Consumers witness blame game between suppliers and government

Citizens Advice warns that the blame game between suppliers and government about who is responsible for increasing costs makes it difficult for consumers to understand how they can control their bills.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said:

“Consumers bear witness to a 'price ping-pong' between suppliers and the government as they argue just who is responsible for hiking up costs. This makes it difficult for customers to get to the root of price rises and understand exactly how or indeed whether they can control their bills.

“With the sun shining, paying to keep your house warm won’t be at the forefront of people’s minds at the moment. When the temperatures start to drop the high cost of energy will once again be a big worry for households.  The debate about responsibility for costs, started afresh by npower today, needs to be concluded so there is transparency about the cost of energy bills.”

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Notes to editors:

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .

  2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

  3. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk . You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk

  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers

  5. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014  service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends

  6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.