Add your feedback on energy supplier Tonik

dosh37

I've been with Tonik for about a year.

I had not experienced any issues until recently when I emailed them to ask about switching from my existing 'Go Green' (18months) v2 tariff to the cheaper 'Green Super Power' (1 Year) v3. According to MSE that should save me about £137 / year.

The existing 18month tariff does not finish until October 2020 but as there are no exit fees, I don't see why I can't switch to a different tariff with the same provider without waiting.

I've tried to email them twice in the last 6 weeks but have received no response.

Hence I'm now looking to switch to a different provider.

I may go back to using Octopus as they have no exit fees and will save £63 / year. I found Octopus customer service & website to be pretty good.

Preston_B

dosh37, I've been a Tonik customer for three years and they have had billing issues earlier this year and just like you I had no response to an email.
I am also about to switch to Octopus, never been with them before but they seem to get good feedback. 
I'm thinking it maybe worth a little bit extra for the customer service, plus Tonik now seem to be introducing exit fees to their tariffs which is something they never use to do. Who'd want to be stuck with their poor customer service and not being able to switch penalty free.

Telegraph_Sam

To those who have had their money "frozen" by Tonik I could suggest that an approach to the relevant Trading Standards people https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/tradingstandards
would be a logical step. Also I had some helpful contact in the past with an investigation dept within the Citizens Advice Bureau which at the time freed up communications somewhat.

Ken68

Same here Dosh.   N0 reply to me email asking to move to the Super Power tariff, so have am going to Eon which is the same cost.

Telegraph_Sam

Citizens Advice Extra Help Unit, 0800 458 2245  complaints@ehu.org.uk  according to my records

BarneyL

I left Tonik two years ago.
Yesterday I discovered they have referred me to a debt collection agency for an "unpaid" £90 debt.
They did not contact me, they have not explained what the debt is for, they themselves closed my direct debit with them after I transferred to another provider. I'm still trying to get an explanation from them.

dosh37

Preston_B said:

dosh37, I've been a Tonik customer for three years and they are terrible this year with billing issues and just like you I have waited in vain for an email response.
I am also about to switch to Octopus, never been with them before but they seem to get good feedback. 
I'm thinking it maybe worth a little bit extra for the customer service, plus Tonik now seem to be introducing exit fees to their tariffs which is something they never use to do. Who'd want to be stuck with their poor customer service and not being able to switch penalty free.

Yes - for me, the customer service aspect is very important.

So many companies these days save costs by using 'automated customer service' systems. They no longer employ trained customer service staff who can sort out problems over the phone or email.

I've just triggered the switch from Tonik back to Octopus. Octopus may not be quite as cheap as some companies like Avro etc but at least from my previous experience they provide a decent customer service.

dosh37

dosh37 said:

Preston_B said:

dosh37, I've been a Tonik customer for three years and they are terrible this year with billing issues and just like you I have waited in vain for an email response.
I am also about to switch to Octopus, never been with them before but they seem to get good feedback. 
I'm thinking it maybe worth a little bit extra for the customer service, plus Tonik now seem to be introducing exit fees to their tariffs which is something they never use to do. Who'd want to be stuck with their poor customer service and not being able to switch penalty free.

Yes - for me, the customer service aspect is very important.

So many companies these days save costs by using 'automated customer service' systems. They no longer employ trained customer service staff who can sort out problems over the phone or email.

I've just triggered the switch from Tonik back to Octopus. Octopus may not be quite as cheap as some companies like Avro etc but at least from my previous experience they provide a decent customer service.

I don't understand why Tonik get a 3.7 MSE Customer Service score when they don't even respond to emails and have received a lot of complaints on the MSE forum. How are these scores calculated?

dosh37

Ken68 said:

Same here Dosh.   N0 reply to me email asking to move to the Super Power tariff, so have am going to Eon which is the same cost.

I found Eon to be ok in the past - good website and customer service.

The only downside is the £60 early exit fee.

Energy prices are relatively low right now (cheap oil etc) so a longer fix might be a good option.

dosh37

dosh37 said:

Ken68 said:

Same here Dosh.   N0 reply to me email asking to move to the Super Power tariff, so have am going to Eon which is the same cost.

I found Eon to be ok in the past - good website and customer service.

The only downside is the £60 early exit fee.

Energy prices are relatively low right now (cheap oil etc) so a longer fix might be a good option.

It's strange that Eon only get 3.1 for customer service compared with 3.7 for Tonik. I don't believe the MSE figures.