Complaints handling policy

Openlight Ltd (“Openlight”, “we”, “us”) is an energy broker (third-party intermediary) helping business customers arrange gas and electricity contracts. We aim to get things right first time, but if we fall short we want to hear about it, put it right quickly, and learn from it.

This policy explains how any customer — or anyone affected by our services — can raise a complaint, how we will handle it, and how it can be taken to an independent ombudsman if we cannot resolve it. It applies to all Openlight staff and to anyone acting on our behalf. Complaints are handled free of charge, and making a complaint will never affect the service you receive from us.

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, made by or on behalf of a customer, where a response or resolution is expected — whether it is made by email, letter or in person. You do not need to use the word “complaint” for us to treat it as one.

You can complain in whichever way suits you best.

Email

complaints@openlightenergy.co.uk

Post

Complaints, Openlight Ltd, 124-128 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX

To help us resolve things quickly, please include your business name, the best way to contact you, what has gone wrong, and what you would like us to do to put it right. If you need support making a complaint, or would like someone to act on your behalf, we will accommodate this wherever we can.

Acknowledgement. We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it and tell you who is handling it.

Investigation. The complaint will be investigated by a member of staff with the authority to resolve it — where practical, someone not directly involved in the matter. We will review our records and correspondence where relevant, and may contact you or your supplier for further information.

Resolution. We aim to resolve most complaints within 10 working days. If it takes longer, we will keep you regularly updated on progress and expected timescales.

Final response. Our final response will explain the outcome of our investigation, any remedy we are offering — which may include an apology, corrective action, a goodwill gesture or compensation — and your right to independent review. If we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, or we reach a point where we cannot agree a resolution, we will issue a deadlock letter confirming your right to refer the matter to the ombudsman.

Openlight is currently applying for membership of a qualifying Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. Once membership is confirmed, eligible customers will be able to refer an unresolved complaint to that scheme free of charge if either 8 weeks have passed since they first complained to us, or we have issued a deadlock letter. We will update this policy with the scheme’s name, contact details and our membership number as soon as this is in place.

ADR schemes are independent and impartial. Their decisions are binding on us but not on you, and remedies can include an apology, practical action to put things right and financial awards.

Your business will be eligible if it meets any of the following: fewer than 50 employees (and annual turnover of £6.5 million or less, or a balance sheet total of £5 million or less); annual electricity consumption of no more than 200,000 kWh; or annual gas consumption of no more than 500,000 kWh. If you are not sure whether you qualify, contact us and we will help you check.

If your complaint is about your energy supplier rather than about Openlight — for example billing, metering or supply issues — it should be raised with the supplier under its own complaints process. We will help you identify the right route and, where you wish, support you in pursuing the complaint. Where a complaint involves both Openlight and a supplier, we will handle our part under this policy and cooperate with the supplier on the rest.

We keep a record of every complaint we receive, the steps taken to investigate it and its outcome. Records are retained in line with our data retention obligations and are available to the ombudsman and to Ofgem on request. Senior management reviews complaint volumes, root causes and outcomes regularly, and we use what we learn to improve our sales practices, training and service.

• Every complaint is logged on receipt, with the date, the route it arrived by and who is handling it.
• Investigation steps and the final response are recorded against the same case.
• Outcomes and root causes are reviewed by senior management.