Opus energy - An absolute nightmare!

bravo93

So my grandfather (who has recently been diagnosed with dementia) switched/was coerced into joining Opus energy in September. Before that he was with Bulb and his average monthly bill for the previous 2 years was around £350 (there's no gas and it's quite a large inefficient property!). So then he switched to Opus energy and his monthly bill has been between £1500-£2000. They installed a smart meter last month and he's apparently using 10,000 kwh of electricity a month! Surely this is impossible for a 3 bedroom house with 4 storage heaters?
Also why are they even providing his electricity? My grandfather is not a business! It turns out he's locked into this contract until September 2024 and doesn't remember anything about it. I've rang up their premium customer service line (50p a minute!) and got nowhere.
Is there an easy way out of this nightmare?

QrizB

Really does sound like a nightmare. Have you tried https://www.opusenergy.com/complaints/ ?

Robin9

Have you read his meter ?    Do those readings agree with what is on the bill ?   Do the readings have the letter A, C or E against them.

It's possible that the meter change hasn't been recorded properly.

Back track on his bill and find one with the meter change on it ?  Do the readings there agree with the sticker that was left on the meter ?

A copy of his bill please - blank out the private and account ref. -  

Something odd -  Opus is a business supplier

No easy way out but first get your grandfather to write a letter of authorisation so you can act on his behalf.

Gerry1

bravo93 said:

I've rang up their premium customer service line (50p a minute!) and got nowhere.

You should have called 0800 630 0841 and escalated it to 0800 997 8730 if necessary.

Complaints charter

But they seem a dodgy company: they are breaking the law by not always warning in close proximity to their 0843 premium rate number that calls cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company's Access Charge.

dogshome

It seems that Grandad was sold this supply over the phone, which is typical of the shark infested waters that 'Business' Energy suppliers swim in

The whole point is that Business suppliers are not allowed to sell into the Domestic market, - (Look at a bill, it will be charging 20% VAT and not the 5% domestic domestic customers pay)

WRITE a letter headed Complaint in your G'dads name, have him sign it and post it by Royal Mail and get a FREE certificate of posting from the Post Office

Reed_Richards

Worth reading what the CAB have to say: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/

Given that the OPs father is not a business he cannot have given informed consent to the switch.

Robin9

@Gerry1 Am I right in thinking this transfer should not be technically possible due to the MPAN ?

MWT

Robin9 said:

@Gerry1 Am I right in thinking this transfer should not be technically possible due to the MPAN ?

You can change from domestic to business and back again, but they would have to have known that he was not a business at the start so it is not an 'accident'...

The bigger problem if they have switched him to a business is getting it reversed back to domestic...

The bills will be using 20% VAT as well which is not going to be helping...

Robin9

Working with the Big 6 and others that do both domestic and business  I think it can be resolved.  I am not so sure about those who do not have a domestic license like Opus.

I wonder if Granddad once had business at his home ?   Perhaps the broker, if it was, found him in a Yellow directory ?

MWT

Agreed, it can be done but it can be annoying, particularly if you are trying to get back to a provider that does not handle both business and domestic.

Gerry1

Robin9 said:

@Gerry1 Am I right in thinking this transfer should not be technically possible due to the MPAN ?

At best I'm only an anorak, not an industry person, but I'd have thought that his MPAN Profile Class would have been 01 or 02, hence obviously not a business customer, ditto his average consumption.  Similarly, whoever coerced him into switching must surely be able to distinguish between a senior with dementia and a business person.

I suppose that Erroneous Transfers can be caused by genuine mistakes, but it's hard to understand how a domestic-to-business switch could go through without any checks and balances.  The OP uses the term 'coerced', so presumably someone only cared about getting their commission.