Outfox The Market Direct Debit changes

Wheres_My_Cashback

Thank you for your email.

This is a change of the Direct Debit details and the calculations are slightly incorrect.
We are obligated to set up a Direct Debit according to customers consumption and therefore the Direct Debit will be adjusted is over estimated/ under estimated.
However we must notify you that all customers will be receiving a new notification shortly with revised figures, as there was an error in the initial calculations. The new figures should be more in line with what you are expecting according to your annual consumption and therefore should provide adequate resolution to your complaint.
We will leave your complaint open for 7 days for you to inform us if you are unsatisfied, after this time we will close it as resolved.

Followed a few hours later by.....

Following customer feedback regarding their annual cost figures, we have conducted a review of every customer account and have made some revisions to the Direct Debit figures previously sent.

These changes still reflect our new seasonal Direct Debit model with a 70/30 split between the two periods of the year.

We have admittedly made mistakes in communicating this new policy to our customers and for this we unreservedly apologise.

The good news is your annual energy costs should not be affected, and your revised Direct Debit payments are detailed in the table below.



Estimated Annual Cost
October to March Monthly Direct Debit
April to September Monthly Direct Debit

Previous Notification
£695.85
£81.18
£34.79

22nd November Notification
£556.68
£64.94
£27.83

So now my annual cost with the latest DD is in line with expected annual costs which is more like it. Previous DD was £47pm
Personally I'm not too fussed at the 70/30 split as it's not costing me more overall.

I'll now drop my complaint.

Steve456

As far as I am concerned, I would no longer trust these clowns than I would the people from "Windows Technical Support" who, very kindly, keep trying to let me allow them remote access to my computer in order to resolve a problem with an "infection".

You may well be happy with the numbers now, but what will happen over the next few months or even weeks? Aside from them going out of business due to customers falling over themselves to leave.

welwynrose

I’m going to look at changing they want to increase my DD to over £300 a month yet I’m over £700 in credit with them I give them meter readings every month and to be honest our consumption is fairly steady all year round so I have no idea where they are getting their figures from

alittleowl

Steve456 wrote: »

As far as I am concerned, I would no longer trust these clowns than I would the people from "Windows Technical Support" who, very kindly, keep trying to let me allow them remote access to my computer in order to resolve a problem with an "infection".

You may well be happy with the numbers now, but what will happen over the next few months or even weeks? Aside from them going out of business due to customers falling over themselves to leave.

I'm with you on this: it rings even more alarm bells that they now appear to be going back on their claim last week that they needed the extra money to pay for the costs of the fuel over winter. Either:

1. They really are desperately short of cash: without these price rises the business will no longer be viable so they'll have introduce them bit by bit over the winter and then refuse to put the DDs back down in April, assuming they're still in business, or
2. Whoever did the back of a fag packet calculation that led to their attempted price rises last week got it seriously wrong - maybe they put a decimal point in the wrong place and didn't check their calculations, or
3. They were just attempting to scam their customer base out of several million quid just before Christmas.

None of which inspire trust. "We've listened to our customers," er, okay, that's very nice, but do you need the money or don't you? They've fallen well below clowns or cowboys in my estimation and are somewhere between completely incompetent and outright fraudsters.

Norman_Castle

Anyone else been asked to send a photograph of their meter?


Meter Readings
To ensure your payments match your consumption we need your help. Please provide us with a photo of your latest meter readings and send them to [EMAIL="MR@outfoxthemarket.co.uk?Subject=Meter%20Read%20Enquiry"]MR@outfoxthemarket.co.uk[/EMAIL]

orangesnaps

Princeofstrikers wrote: »

This just gets more bizarre. Still no response to my email with pictures but a new email saying they've recalculated... except they haven't!
Top line has figures I've never seen before and 2nd line is exactly the same DD proposals as before.
Sorry but that's incompetence.

Same thing that's happened to me.

The good news is your annual energy costs should not be affected, and your revised Direct Debit payments are detailed in the table below.


Estimated Annual Cost
October to March Monthly Direct Debit
April to September Monthly Direct Debit
Previous Notification
£1,503.15

£175.37

£75.16

22nd November Notification
£1,202.52

£140.29

£60.12

Sustainable low prices
Introducing a winter uplift is a sustainable solution in ensuring our unit prices stay as low as they currently are and, ultimately, Outfox the Market remaining as one of the cheapest suppliers in the UK.

These changes mean no more debits in the winter and no large credits in the summer.

Your new payments will come into effect from your next Direct Debit date.

Meter Readings

To ensure your payments match your consumption we need your help. Please provide us with a photo of your latest meter readings and send them to MR@outfoxthemarket.co.uk

Refunds

For customers with accounts in credit please get in touch. Customers can either keep this credit on their account and see a reduction in the winter uplift payments or request a refund. Please email refunds@outfoxthemarket.co.uk with a photograph of an up-to-date meter reading.

Once again, we are sorry for any inconvenience and we thank you for your valued custom.

Your sincerely

Team OTM



still the same figure, from £100.21 to £140.29, I haven't seen that £175.37 figure until now.
What absolute morons.

And they replied to my complaint:

"I understand that our credit control department has issued you with a refund and as such may I request that you confirm your closure of this complaint on this basis.



Many thanks.



If I don’t hear from you within 7 days it will be closed down as resolved.



Kind regards,



Customer Complaints"

They didn't actually address the points which I've raised which were, how they got to those figures, give the refund on the account & not a partial one or leave the direct debit amount as it is given that the account is significantly in credit, what was the basis of increasing the membership fee & how it got to that amount.
If they cannot show those information to let us leave penalty free as they have changed their terms & conditions & we haven't agreed to it.

Terry_Towelling

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Anyone else been asked to send a photograph of their meter?

Meter Readings
To ensure your payments match your consumption we need your help. Please provide us with a photo of your latest meter readings and send them to [EMAIL="MR@outfoxthemarket.co.uk"]MR@outfoxthemarket.co.uk[/EMAIL]

Yes, and I have done so. They've come back with revised DDR figures (still with the 70/30 split). New figures are better but they are still wrong and take no account of the fact that my winter consumption is lower than summer. I've asked them to think again and bill me according to my usage.

So, as we've all been saying, they have money problems but the bank won't lend it them for nothing (if at all) so why not borrow it interest-free from its customers. I wonder if they anticipated this sort of customer backlash?

It's a shame really because the rates are the best available (at the moment) and the 70/30 split doesn't make much overall difference to many of us - but, if you can't afford the extra for 6 months what can you do if they won't listen?

headlight1

I received the "we have listened to our customers" blah blah bah email earlier today.
And "good news" previous notification £222.13
22nd November notification £177.70
They are trying to make out that they are now increasing my DD by £44 less than they previously notified me.
This is completely untrue as all previous emails have stated £177.70 & there has never been any mention of £222.13.
My current DD is £120 & so they are increasing my DD by £57 & I am already £300 in credit after just 6 months with OTM.
I actually managed to speak to someone about an hour ago after an hour wait on hold who thought that the best way to deal with me was to talk down to me continually saying that I didn"t understand what they were doing, continuously talking over me & shouting at me !
They said that they couldn"t refund me my £300 credit as it was less than 2 months DD"s (only because they have put them up), if I leave they will charge me £100 exit fee & if I cancel the DD to stop them taking the increased payment on the 27th I will be charged £25 non payment !
Is any of what OTM is doing actually legal ?

Norman_Castle

headlight1 wrote: »

I actually managed to speak to someone about an hour ago after an hour wait on hold who thought that the best way to deal with me was to talk down to me continually saying that I didn"t understand what they were doing, continuously talking over me & shouting at me !

To be fair that person has probably had the same conversation 50 times per day for the last week.

Norman_Castle

Terry_Towelling wrote: »

Yes, and I have done so. They've come back with revised DDR figures (still with the 70/30 split). New figures are better but they are still wrong and take no account of the fact that my winter consumption is lower than summer. I've asked them to think again and bill me according to my usage.

I've got gas heating and they only supply my electricity so my monthly usage only varies slightly. I was tempted to send an image of my Iresa usage graph.
As they've apparently got a cap on the amount they will hold I'm not overly concerned but as you say, some will struggle to find the extra.