Octopus Tracker

movingon

Thank you @bristolleedsfan.
They are still saying I will need to be billed on the Flexible tariff if my data cannot be retrieved, despite the above. However, I have persuaded them to suspend billing for now. They are still saying Tracker is billed based on 30 minute readings, yet it says daily readings on the FaQs. They say they cannot take daily readings from me, as only "smart" communication will do. It does not make any sense in the light of the above. 

Doc_N

movingon said:

Thank you @bristolleedsfan.
They are still saying I will need to be billed on the Flexible tariff if my data cannot be retrieved, despite the above. However, I have persuaded them to suspend billing for now. They are still saying Tracker is billed based on 30 minute readings, yet it says daily readings on the FaQs. They say they cannot take daily readings from me, as only "smart" communication will do. It does not make any sense in the light of the above. 

Unfortunately Octopus customer service has become as bad as the rest now, and there’s absolutely no consistency of approach. They’ve muddled themselves with so many different tariffs and options that the chances of getting the same answer to a question from two people are minimal.

masonic

movingon said:

Hi , I am on Tracker for both gas and electricity. IHD working fine. Octopus mini always been temperamental, but has always shown live use. In mid May I received estimated bills for gas and electricity and emailed to query. At first I used the "hello" email address and got someone telling me nothing useful, so I emailed the "smart"  team, but got a reply from the same guy.

I can see for myself that  the smart meter is not sending information down the line and has not done so since the beginning of May. -(I can see that on the Guy Lipman site). I have been told that I will need an engineer visit to power cycle the meters, but have to wait for this.  I have also had the estimated bills suspended and told that I will now be billed on a flexible tariff and I must send a photo of the meter readings to get a new bill. I have phoned and asked if I can send daily readings, but was told that they need half hour readings for smart tariffs. I realise that they have the right to bill on the Flexible tariff if they cannot get the readings "smartly", but it does not seem very fair. Because I seem to be told something different by whoever I speak to or email at Octopus, I just wondered if anyone else has any advice?
Thank you

This is the first instance I've heard of them actually trying to enforce that term, even for other smart tariffs. So everything was ok up to your April bill, and after that they have no data? It seems possible that the meter will have all of the data (barring the period it gets power-cycled), and it is just a comms issue. If that's the case, the data could be retrieved afterwards and billing could follow that.

movingon

Doc_N said:

Unfortunately Octopus customer service has become as bad as the rest now, and there’s absolutely no consistency of approach. They’ve muddled themselves with so many different tariffs and options that the chances of getting the same answer to a question from two people are minimal.

Yes, unfortunately that is my experience for this particular issue

MP1995

Just raise a complaint on the information provided above, simples

northernsparky

I had a similar problem , and was on Octopus Go tariff - I provided monthly meter readings for my Gas use, but waited for Octopus to arrange for a “power cycle” reboot to the electric meter.
 The engineer who came out had to replace the communications hub, and once that was done Octopus was able to retrieve the usage data ( ie the 30m usage daily)  for every day except for about 4 or 5 days over the 4 month period. Once the meter was up and running again Octopus billed me based on the readings for the Octopus Go tariff 

I think the meter retains more than a years data , so that is something to remind them 

bristolleedsfan

masonic said:

movingon said:

Hi , I am on Tracker for both gas and electricity. IHD working fine. Octopus mini always been temperamental, but has always shown live use. In mid May I received estimated bills for gas and electricity and emailed to query. At first I used the "hello" email address and got someone telling me nothing useful, so I emailed the "smart"  team, but got a reply from the same guy.

I can see for myself that  the smart meter is not sending information down the line and has not done so since the beginning of May. -(I can see that on the Guy Lipman site). I have been told that I will need an engineer visit to power cycle the meters, but have to wait for this.  I have also had the estimated bills suspended and told that I will now be billed on a flexible tariff and I must send a photo of the meter readings to get a new bill. I have phoned and asked if I can send daily readings, but was told that they need half hour readings for smart tariffs. I realise that they have the right to bill on the Flexible tariff if they cannot get the readings "smartly", but it does not seem very fair. Because I seem to be told something different by whoever I speak to or email at Octopus, I just wondered if anyone else has any advice?
Thank you

This is the first instance I've heard of them actually trying to enforce that term, even for other smart tariffs. 

I have read customers on smart tariffs being charged flexible rate due to missing half hour readings, this morning read someone asked for  refund, Octopus found missing billing from months earlier inc missing half hour readings, not everyone knows Octopus can pull missing readings from DCC

 I was on Agile for 6 days 2nd -7th April inclusive before switch out to different billing company on 8th

 Took 5 weeks to get statement  28 March - 2nd April when tracker fixed term finished

 Octopus system automatically credited account £30  failing to issue final bill within 6 weeks of switch out, I phoned to get final bill issued, told missing readings, charged 2 days on flexible cost £25, previous 4 days cost £1.81 + VAT

 Last Wednesday decided to switch electricity back, switch completed last Friday

 Devils advocate might say £30 compensation balances out £25 charged at flexible rate - Yes,  however ..........................

 Octopus answers via X   "Typically we'd request for these from the DCC, but unfortunately as these readings are now technically before the supply start date we are now unable to request them".

"Unfortunately we're not able to retrieve any of the half hourly data for these dates, therefore this has been billed to the Flexible tariff rates".

 Missing half hour readings 2 days out of 6, last two days before switching out, cheapest days up to that point.

 Downloaded smart data from Octopus website, I cannot see any missing 1/2 hour readings for 6th and 7th April ???????

 

Telegraph_Sam

Are such shenanigens more difficult to avoid, spot, and remedy with Agile compared with Tracker? On account of the wealth of data and detail.

masonic

It looks like I've now had my billing scuppered by a single missing half hour read. It seems to have stopped the monthly smart reading being taken and despite submitting a manual read a few days later, this hasn't produced a bill. I can see the data is also missing from n3rgy so is not just an Octopus issue. We shall see what they try to do for me...

MP1995

masonic said:

It looks like I've now had my billing scuppered by a single missing half hour read. It seems to have stopped the monthly smart reading being taken and despite submitting a manual read a few days later, this hasn't produced a bill. I can see the data is also missing from n3rgy so is not just an Octopus issue. We shall see what they try to do for me...

Put you on the naughty step?