Outfox the Market reviews: add your feedback

Nick_C

My Fix'd 20 4.0 tariff ends in two weeks time.  I'm currently paying £785 a year.
OTM haven't contacted me about the tariff ending, but I had a reminder from MSE CEC.

Cheapest advertised tariff from OTM is Fix'd 21 2.0 which would cost £999 a year.

I emailed OTM on Tuesday to check what the cheapest tariff is, and they offered me Fix'd 20 20.0 which comes out at £900 a year.  That is cheaper than anyone else, so I will be staying with them.  

Anyone in a similar position, don't just accept the advertised quotes.  See if they can offer you something better.

Incidentally, both MSE CEC and Switch With Which both came up with a tariff from London Power, even though I don't live in London and they cannot supply me.

Purdi_Thorp_Arch

Nick_C said:

Cheapest advertised tariff from OTM is Fix'd 21 2.0 which would cost £999 a year.
I emailed OTM on Tuesday to check what the cheapest tariff is, and they offered me Fix'd 20 20.0 which comes out at £900 a year.  That is cheaper than anyone else, so I will be staying with them.  

If it's the cheapest then go for it.
Are the DSC's fixed?
I didn't notice if they were variable, like the failed Membership system that wasn't fixed.

Nick_C

Purdi_Thorp_Arch said:

Are the DSC's fixed?
I didn't notice if they were variable, like the failed Membership system that wasn't fixed.

DSC - Daily Standing Charge?  Yes, fixed.

And there is no penalty fee for leaving during the 12 months of the fix, so I'm free to change tariffs or suppliers if I find something cheaper.

bristolleedsfan

https://www.cityam.com/octopus-outfoxed-challenger-brand-tops-which-energy-survey/

"Outfox the Market, which was only founded in 2017, rose from 19th in the table last year to top the rankings in Which’s energy satisfaction survey."

Joe9090

bristolleedsfan said:

https://www.cityam.com/octopus-outfoxed-challenger-brand-tops-which-energy-survey/

"Outfox the Market, which was only founded in 2017, rose from 19th in the table last year to top the rankings in Which’s energy satisfaction survey."

'Outfox the Market, which was only founded in 2017, rose from 19th in the table last year to top the rankings in Which’s energy satisfaction survey.

The small energy provider frequently offers some of the cheapest deals on the market and received a customer score of 82 per cent, with five-star ratings for billing accuracy and value for money.

It had the highest proportion of customers – 93 per cent – that experienced no issues in the last 12 months.'

I wonder why it's gone very quiet since this was posted?  

UnclaimedEnergy

"Despite topping our table, we couldn't make it a Which? Recommended Provider because it didn't respond fully to our procedures questions and had to be ordered to make a payment for the feed-in tariff scheme by energy regulator Ofgem." -  https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/energy-companies/article/energy-company-reviews/outfox-the-market-acH9h4U4Etq7 

Not responding fully to procedures questions is a bit worrying as, if they knew all of their procedures and had nothing to hide, then they shouldn't have had any reason not to fully respond.

It seems that the majority of the customers are very happy with the price and service they're receiving, it just sounds like you really don't wanna be the 7%.

Purdi_Thorp_Arch

ben501

following investigation Facebook ruled that they complied with their guidelines.

As the founder of the OutFox The Market Escapees' group

Fb only took action against the group, once.
However the post had already been deleted, before I could see it.
The issue was dealt with privately with the group.
On reporting posts that contained far more "Hurt Feeling" which FB found nothing wrong with them.
I checked all the posts & comments to the group as members posts did NOT need approval.
This setting was changed whilst I was unable to log on due to 'Identity' problems. Ask FB if you can.
Do you know anything I don't.?

sofiejones

OTM are now stating in TrustPilot replies that during the winter months they expect customers to leave a credit on their account equivalent to two and a half times their monthly direct debit. This is not stated anywhere in their T's & C's. However one thing that is is this: 

12.2.4 If you are refunded too much, you must repay the overpayment to Outfox The Market immediately

However this doesn't seem to apply to customer refunds.

Nick_C

sofiejones said:

OTM are now stating in TrustPilot replies that during the winter months they expect customers to leave a credit on their account equivalent to two and a half times their monthly direct debit. This is not stated anywhere in their T's & C's. However one thing that is is this: 

12.2.4 If you are refunded too much, you must repay the overpayment to Outfox The Market immediately

However this doesn't seem to apply to customer refunds.

The recent replies from OTM on Trust Pilot actually say;

"we aim to retain a sufficient amount of credit on your account during the darker and colder months of the year (October - March). As your usage will naturally increase during these months, we need to ensure that your account does not fall into a high debit balance. By keeping a sufficient amount of credit that you have built up in the summer, this allows us to use the credit to pay for the increased usage.

Following on from this, if your account remains in credit of more than one months Direct Debit in March (where it starts to get warmer and the days become longer) we will of course refund the overpayments back to you."

And that is very sensible.

OTM say you need to always have one month's credit on your account.

For a normal user, you will need to have a credit of around two and a half times your monthly DD at the start of the winter, in order to be in that position in March.  At the begining of October my account was in credit to the tune of 2.7 * my monthly DD.  It is currently in credit by 1.5 * my DD.  I pay the same amount each month, and my annual payments match my usage.

Most people have a regular monthly income, and find it helpful to pay the same amount every month for their gas and electricity.

My monthly usage can be as low as £40 in the summer, and as high as £115 in the winter, but I pay £65 every month throughout the year.    Some people would find themselves in difficulty if they didn't have sufficient credit on their account to have to pay a heavy winter bill.

Of course, people who prefer not to manage their fuel bills this way have alternatives.  You can still find suppliers who will bill you quarterly in arrears if you have a good credit record.  But they will be a lot more expensive then OTM!

When I read some of the stories on here of people struggling with debt, I think the way OTM and many other companies manage their accounts is very sensible.  It helps the customer.  It helps the supplier.  And it helps to keep costs down, allowing OTM to be one of the cheapest suppliers on the marker.

I am a genuine customer of OTM and a long established member of the MSE Forums, unlike so many who come to this thread purely to smear a company against who they have a grudge.

sofiejones

@ Nick_C  If you'd have continued reading you'd have seen this:

Reply from Outfox the Market

3 days ago

Hi Robyn,

Thank you for your review.

We're sorry to hear that the refund was not requested back in November 2020. We will certainly look into this shortfall and make sure that we do better.

In regards to your refund - we do issue a refund in Winter however, we do leave behind 2 1/2 months worth of credit during the winter months. This is to ensure that your account does not fall into a debit balance during the darker and colder months where your usage would naturally increase. If your credit balance is less than 2 1/2 months then we would advise that you keep the remaining balance until March (when the days start becoming longer and warmer).

Kind regards,

Team OTM