutions we provide are tailored to meet the unique needs of each business. Electric Ireland provides information, removes the complexities and risks of the electricity market, and empowers you to make quality decisions about your electricity supply.

Electric Ireland aims to achieve all of the standards listed below in 100% of all cases.

Quotation Process

Commitment

We promise:

• Quotation requests will be acknowledged within one working day at the latest.
• We will make contact within three working days for specific information in order to prepare your quotation.
• Customers will be contacted in advance of their contract's end date, where appropriate, to help prepare a competitive renewal offer.

When you contact Electric Ireland for a supply quotation our customer care team will offer your business a range of flexible pricing options to suit your needs.

Electric Ireland aims to provide you with the most competitive pricing possible. Electric Ireland's pricing options range from fully inclusive unit rates (covering both energy and other electricity price components) to an energy-only price structure (with other electricity price components passed through).

Your quotation, based on the information you supply to us, will be provided in a clear and simple format. We will endeavour to work with you to provide a flexible solution to meet your needs.

Customer registration

Commitment

We promise:

• We will issue a request for registration of your site, after receiving formal acceptance of your Electric Ireland Supply Contract
  • within one working day for immediate transfers
  • or
  • not less than 5 working days before the contract start date for fixed date transfers
• The registration process is handled entirely by Electric Ireland staff on your behalf. We will liaise directly with the relevant meter registration system authorities (NIE Networks in NI) to ensure a seamless transfer

This involves submitting a Change of Supplier Request to the appropriate authority, followed by the relevant Distribution System Operator checking that the correct metering is in place.

The date of registration is your supply commencement date after which Electric Ireland becomes your supplier. All new Electric Ireland customers will receive a Welcome Pack.

Billing

Commitment

We promise:

• Electric Ireland bills will be 100% accurate, subject to the accuracy of the metering data received from the relevant meter operator.
• Once Electric Ireland has received your full set of consumption readings from the relevant meter operator, and have received market charges from the Single Electricity Market if appropriate, we will issue your bill within three working days.
• Billing and account enquiries will be acknowledged within one working day at the latest. detailed responses to account and billing enquiries will be provided within five working days in cases where further investigation is required.
• You will be updated on progress on metering enquiries that require information from the relevant authorities.

Flexible billing arrangements are a feature of Electric Ireland's service. To suit your needs, these arrangements can include:

• Calendar month billing
• Fixed-date billing on a specific date each month
• Four-weekly cycle billing
• Consolidated billing for group accounts
• Direct debit, electronic fund transfer
• Online Electronic Billing Information System

Interval customers are billed in line with the availability of the relevant meter readings provided to Electric Ireland by NIE Networks. Where meters cannot be read by NIE Networks, an estimated bill is sent, based on previous consumption. This will be corrected with the next actual reading.

Customer relationships

Commitment

We promise:

• Appointment requests will be acknowledged within one working day at the latest
• We will contact you within three working days to schedule an appointment
• If Electric Ireland has to change an appointment, we will give you at least one working day's notice.

Our relationship with you is very important to us. Every Electric Ireland customer is provided with a dedicated contact telephone number as advertised on your bill. You will receive a quick and effective response to any enquiry. Customer Relationship Managers head an experienced customer care team whose responsibility is to advise on cost effective energy usage, customise the service to suit current and future needs and help create value for your business.

They will introduce you to an extensive range of services and new technologies designed to reduce your electricity costs, including:

• Energy Management Software Package - tailored to your individual needs and designed to help reduce costs.
• Energy Efficiency Audits – these can be carried out on utilities, lighting, production processes and your equipment (motive power) to help you to make energy management decisions
• Power Quality Services - which is the concept of arranging the power supply to sensitive electronic equipment to protect it against power disturbances such as voltage dips, spikes, power outages, harmonics and electrical noise
• Handling Network Problems - Electric Ireland has a comprehensive knowledge of the electricity network systems in NI and has considerable experience in dealing with NIE Networks on a customer's behalf.

Appointments with Customer Relationship Managers can be easily scheduled by telephone or email.

General enquiry responses

Commitment

We promise:

• All telephone calls received at Electric Ireland will be answered in a professional and courteous manner
• All enquiries received via telephone or customerservice@electricireland.com will be acknowledged immediately
• All written enquiries will be acknowledged within one working day
• Enquiries needing further investigation will receive a substantive response within five working days
• Out-of-hours messages will be dealt with the next working day

Most enquiries can be dealt with on the phone. If you telephone us outside our office opening hours please leave a detailed message and you will be contacted the next working day.

General enquiries can be made directly to our Customer Care Teams at 0800 056 9914 or by using the designated telephone number advertised on your bill.

To find out how your business can benefit from Electric Ireland's service you can write to us at our Belfast office or send your enquiry via email to customerservice@electricireland.com

Complaints

Commitment

We promise:

• Complaints will be acknowledged within one working day at the latest.
• Detailed responses to complaints will be provided within ten working days in cases where further investigation is required.

If you have a complaint please do the following:
Contact your Customer Relationship Manager directly
or
Phone our Customer Care Teams
or
Email us directly at customerservice@electricireland.com
or
Write to us at our Belfast office.

Our aim is to resolve your complaint to your complete satisfaction. All customer complaints are escalated to a designated Customer Care Agent who will contact you to discuss the issue further. In instances where further investigation is required, we will issue you with a substantive response within ten working days.

Unresolved Complaints
If you are still unhappy after giving us the opportunity to resolve your complaint you can contact the following:

Northern Ireland - Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.
The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland is an independent body with statutory responsibilities to represent the interests of electricity consumers, including taking up complaints on electricity.

Contacting Electric Ireland Customer Care

Tel: NI 0800 056 9914

Email: customerservice@electricireland.com

Address
Electric Ireland,
1st Floor,
1 Cromac Quay,
The Gasworks,
Belfast BT7 2JB,
Northern Ireland.

Complaints

The Consumer Council
Floor 3
Seatem House
28-32 Alfred Street
BELFAST
BT2 8EN
Complaints line: 0800 121 6022

info@consumercouncil.org.uk
www.consumercouncil.org.uk