The ENGIE Group’s Mediator’s ecosystem

Customers may apply to the ENGIE Group’s Mediator for a dispute concerning a contract with one of the ENGIE Group subsidiaries for which he has been chosen as mediator.

• The customers concerned may be individuals, companies, local authorities, institutions, public departments, landlords, co-owner associations, etc. Customers play a part in upgrading the mediation processes: through the satisfaction survey sent by ENGIE Group’s Mediation to all the complainants who have been through the mediation process, the comments collected also help to advance the Mediation service.

• Consumer representatives at national level (see partnerships with consumer organisations) : Each consumer organisation is a major interlocutor of the Mediation team, making it possible to challenge the processes and solutions proposed by the Mediator. The Mediator meets them regularly (3 times a year). The link to the minutes of the last meeting is shown below: link. They also make it possible to upgrade mediation processes, as well as ENGIE Group services.

• Energy suppliers (at regulated prices, in market offers) of the ENGIE Group: they participate in the processes implemented in each mediation, and in its success.
  These 2 entities are involved in more than 90% of mediations. The Mediator meets up with them regularly to analyse malfunctions noted and suggest recommendations for progress.

• Energy distributors in France :

  • GRDF which is the main distributor of the natural gas distribution network (for gas contracts concerning ENGIE),
  • ENEDIS, utility company, electricity distribution network operator (for electricity contracts concerning ENGIE).

These two companies are also regularly consulted by the Mediator.

• The (other) subsidiaries in the ENGIE Group, companies in the Group that have chosen the ENGIE Group’s Mediator for all types of energy or services, are also regularly informed about improvements to be made to their sales process in respect of domestic customers.
  The mediation team is also in contact with ENGIE Group entities in Europe, in order to promote local mediation in compliance with the European directive on consumer ADR of 2013.
• Mediators in the field of energy : the ENGIE Group’s Mediation team interacts with the EDF mediation team and the national energy mediation team, to allow, if necessary, appropriate referral of the cases, according to the remit of each mediator.
• “Local” intermediaries who are involved in the mediation process : customers are sometimes represented for mediation of their dispute.
  And the ENGIE Group’s Mediation team favours calling on these local players who support the complainant throughout their dispute, which, in most cases, facilitates its resolution: legal assistance services of insurance or banking groups, lawyers, court conciliators, local government mediators, and local consumer organisations.
• Mediators organisations :
  • The ENGIE Group’s Mediator is, in particular, a member of theClub des Médiateurs de Services au Public (Club of Public Service Mediators). In this capacity, he represents this Club within the Plateforme de la Médiation Française or French Mediation Platform (which is presented in more detail on the page “Associations with other Mediators”), in particular for the preparation of the “Reference system for quality mediation”.
  • He is also a member of the European Energy Mediators Group, a structure that represents so-called “business” mediation within the European institutions.
  • He is also a member of the European Energy Mediators Group, a structure that represents so-called “business” mediation within the European institutions.
• Law schools : The ENGIE Group’s Mediator is involved in the teaching of Master 2 law students in various universities, at their request.
• The consumer mediation control and evaluation body and the DGCCRF (French directorate general for competition, consumer issues and the prevention of fraud) :
  This is the body created by the French Consumer Code, whose secretariat is provided by the DGCCRF, which has evaluated and accredited the Mediation of the ENGIE group, and now oversees it.
• The Directorates of the European Commission and other European groups : the ENGIE Group’s Mediation team is also in contact with European Union bodies to promote effective local mediation, and also participates in consultations on consumer rights, as well as developments in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, etc. (DG Energy, Citizen Energy Forum, CEER, BEUC, etc.).
• The European Consumer Centre (CEC) :
  The ENGIE Group’s Mediation team received 2 cases from the CEC in 2017, regarding the processing of cross-border cases. It also receives cases directly through the online form of the English version of the ENGIE Group’s Mediator’s website.
• The partner businesses with which he works :
  • Training organisations such as the KPAM,
  • An adapted business which digitises all letters and documents sent to the Mediator.

The Mediator participates in the development of mediation in France, in Europe and in the rest of the world.

At the time of his appointment, in July 2014, and then his accreditation obtained in February 2016, the Mediator defined a development plan for recourse to the amicable resolution of disputes, in particular through ENGIE Group’s Mediation, within all subsidiaries and divisions.

He prioritised his action as follows :

• Companies with domestic customers in France :

  As part of the transposition of the ADR Directive into French law (order of 20 August 2015), all of its subsidiaries and divisions with domestic customers must comply scrupulously with the requirements of the Order: inform their customers of the existence of their complaints handling process and their Mediator. Most of them have chosen the ENGIE Group’s Mediator. Others have chosen another approved mediator in line with their business activities. All entities had to comply with the Order by 1 January 2016, unless they intervene in a sector of activity that has not yet seen the establishment of its Consumption Mediator.

• Companies with domestic customers in Europe :

  For the same reasons as for France, the ENGIE Group wants its subsidiaries to comply with the ADR Directive and its local transposition in all countries where it operates: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Romania. For most of these subsidiaries, the ENGIE Group’s Mediator provides functional support to senior executives in setting up an amicable dispute resolution process (especially where local law provides for several possible alternatives).

  Other companies in France (those with B2B customers: businesses, local authorities, public departments, etc.): the ENGIE Group is convinced that amicable settlement is an excellent manner of resolving a dispute. This is why the Mediator promotes the possibility of using mediation with all entity directors to help them transform their methods and choose a mediation system; in the majority of cases, Group companies choose the ENGIE Group’s Mediator. The ENGIE Group’s Mediation is also mentioned in the ENGIE Group’s General Terms of Purchase.

• Other companies in Europe and in the rest of the world :

  The Mediator also offers functional support to the managers of these companies in the establishment and development of the handling of amicable dispute resolution along with the proposal and assists with systematic recourse to justice where there has been a breakdown in the direct amicable negotiation between the company and its customer/supplier. In most cases, it is not the place of the ENGIE Group’s Mediator to mediate directly in such areas; local mediators should be preferred, and on a case-by-case basis he can provide functional support.