Sempra Energy Trading comes top in wholesale customer satisfaction survey

Sempra Energy Trading has been ranked the top North American power marketer in terms of customer satisfaction, according to a study conducted by St Joseph, Missouri-based opinion research company Mastio*.

Sempra Energy Trading, a Stamford, Connecticut-based subsidiary of Sempra Energy, took top spot from the power marketing operation of investment bank Morgan Stanley.

Bankrupt energy major Enron, which was still operating as the survey was conducted, ranks eighth. In total, 49 power marketers were ranked, although Mastio has only released details of the top 16 (see table).

Top North American power marketers in Mastio customer satisfaction survey
1. Sempra Energy Trading 2. Morgan Stanley 3. Aquila 4. Reliant Energy 5. Mirant 6. Duke Energy Trading 7. Williams 8. Enron	9. Dynegy 10. PG&E 11. Constellation Energy 12. Exelon Corp 13. AEP 14. CMS Energy 15. El Paso Merchant Energy 16. Calpine Power Services

During the autumn of 2001 Mastio surveyed electricity utilities, power marketers, municipalities, independent power producers, and other power consumers and marketers, representing about 80% of electricity consumed in North America.

The survey rated marketers on attributes including their risk management products and services, quality of relationship and ability to resolve problems, based on their relationship in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Bart Thedinger, senior partner at Mastio, said when the study was released on April 1 that many power marketers treated their customers as “replaceable and nothing special”.

He said power customers can choose from many marketers, and those marketers most focused on customers’ needs were likely to excel.

A spokesman for Sempra Energy says the firm is delighted with the results. He says a focus on customer satisfaction has been a core driver of the firm’s efforts to expand its wholesale energy marketing operations.

The survey is the first of its kind for Mastio, an industrial opinion research firm for the power and natural gas sector in North America.

*2002 power marketers customer satisfaction report, Mastio, www.mastio.com