Complaints against British Gas have more than doubled since it introduced a new billing system last year, the country's energy watchdog said today.
Tens of thousands of customers have sent complaints to Energywatch about disputed bills, call centre delays and poor service when they finally get through.
"Their service has gone from bad to worse," said Adam Scorer from the watchdog. Their inability to deal with customers' problems is inexcusable. "Customers should not be left hanging on the phone or having to explain their circumstances to several different advisers."
Complaints reached 21,427 between October 2006 and March this year, compared with 8,012 in the same period a year before.
In March alone, Energywatch was contacted by a record 14,000 British Gas customers. The company has more than double the number of complaints of all its rivals put together.