Outfox The Market Direct Debit changes

[Deleted User]

Just to let you know, my relationship with OFTM has come to an end, and the switchover to the new company took place on 8th November. I received a couple of notices by email telling me that they had noticed that I had stopped my dd. In the second email they also informed me that my dd had been dropped back to the original amount. I checked on line and found that an accurate bill with the calculations had been made ready for download as I requested, and that I owed them £29.19. I sent them an email thanking them and asked them for a verification by email that this was the final bill, and if so I would phone them asap and pay by debit card. They replied almost immediately that this was the case and offered to phone me up within the next half hour or so, as their line was busy. I accepted this and told them I was available anytime. They also told me that my transfer to the new company had already taken place. I am still awaiting the phone call...but as they are obviously in no hurry, neither am I.:cool:
Thanks to all of you guys on here for your good advice, help and and sharing of your vast knowledge and personal experiences. I found them invaluable in presenting my own case. There were no penalty charges for stopping my dd. It is as well to remember that a dd is a method of payment and not an actual invoice and bill, and therefore not valid in law. And one last bit of food for thought. What is a meter for, but as an accurate record of energy consumed. They are far better and more legal than estimates, and it is always worth while to make sure that you take an accurate reading...and make a record of the time and date. A photo is helpful for the purposes of proof but is not legally neccessary. It is up to the companies involved in the switch to gather their own readings, but that doesn't make the reading lawful either. By the way, I arranged my new switch via MSE. It is a fixed contract with a fixed direct debit though £10 a month more than OFTM. However the hassle is a lot less. So far, I think they are a nice, reasonable company.
Once again, thank you all for your help.I shall now be leaving this forum. I am now going to explore the new world of "smart" meters and how they are all, good for us,:beer:like guinness
ATB,
DOUGIE

dont_use_vistaprint

Biscuit_Tin wrote: »

I'm, not quite sure what to make of your post

There were, of course, quite a few errors in the manner you handled things.

When you agree to pay via DD (which I understand is the only payment method this supplier accepts for their credit metered customers) the supplier is required to provide you with advance notice of any change to the amount, frequency, timing etc of those collections.

That advance notice is provided to allow any challenge to be lodged regarding the change.

This MSE article explains more about complaining about the level of your DD collection and/or reimbursement of any accrued credit

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/

Whilst you say you did challenge the change and you say it was not responded to, it was quite wrong to cancel the DDI entirely on the basis you assumed the higher amount would be collected.

As a result you have now been applied with an additional charge of £25 for failing to pay at least what was previously agreed.

The fact you considered your account was in credit was also no valid basis for you to unilaterally elect to cancel the DDI. That's not what the MSE article advises at all.

What you should have done was waited to see what amount was collected, and if that was wrong in your opinion, requested a full and immediate refund of that amount direct from your bank under the terms of the direct debit guarantee.

Perhaps what I am most confused about though, is that your switch request went ahead despite not only owing a previous month's collection but plus a £25 late payment charge, when others say their switch request is being blocked apparenty due to an account debit balance only, and not having received any demand for that shortfall.

Make of it what you like, it wasn't posted for critique or advice just info. I'm happy with steps I took, and wont be making any further payments to them. What you find in contact law is when a supplier fails to do what they said they would do, keep increasing prices, and dont respond to emails trying to resolve service issues, its considered reasonable to warn them you will stop using their service and stop paying them if they continue and then actually stop using their service and stop paying them.

I was half expecting the switch to be blocked, but having read up I dont think they can unless its a certain amount in debit. Maybe someone can clarify ?

But I diddnt owe a previous month, its paid in advance and the payment I made more than covered my previous months energy use. To clarify, when I said I believed I was in credit that's because I checked my meter and calculated it. They likely owe me around £10 and will claim I owe them £25. I'm happy to write off the £10 just for never having to deal with them again.

Aaron3195

Just got an email from a fischerenergy email address to say my DD will now be £32 per month. Very odd. I signed up at £55 a month in May '18, then last month it was increased to £77 or so as part of their DD changes, which I was okay with as I have a bit of disposable income.

Why the change to £32? This would build up debit gradually and may have to pay a larger bill at the end once its reviewed again.

dont_use_vistaprint

Arefer wrote: »

Hi


Could you please share the email address of Credit Control at Outfox?


Thank you.

Hope its OK to post this

FoxGlove Energy
kapow@outfoxthemarket.co.uk

dprice8893

Despite an email instructing otherwise, my OFTM DD has just been taken from my current account. Interestingly, it was for the same amount as the previous 4 months and hasn't altered following recent emails to the contrary.

I'm almost at my switching date to BG, so may leave well alone.


Has anybody got any idea of the time it takes OFTM to pay back money owed to an ex customer?

wild666

It takes them up to 6 weeks to produce a bill as it goes to an independent firm to verify the readings then they will take any owed on the next payment date. That's what BG did 11 months ago when I left them for this SOS

orangesnaps

We are on a fixed tariff with them but we've got a reply from our complaint that we can change energy providers without being charged the £100 exit fee.

With our experience with Eon, when we switched to OTC, they didn't take the direct debit once the switch was under way. Mind you, we were in debit to them by £200+ but we didn't have any issues with the billing, when the final bill was produced that's when they took out the amount via direct debit and that was it. I am not so sure about OTC as they are all about their own interests and don't really care about their customers from their recent actions.

martyp

I've just had an e-mail telling me my direct debit will be £83.18 from the 12th January, over double the £40.84 I pay each month at the moment.
I thought the DD was increasing this month as per their last communication but I paid £40.84 again.

EAC £612.60
Oct-March £71.47
April-Sept £30.63

22nd November Notification
EAC £490.08
Oct-March £57.17
April-Sept £24.50

My bill for 11th December was £53.46 (Electric and Gas) so that should good indication of my winter usage.
The previous month bills were:
November £41.58
October £32.63


So it must be based on the big price increase in January but hoping my switch will go through as planned on the 25th December (will be a nice present!)

tin

Just some info - may inform someone...



I asked OFTM for a refund of my credit balance on 28/11. I was reasonably happy if I got that back, their new DD should pretty well cover what I will use during winter.


I got a supposedly automated reply 13 days later (!) saying the refunds@ address - the very one they gave in their emails to ask for a refund - is unattended!


I did also chase the refund on 8/12 copying in kapow@ - the address that apparently everything goes to - and the "team" is apparently responding to. 7 days after that, not a peep.



My DD is cancelled. I appreciate some others on here saying that's a bad move, but TBH I don't want any more money leaving the bank to languish in theirs. I did also put them on notice I'd cancel it if they didn't respond. While they may be contractually enabled to take any old figure they like out of the bank regardless of if it's based on reality as long as they inform me in advance, I think that's a pretty screwed up contract and am quite sure any legal proceedings will be in agreement.



One more thing, the bank seems to think the DD was last taken yesterday, 3 days early, although I can't yet see any figure reflecting that in the list of transactions.


Should be interesting......

swindiff

Dear Mr Swindiff
We are writing to advise you that your Direct Debit collections have been cancelled.
To contact us please call on 0800 1032702 or email us at dd@outfoxthemarket.co.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Services Manager
Outfox The Market


I have switched from your company to EDF Energy because of the ridiculous hikes in the DD payments and the appalling customer service (never had a response to any of my emails).! I am no longer an Outfox the Market customer as the switch completed 2 days ago.

My account is in credit to the tune of £43.59 so I did not want you taking another £135 when my monthly billy were less than £80.! Once you have worked out how much I owe for my final closing bill with my credit taken off I will happily pay it over the phone.! Please call me as I have better things to do with my time than sit on the phone for hours on end waiting for it to be answered.
Regards

Can't say I am optimistic of getting any sort of reply.