Outfox the Market reviews: add your feedback

geoffplus

Interesting and prescient quotes from Brad Goodfellow, OFTM's Head of Operations in Utility Week 27 Sep 2018

Challenger brand Outfox the Market – which is on target to reach 100,000 customers – is on Which?’s cheapest tariffs list for August. It insists that sustainable and strategic growth are key to survival. “Our efficiency as a business allows us to provide a cheap but sustainable pricing structure,” the company’s operations director, Brad Goodfellow, says. “We didn’t enter into this with a smash and grab philosophy looking to make a quick profit. We have invested in the right technologies; the best people and decisions are always made with a long-term perspective.”

Outfox the Market is a renewable energy company, which launched in September 2017 with a business model in which members pay wholesale prices for their energy in exchange for a monthly membership fee based on estimated annual consumption. It operates as part of Foxglove Energy Supply, the licensee that includes Fischer Energy, Fischer EV and Eco 7 Energy. Foxglove has a deal with Orsted, which supplies 100 per cent renewable electricity to customers of all four brands.

“Cheap prices aren’t everything,” says Goodfellow. “A mistake some smaller suppliers make is to promote rock bottom prices without having the infrastructure in place to meet the demand. As with all industries, sometimes things go wrong and if you haven’t got the numbers or experience to deal with issues, it doesn’t matter how cheap you are, people will soon get tired of poor service and leave.”

He says one of the main objectives of the supplier is to end hold times. “Our live chat system has an average wait time of 20 seconds and we respond to all emails within two hours.”

Another key to its success, it says, is that it is “upfront with its customers”. “We recently raised our prices, and this has generally been accepted without much complaint. There is no getting away from the increases in wholesale costs and operating at a loss is only going to end one way. You can have millions of customers but if the outcome is going out of business it’s not good for anyone.”

hungryheart

Thanks to everyone for their help and comments. Been with OFTM several months but the alarm bells are ringing.

I have just initiated a switch back via MSE energy club to Green Network Energy with a fixed 12 month tariff, even though it is still telling me OFTM is the cheapest option.

I have two questions running round my head :

Do I cancel my direct debit now so they cant take any more out, or wait until I have a full refund
as I have a credit balance of £140 ??

Why are MSE Energy Club still including Out Fox The Market in their cheapest suppliers list, when they seem to be in total chaos??

Martin must address this on his Tuesday night live show !

joe134

VoucherMan wrote: »

I hope some of these people leaving report back next year to let us know how they got on with their credit balances being refunded. I can't see these jokers being particularly helpful in handing back money, assuming they even last that long.

Could this be the reason why they are increasing DD’s ?

As many as one in ten small energy suppliers face a battle to survive the winter after struggling to pay their green taxes.

“The chief executive of one medium-sized supplier told The Mail on Sunday that he had been approached by seven rivals – out of about 70 which compete with the Big Six – which were looking to offload customers.

He said some had admitted they missed the final October 31 deadline for paying their environmental taxes. This is seen in the industry as a sign that a supplier may be on its last legs.“

thelight

hungryheart wrote: »

Why are MSE Energy Club still including Out Fox The Market in their cheapest suppliers list, when they seem to be in total chaos??

Martin must address this on his Tuesday night live show !

I imagine because they are still one of the cheapest suppliers. Although the prices they have for my tariff are now incorrect. I manually worked out my yearly costs based on the unit prices in my latest bill and they were still £10 cheaper than anyone else who came up

Slickric21

Does anyone with actual knowledge or experience know where I would stand if I cancel my DD with OFTM ?
In terms of does it count as an unpaid debt on my credit file etc etc ??

I’m tempted to also cancel my DD as they want to increase it by over 50% for winter when I am already £209 in credit since May !!
My annual usage is roughly £800 worth and current DD is £65pm.
They want to up it to £99pm.

I have taken photos of my meters and sent them to refunds dept of OFTM as per the email they sent a few days ago.
Both my actual meter readings are slightly lower than what my bills have estimated so I’m reality I could be more than £209 in credit.

Currently I’m fixed into the Whack tariff so have to pay £50 exit fees to leave per fuel.
Wonder if I can use this DD hike somehow to be able to leave with no exit fees ???

System

Slickric21 wrote: »

Currently I’m fixed into the Whack tariff so have to pay £50 exit fees to leave per fuel.
Wonder if I can use this DD hike somehow to be able to leave with no exit fees ???

Sadly not. A direct debit payment is only a payment that you make on account. It does not change the tariff that you agreed with the supplier.

discat11

I'm off too.

We joined after BG changed our DD from £110 to £170 in 3 months this summer, OFTM offered £91 and have recently warned it's going to £160 next month despite being £168 in credit from a BG credit to them.

Unimpressed with small (and possibly unstable?) energy suppliers who all seem to do this 'cheap bait & then ramp it up' sort of energy offer, we've gone fixed at £119 a month with Scottish power.

daveyjp

You only have to look at how Fischer Heat (OTFM is part of them) sell their 'efficient' electric heaters to get an insight into what this company ethics are like.

boliston

daveyjp wrote: »

You only have to look at how Fischer Heat (OTFM is part of them) sell their 'efficient' electric heaters to get an insight into what this company ethics are like.

They are 100% efficient

geoffplus

Due to switch over to OFTM on 20th Nov (was unable to stop it). The original email they sent me clearly said direct debit would be £71 to be taken on 20 Nov. When On 15 Nov I got the email saying direct debit will be £125 (as well as a price increase on original quote I joined for) I cancelled the direct debit and informed them that this was not 10 days notice for the increase.

They agreed, and said first payment on 20 Nov will be the £71 as I was originally informed. So I have authorised them to re implement the direct debit (I figure I have to join so I can leave).

They have not done it yet, and will be interesting to see if they do and what they then take. I will then be trying to switch before they can take £125 - presumably in Dec, but who knows?