Active complainers throughout London were awarded over £1.3 million in compensation last year by the Ombudsman services.

Consumers in Richmond were awarded a total of £16,974 from the organisation which handles energy and communications complaints that have been on-going for at least eight weeks.

According to research 132 complaints were made last year from residents in the borough, which was the fourth lowest throughout the capital.

Lewis Shand Smith, chief Ombudsman at Ombudsman services, said: “It’s important that residents in the London know their consumer rights and don’t put up with bad service.

“Complaining should be an easy, hassle-free experience – if you’re still in a dispute with an energy or communications company after eight weeks, Ombudsman Services can look into the case for free and provide a resolution – it could be worth your while.”

Figures have suggested that throughout the city residents claimed an average of £141 each from 7,962 complaints about energy and communications which could be the tip of the iceberg 55 per cent of residents experienced an energy or communications issue but didn’t complain.

Further research suggests the total amount of complaints about all products and services last year could be as high as 7.9 million, but consumers still experienced more than 9.7 million issues that they ignored.

Ombudsmen are providers of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and review both sides of a case before passing down a legally binding remedy, which is designed to put a problem right.

Many people miss out on fixing a problem or getting financial compensation, as they aren’t aware that free help, such as this, is available.