Outfox The Market Direct Debit changes

smipsy

i initiated a switch away from Fox on the 12.11. and was fully switched on 4.12. i know they have 8 weeks to produce a final bill, i think? but do the 8 weeks start from when i initiated the switch or from when the switch was complete?

trying to find out when is the latest when i can expect my credit to be refunded

Anthorn

This affair actually has its funny side when we have people who are worrying about slipping further into credit lol

[Deleted User]

smipsy wrote: »

but do the 8 weeks start from when i initiated the switch or from when the switch was complete?

The clock can only start when the switch has completed as up until then there can be no final meter readings. The old supplier is still your supplier and wants to be paid for all the energy that they have supplied to you.
And the final meter readings are needed by both the old supplier and the new supplier so that the consumer doesn't get double billed for energy used.
So it would be impossible for the clock to start before the switch is completed.

As an aside, the losing supplier has 42 days to produce a final bill (6 weeks) but they have a legal get out as they must take "reasonable measures" to do so. So try and legally define the word "reasonable" and you will see that it isn't binding.
Once a final bill has been produced, any credit should be repaid within 10 working days (2 weeks).

smipsy

gsmlnx wrote: »

The clock can only start when the switch has completed as up until then there can be no final meter readings. The old supplier is still your supplier and wants to be paid for all the energy that they have supplied to you.
And the final meter readings are needed by both the old supplier and the new supplier so that the consumer doesn't get double billed for energy used.
So it would be impossible for the clock to start before the switch is completed.

As an aside, the losing supplier has 42 days to produce a final bill (6 weeks) but they have a legal get out as they must take "reasonable measures" to do so. So try and legally define the word "reasonable" and you will see that it isn't binding.
Once a final bill has been produced, any credit should be repaid within 10 working days (2 weeks).

ah, okay, thanks. they're more than paid as i've already been in credit with them, and they took another DD the following month which was twice my usual one, so even if I had the heating on all the time, they had more than enough to pay themselves

so yeah, i'll keep on waiting, thanks!

editor1

@Takmon,

I see you have been visiting the OFTM Consumer Help Group focusing on OFTM, that now has nearly 1,200 members in one full month of operation. Allegedly, you are claiming these Consumers are being rude to OFTM Staff, which is not a fact I'm afraid - they are rude to the owners of OFTM, namely the Bastian Clan who have visited quite a lot of horror on its customer-base since 13 November 2018.

Anyhow, you can't have given the FB Group much of a look, for had you done so you'd note that the Moderators of said OFTM Group specifically make clear that those manning the chat lines have little authority and usually read from a script, as such, its best to keep it polite.

As for your other claims, this smacks in the face of reality, a reality more than 1000 OFTM Customers have shared, namely, a shambolic business unable to cope with a mess it itself has created - I'd take the evidence of 1000 persons anyway over your own experience I'm afraid!

[Deleted User]

smipsy wrote: »

and they took another DD the following month which was twice my usual one, so even if I had the heating on all the time, they had more than enough to pay themselves

If they took a DD after the switch completed then you could always get the bank to return that DD amount. Would be a lot quicker than waiting for OFtM to sort out the bill and refund the money.

Martin100

What I would like to see is that this two tier practice is made illegal. For the quantity of energy we use each month, we give the supplier an accurate reading of what we have used which should equate to an accurate monthly payment. If we consider a phone bill, it changes each month according to number of metered calls etc and they can bill accurately every month, so why cant energy suppliers? The two tier system appears to be a recent introduction and the sooner this practice is stopped the better.

Vortigern

wavelets wrote: »

Oh, if it's on Facebook it must be true :rotfl:

I didn't say 'it must be true'

Facebook is an online discussion forum just like this one, and one soon learns whose posts are to be trusted and whose are not.

However it seems that many members of the FB discussion are driven by a desire to bring down OTM by posting 1-star reviews on Trust Pilot and making accusations of fraud. That aim cannot help those who are stuck with OTM or those, like me, who have switched and are just awaiting a final bill and the refund of a credit balance.

Vortigern

daztraction wrote: »

Has anyone ever had a transfer from OTM recently that has been plain-sailing? I was going to transfer from this lot as I don't think they're the cheapest anymore, but all I read about is OTM reinstating Direct Debits and folk waiting ages to get their final bills.

My switch has been plain sailing so far, with little interaction between me and them.

Maybe I was lucky with the dates of meter readings, bills and direct debits, relative to my switch date.

I am in credit by about £170, I've advised them by email that I intended to cancel the DD (no acknowledgment from them.)

I have cancelled the DD via online banking, and received an automatic "You've cancelled your DD" message from OTM. They have not made any attempt to re-instate the DD, but I'm monitoring my bank account daily.

My OTM meter reading date, statement date and DD date fall within the next few days. I don't intend to give them any further meter reads.

It's too early to complain about the lack of a final bill. They have something like 6-8 weeks to do this.

Anthorn

editor1 wrote: »

@Takmon,

I see you have been visiting the OFTM Consumer Help Group focusing on OFTM, that now has nearly 1,200 members in one full month of operation. Allegedly, you are claiming these Consumers are being rude to OFTM Staff, which is not a fact I'm afraid - they are rude to the owners of OFTM, namely the Bastian Clan who have visited quite a lot of horror on its customer-base since 13 November 2018.

Anyhow, you can't have given the FB Group much of a look, for had you done so you'd note that the Moderators of said OFTM Group specifically make clear that those manning the chat lines have little authority and usually read from a script, as such, its best to keep it polite.

As for your other claims, this smacks in the face of reality, a reality more than 1000 OFTM Customers have shared, namely, a shambolic business unable to cope with a mess it itself has created - I'd take the evidence of 1000 persons anyway over your own experience I'm afraid!

Personally, I think that incitement to post negative reviews as a group could be illegal or at least against the terms of Trustpilot because they are not honest reviews. For example where is the proof that all members of the group are in fact OFTM customers.

But in any event if the group succeeds in its aim to bring down OFTM then the group will cease to exist because there is nothing left for it to do.

But you know, there will always be those who seek to profit out of adversity and the facebook group is just another of them. For the organiser(s) not really much to be proud of and they certainly will not earn much respect as can be seen in this thread.