The major French utilities Electricité de France and Gaz de France are expected to retain a considerable edge in terms of cost over newcomers into the French market in the foreseeable future according to a survey by Datamonitor of major energy users. The report, Best practice in customer service in France suggests that new entrants need to switch their promotional focus away from cost and towards factors such as quality of service if they are to gain new customers.
An earlier Datamonitor survey suggested that SNET, the Charbonnage de Francesubsidiary, had the most satisfied customers. Accurate billing was considered the most important aspect.