A ‘specially trained’ Scottish Power agent has been suspended after she inadvertently left a voicemail on a bereaved families phone whilst mocking another grieving customer.
After reviewing the call the company confirmed a full investigation was underway, they also said that agents within their dedicated bereavement team are specially trained.
A family member who released the clip wishes to remain anonymous in order to prevent any further upset, but was shocked at the lack of empathy shown by the customer service representative.
The 40-second clip begins: “Hi, it’s Scottish Power bereavement team at Warrington. I’m sorry I have missed you.
“We do have an inbound number which is 0345 270 0700 should you wish to call to speak to one of my colleagues. Thank you, bye.”
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The call remains active and its clear the agent is unaware as she places her headset on the desk and seconds later begins to mock a previous customer.
“Well that woman wants to complain and everything before. Because I’m grieving you know, I’m grieving.
“Well you know, and I don’t need all this stress.
“Oh but you can make a complaint, because I want compensation, oh you can make a complaint.”
It is understood that both families affected have been identified and contacted by Scottish Power.
Scottish Power have two active review pages on Trustpilot. One was created in 2011 and has had 13,186 reviews with 98% having just one star, and the second launched in 2013 has 58,691 reviews with 23% having just one star, whilst 50% has five stars.
Recent reviews relating to the bereavement team include: “Your dedicated Bereavement line was DISGRACEFUL. Quality, length of time taken, lack of I.T. connection, lack of empathy, understanding of procedures to follow, all needs investigating as a matter of urgency.”
Another customer wrote: “On one occasion, the member of the bereavement team tutted at me as if I were an inconvenience to her day. So much for compassion.”
A spokesperson said: “We sincerely apologise for the upset caused by this experience and the customer service representative has been suspended whilst an investigation takes place.
“We understand bereavement is a very difficult time for loved ones, which is why we have a dedicated bereavement team to support people.
“On this occasion the agent has fallen well below the high standards of customer service we expect and we have reached out to both families to offer our apologies and resolve this swiftly.”
The latest YouGov Ratings show that Scottish Power is the fifth most popular Energy and Utilities supplier, with Octopus Energy, British Gas, Vaillant and EDF Energy leading.
