The GDF SUEZ Mediator

The purpose of the GDF SUEZ Mediator is to impartially settle any disputes that cannot be resolved by the GDF SUEZ staff. The Mediator’s actions supplement the actions of customer service, if necessary, as a last out-of-court resort within the company.

On the strength of their proposals, they help to improve the customer relations process, particularly the processing of complaints.

The Mediator acts by delegation from the Office of the Chairman and General Management, and as such is totally independent.

The Role of the GDF SUEZ Mediator

On a last resort out-of-court basis, the GDF SUEZ Mediator studies any and all referrals made to him or her and processes them, depending on the type, after they are handled by the GDF SUEZ staff in charge of complaints management.

After contacting the customer directly and after consulting the pertinent GDF SUEZ staff, the Mediator proposes a customized solution to end the dispute in less than two months (except for complex cases).

The Mediator releases an annual report that describes his or her actions and any resulting improvements in customer relations.

You can now refer to the 2008 Report by the GDF SUEZ Mediator (French version) (pdf - 1.61 MB).

The Environment of the GDF SUEZ Mediator

The European Commission was notified of the GDF SUEZ Mediator when it was updated in November 2006.

The Mediator belongs to the Public Service Mediators’ Club, which plays a key role in France in settling disputes in everyday life relating to mail, gas and electric, taxes, transportation, insurance, television, schools, municipalities, financial products, etc. They share the common practices and values spelled out in the “Charter of Public Service Mediators” published in December of 2004.

After the work of the National Consumers’ Center (Centre National de la Consommation, CNC) on mediation and the publication of its opinion rendered on 27 March 2007, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Employment, the DGCCRF [General Directorate for Fair Trade, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control], the National Consumers’ Institute and national consumers’ associations, a brochure entitled “Have you thought about mediation?” was produced to explain the role of the mediator, the guarantees that mediation can provide and how to refer matters to mediation.

What will the GDF SUEZ Mediator do?

The Mediator studies all last resort out-of-court requests referred to him or her that have already received a written response from the department in charge of complaints.

• If this applies to you, the Mediator will invite you to share: “The eight values of GDF SUEZ Mediation” (French version) (pdf - 120 kB), which specifically include listening, fairness, impartiality and confidentiality. After reviewing your file, the Mediator will propose a customized solution.
• If this does not apply to you, the Mediator will still follow up on your complaint until it is processed. The Mediator will make sure a written reply is provided to you as quickly as possible by the appropriate GDF SUEZ officer, who will receive a copy.

The Mediator guarantees that an appropriate solution will be found for your dispute.