SCOTTISH Gas has been named and shamed as one of the worst energy companies in Britain for keeping customers on hold.

British Gas, known as Scottish Gas north of the border, typically take 23 minutes and 32 seconds to pick up calls - longer than a typical episode of Coronation Street, minus the advertisement breaks.

It had the second worst record of Britain's biggest energy companies. Only Boost Energy, the pay-as-you-go supplier owned by Ovo Energy, was slower to answer calls, leaving customers waiting for 40 minutes and 58 seconds. That’s longer than the entire first half of a rugby match.

One caller was left waiting for two hours, 39 minutes before their call was answered - the longest single call waiting time.

In a mystery shop investigation by the consumer organisation, Which? some 384 calls were made to 32 energy providers to reveal how long it took for customer service teams to answer. Which? called each provider 12 times at different times of the day and days of the week.

The consumer organisation said that call centres have faced challenges as they adapted to new ways of working due to the pandemic.

However they said at the time of the investigation in September and October, it was clear that while some were coping well, others were "struggling" to provide an acceptable level of customer service.

The consumer organisation said it was more important than ever that companies answer calls and respond to customer queries quickly, and strive to offer customers who may be struggling a good level of customer service.

READ MORE: One in nine Scots say energy bills are unaffordable

Around a third of energy firms kept customers waiting for more than 10 minutes on average before their calls were answered - including three other large energy companies.

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Perth-based SSE typically took nine minutes and 55 seconds to pick up, while Glasgow-based Scottish Power took just two minutes and 28 seconds.

On average, Npower took 21 minutes and 46 seconds to answer calls, while Eon only picked up calls after 19 minutes and 40 seconds. EDF Energy customers were left waiting 13 minutes and 26 seconds on average before their calls were answered.

Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which, said: “We know the pandemic has made things difficult for call centres, but it is unacceptable that some firms are still wasting customers’ time with such long waits, especially at a time when consumers may need additional support from their provider.

“Customer service is an important factor when choosing an energy provider. Those who face lengthy waits just to speak with a customer service adviser should consider moving to a provider that can offer better service - customers could also save hundreds of pounds a year by switching.”

Together Energy, which recently acquired the domestic customer base of Bristol Energy, was the fastest energy provider to pick up calls, with customers left waiting for just 51 seconds on average. British Gas/Scottish Gas said it faced challenges with staff at overseas call centres working home, such as broadband and connectivity issues, and power cuts. It said it is recruiting more staff and supplying home workers with new tech.

A Boost spokesman said: “With our waiting times during the last quarter averaging 8 minutes, we’re disappointed not to meet our usual high standards for our customers. During this period, we had a higher number of customers contacting us to ask for support.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve and have planned for additional resources over winter. We also offer a call-back service that allows customers to receive a call from one of our team, rather than have to wait. To support those who can’t pay their energy bills because of the effects of Coronavirus we also launched a Hardship Scheme.”

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