Outfox the Market reviews: add your feedback

cbmaxyz

Does the hike in membership fees apply just to electricity or to gas as well?

hemish57

Only one month into a 12 month contract and find that I'll be paying £108 a year more than I expected and had calculated due to membership price hike. I'm a very high user. This is more than I would have paid if I'd stayed with Iresa, but they aren't allowed to take on any more customers and all the prices have gone up in the meantime. Feel as though I've been ripped off, and not massively happy with MSE having recommended this supplier.

olip74

The communication is shocking. It doesn't specify that this is annual kWh usage or that the bands apply only to your electricity usage, however that was what was advised at sign up so I'm assuming that is still the case here?

My fee will be rising by around 80p/month so (just 3kWh off the next band!) so worth sticking around. I'd say people now paying significantly more (larger than inflation rise on your annual projection) are entitled to demand to leave for free or else raise this with Ofgem. We pick fixed tariffs so that we know what we're paying and other sectors (e.g. mobile phones) can't raise prices above inflation without permitting customers to leave. Also OTM positioned themselves as the cheapest on the market so I think Ofgem should take a dim view of this kind of practice.

Not sure if they're just chancers or if they've just realised there are actually a lot more costs involved in running an energy company that they had initially accounted for. It's a poor move regardless.

logie48

The charging strategy (usage band and membership fees, etc) is a big red flag for me. The usage we put in when doing comparisons are purely an estimate, if we go over this then we'll likely get stung.


Plus the £100 exit fee is over excessive. Looks to me like they are enticing you in with the cheaper looking rates, with big fees to pay once you realise you are paying over the odds with usage.


I'd much prefer a flat rate, where there are no surprise costs based on my usage.

Pmarmalade

logie48 wrote: »

The charging strategy (usage band and membership fees, etc) is a big red flag for me. The usage we put in when doing comparisons are purely an estimate, if we go over this then we'll likely get stung.


Plus the £100 exit fee is over excessive. Looks to me like they are enticing you in with the cheaper looking rates, with big fees to pay once you realise you are paying over the odds with usage.


I'd much prefer a flat rate, where there are no surprise costs based on my usage.

On the first point, since it's based on your historical usage - assuming you've been in the same house for at least a couple of years - makes for pretty solid estimates. Even with the colder weather this year, I'm not far off previous years at all. It's not like the incriments are steep, either? You'd have to go widly over your estimates to incur significant additional costs. Admitedly more of a gamble if you've just moved in somewhere new and have no historical records.

On the second point, this is why I went for the non-fixed tarrif, even though I'm usually very much the opposite and like stability (I have a 5-year fixed period mortage, for example), knowing I can benefit from even cheaper rates now and switch to any fixed-rate tarif at any time if a market-wide price hike is predicted.

Jos45640

Outfox the Market have said they will waive exit fees for anyone who gets in touch with them to move before the 1st June. I have left them now and it took 7 weeks to get my final bill and refund (after multiple complaints) but I'm so glad I no longer have to deal with them. As others have said, customer services will tell you what you want to hear, but nothing actually gets done.

olip74

Jos45640 wrote: »

Outfox the Market have said they will waive exit fees for anyone who gets in touch with them to move before the 1st June.

Have you seen that in writing anywhere? Got a link? It's certainly not in the email I received.

FullForce

olip74 wrote: »

Have you seen that in writing anywhere? Got a link? It's certainly not in the email I received.

I don't think Jos45640 would have received any email as he says he left them 7 weeks ago.

Does make you wonder where Jos45640 got that info from though, doesn't it?

Perhaps Jos45640 will come back and post the link?
No spam this time please, Jos45640.

Jos45640

olip74 wrote: »

Have you seen that in writing anywhere? Got a link? It's certainly not in the email I received.

They are saying it in most of their Twitter replies.
I still cant post links, but look on Twitter for their replies. They have clarified it many times to customers.

Jos45640

FullForce wrote: »

I don't think Jos45640 would have received any email as he says he left them 7 weeks ago.

Does make you wonder where Jos45640 got that info from though, doesn't it?

Perhaps Jos45640 will come back and post the link?
No spam this time please, Jos45640.

Why so suspicious? Just passing on useful information to anyone unhappy with OFTM price hike.
For the record, they are still sending me emails.