Independent energy retailer wins People’s Choice Award

8 August 2017

Independent energy retailer wins Consumer NZ People’s Choice award
Flick Electric Co. has topped Consumer NZ’s annual energy retailer customer satisfaction survey and has been named its People’s Choice award winner.

Seventy-one percent of Flick customers were very satisfied with the provider, compared with the industry average of 45 percent.

In comparison, the “big five” power companies – Contact, Genesis, Mercury, Meridian and TrustPower – all scored below 50 percent.

People’s Choice winners are established through analysis of Consumer NZ surveys. This survey was a nationally representative sample of 1437 New Zealanders aged 18 or over. A business must be a standout performer in customer satisfaction to achieve People’s Choice status.

Consumer NZ general manager – business Derek Bonnar said it was clear Flick was keeping its customers happy.

“Flick Electric Co. was a standout performer in our survey and is clearly leading the pack when it comes to customer satisfaction. Our survey showed Flick clearly outranked its bigger competitors. The industry should take note of the poor average of 45 percent and aim to improve,” Mr Bonnar said.

Reflecting on the win, Flick chief executive Steve O’Connor said:

“We are blown away by this award. It’s a real testament to three years of hard graft in a very competitive market and just shows our model of transparency and fairness is working, giving customers an extremely positive experience. We genuinely couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our customers. We are very proud of the fact we have helped save them close to $7 million by giving them the tools to keep tabs on the changing price of electricity.”

Flick’s rates are directly tied to the spot (wholesale) price of power. While the rates can offer savings, customers need to be prepared to weather higher bills when prices spike. Spot prices spiked in June and July due to low lake levels. But Flick customers can leave the retailer without being charged a break fee.

Flick is also Consumer Trusted. This means it has met the requirements of Consumer NZ’s strict code of conduct, which is based on consumer law.

Consumer NZ is an independent, not-for-profit organisation. Winners of Consumer NZ endorsements and awards can license use of the awards for marketing and promotions. All revenue raised from the endorsement programme goes back into the research Consumer NZ does on behalf of all Kiwis.

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