Outfox The Market Direct Debit changes

System

Scatty wrote: »

That's my next job - inform them of leaving and asking if I can have my credit back pretty sharpish.......then it is going straight onto the new provider.

There is no need to inform your present supplier that you are leaving: the transfer of supply and all associated industry flows are managed by the gaining supplier. Under EU Law, and the terms of its Supply Licence, the losing supplier has up to 6 weeks from the date of transfer(note this can be up to 35 days after you apply to switch) to raise a Final Bill. Any refund will then follow. Clearly, if you do switch, then you will need to look very carefully at the terms and conditions of your chosen supplier. Many now ask for payment in advance of supply and INSIST that there is sufficient credit in the account to cover the following month's energy charges.

In sum, it is perhaps worth putting your annoyance at OFTM to one side, and thinking through whether switching so late in the season (ie; with Winter coming up) might result in greater short term financial pain? Just a thought.

[Deleted User]

Hi Ben 501,
Tx for the info...:-)).
Most good companies support DD's because it helps to spread out the payments, making it easier for both customer and company alike to save on costs, and not waste staff time on calculating the cost. However, computers handled by a skilled operator and accountant can do that these days in a few hours.


I note that OFFGEM says that one should receive 30 days notice of any changes to contract conditions, that is a recommendation, and not a legally binding rule or condition, so any company can change the amount and frequency of the direct debit, whenever it likes, and does NOT have to give any notice at all. The likelyhood of that happening is very small. Personally, it has never bothered me whether I pay my energy bill monthly and for what it costs, but the annual set up was very helpful for people on a fixed income. It allows one to budget monthly with some accuracy. As people on low incomes will tell you, the worst curse of all, is not knowing how much income or expenditure one is going to have in any given period. That is why many people choose a system where they get certainty even if it costs a little more.



I am beginning to think that this company is one of those companies which takes its business model from Ryan Air, the low cost budget airline. You know, a never ending story of how to maximising income from their travellers, where it gets to the point that even if one goes to Ryan Air's head office and offers to pay for the lowest budget flight...it isn't allowed.


I can see a situation where other similar companies in the energy distribution industry might carry out this practice, if OFTM gets away with it, so the whole energy market could suffer from such practices. And that could be a problem for many people. Do we do adopt the same practices with other public utilities, such as water, or the telephone, or tv licences, road tax, council tax...or car insurance, house insurance etc.

Direct Debits are a mixed blessing, yearly fixed contracts paid on a regular monthly basis are an efficient way of doing things, which, if worked properly are good for both parties; but if we start to introduce differentials, then direct debits will fall out of favour. I don't think the banks or the community is going to support that.

Just a few thoughts....:-)).

orangesnaps

MadMat wrote: »

I've been looking through my old bills with OFM, I went 3 months without sending a meter reading in, and the estimate they came up with was so high that on the 4th month when I did remember to get the reading in on time I actually used a negative amount of gas . . . . . . . . .

With meter readings, they haven't made it clear to their customers that they must take the meter reading on the last day of their billing cycle & send it on the same day so that they can get an accurate bill, otherwise a day early or a day short, customers will get an estimated bill. Contrary to what the welcome pack states that it needs meter readings to be submitted 48hours before the billing date to ensure an accurate bill.

For ours, our billing cycle is 23rd -22nd of the month, so I take & send our meter readings on the 22nd.
I learned about it when we got our third bill and they used an estimate even though I regularly submitted monthly meter readings on the hero hub.
We got a £1.06 gas bill in August as their estimates was way over because they didn't accept my meter reading as it was a day early.

orangesnaps

I see myself as tech savvy but I am stumped as to how this can happened but aware that it is possible.
I have just check the welcome pack file that was sent to me when we switch to this sorry excuse of a company & they have changed the membership fee from £13.99 to £14.79. I have bills from June to October showing the agreed membership fee of £13.99 and no information that they are upping the membership fee at all. I wouldn't have known if I didn't check the welcome pack.
Time to say bye bye this company and I would be very wary of small energy companies now.

merchcon55

[QUOTE=Hengus;75068450
In sum, it is perhaps worth putting your annoyance at OFTM to one side, and thinking through whether switching so late in the season (ie; with Winter coming up) might result in greater short term financial pain? Just a thought.[/QUOTE]

EXCELLENT ADVICE - many of the smaller suppliers not only ask for one month in advance, but if you join during the winter months ask for LARGER Direct Debit payments for the November - March period.

Pete99

I much preferred paying when the bill came in, but DD works OK as long as the amounts are the same, I don't think that anyone would be upset about an increase of around a tenner, but there doesn't seem to be any limit as to the amount they can take as long as they give 10 days notice and there's no way to to stop them taking it either, almost doubling what they take for no good reason is just not on.

Barneybear1

Thank you Ben501 for showing the letter from ofgem, I wish to raise a formal complaint but Foxglove Energy Supply Ltd only form of contact is an address. Would be nice to have a recorded log of the complaint by using email

orangesnaps

For those on a fixed tariff and was told that there will be no exit fees. That is a lie! I have just spoken to Justyna one of their customer reps through their chat service, he/she told me last week that there is no exit fees if I wanted to leave. I asked her for assurance again today & made it clear that I am on a fixed tariff and he/she apologised & said that there is £100 exit fee.

Merlin139

Barneybear1 wrote: »

Thank you Ben501 for showing the letter from ofgem, I wish to raise a formal complaint but Foxglove Energy Supply Ltd only form of contact is an address. Would be nice to have a recorded log of the complaint by using email

Email us at complaints@foxglove.energy make sure you include your full customer details, and Outfox the Market account number so we know who you are.

If you do complain say the only resolution you will accept is for your DD to stay the same over the 12 months. Always reply back to any E-mails straight away because they put a line in saying if they do not hear back in 7 days they will take the complaint as resolved and you will have to start again.

Merlin139

orangesnaps wrote: »

For those on a fixed tariff and was told that there will be no exit fees. That is a lie! I have just spoken to Justyna one of their customer reps through their chat service, he/she told me last week that there is no exit fees if I wanted to leave. I asked her for assurance again today & made it clear that I am on a fixed tariff and he/she apologised & said that there is £100 exit fee.

They put it in writing for me on 15/11/18 in a webchat. If its good enough for one then its good enough for everyone!


I have the transcript of the webchat in an E-mail sent from:

noreply@PureChat.com at 10:19 11/15/2018