Energy firms criticised in poll

Retail goods such as televisions and DVDs were greeted with the most confidence in the poll.

"The great news from our survey is that many Christmas presents people will be buying this year, from the latest electronics to perfume, continue to give a warm glow. But energy is the worst rated sector, for the second time in a row," said Prashant Vaze, chief economist at Consumer Focus.

Negative perceptions

Mortgages and personal banking services also featured in the 10 areas that met with the least consumer confidence.

The watchdog said that the results of the poll, which surveyed 5,862 people in March and April, could have reflected the state of the economy.

Negative public perceptions over issues surrounding energy prices, bank bail-outs and falling pension pot values might also have affected consumer confidence, it said.

In general, the poll found that areas which performed badly included:

• Markets that led to "stress or pain" rather than "pleasure" markets, such as having to call a service for help when something goes wrong

• Areas where contact with operators was less frequent

• Complex industries where consumers had a limited knowledge or understanding of the market. Some 30% of those asked in the survey had made a complaint in the last year, with people aged in the 16 to 34 age bracket more likely to complain than the over-65s.

However, the poll was criticised by Energy UK, which represents gas and electricity suppliers.

"The Consumer Focus survey does not compare like with like. Having gas and electricity supplied to your home is not comparable to buying books, DVDs and video games online," said Christine McGourty of Energy UK.

"It is hardly surprising that buying TVs and DVDs come off better than paying for an essential service like energy. Shoppers get some pleasure out of choosing and playing DVDs but not necessarily from buying the electricity that powers them.

"Energy suppliers will be working with Consumer Focus to develop a more meaningful way of assessing customer satisfaction."

Source www.bbc.co.uk

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