Octopus Energy takes on Avro customers

oliverbrown

My electricity meter is finally showing in my Octopus account. My gas meter is still not showing though, and I haven't had any communications in four months, but at least it's something.

Bendo

oldagetraveller1 said:

[Deleted User] said:

Alpha_5 said:

I've just received an email from octopus saying my credit refund has been processed and will be in my account within the next 5 days. 

I'm an ex-customer who'd left before they went bust. 

Money arrived in my bank account 5 working days after the email.

Yes, mine too. I had moved from Avro before they went bust.

Although the refund has taken a while to process, credit (no pun intended) to Octopus for ploughing through the "mess" left behind.

Hopefully they get around to mine soon, nothing at all from them so far other than the standard emails that went to everyone. Started my switch away about 3 days before the Avro announcement and an very happy I did.

icsys

Thought I would log into my Octopus account (haven't had any contact from them for ages) and see if anything has changed...  It has! 

I noticed the account seems to have finally been updated, as the It's looking a bit quiet in here…🕵 
strapline has finally disappeared.

There is now a final avro bill in there (still no bills from Octopus) and an account balance, but as yet, still no communication from Octopus as to when I can expect an up-to-date bill. 

Consumerist

icsys said:

There is now a final avro bill in there (still no bills from Octopus) and an account balance, but as yet, still no communication from Octopus as to when I can expect an up-to-date bill. 

Glad to see you could finally be up and running.

Perhaps, try submitting meter readings to see if that generates your first Octopus statement.

double_dutchy

Got my cheque from Shell today - £173 as expected. Just waiting now for Octopus to update my balance/give me a bill/update my DD information.....

I'd really like to like Octopus (the same way I wanted to like Bulb), but like Bulb, Octopus don't really live up to the hype (IMHO) Despite the rhetoric ("Official Avro Octopus information page - updated regularly" - now updated one single time in the last two months - No, Octopus that isn't "regularly"), I think their "customer service" is no better than most other energy suppliers.

They are boasting about their quick responses to emails but my email of two weeks ago is still awaiting a reply, so they are just another energy supplier providing below par customer service (but obviously not as bad as Scottish Power).

[Rant over]

MWT

double_dutchy said:

I'd really like to like Octopus (the same way I wanted to like Bulb), but like Bulb, Octopus don't really live up to the hype (IMHO)

Right now the response time is not great, at least in good part due to all the ex-Avro customers arriving .. but I'd still take Octopus over any other supplier I've ever been with simply because I know they are trying to change the market with innovative tariffs and they do have people who really understand the smart meters. Also I know I can reach more senior staff if the normal CS teams are getting something wrong.

The Octopus style of working and staff training is more about osmosis than dictating process and procedures, they prefer to empower staff to solve customer problems rather than just employ drones following a script, but that does mean you'll find some staff with poor or even completely wrong understanding of some matters, but when I do find that I've never yet failed to get it sorted with a little escalation.

So many other suppliers just don't seem to have the skilled staff in the building, let alone reachable by customers in need.

So they are certainly not perfect, but for my money they do try, and they are capable of getting stuff fixed in the end.

double_dutchy

MWT said:

The Octopus style of working and staff training is more about osmosis than dictating process and procedures, they prefer to empower staff to solve customer problems rather than just employ drones following a script, but that does mean you'll find some staff with poor or even completely wrong understanding of some matters, but when I do find that I've never yet failed to get it sorted with a little escalation.

OK, I respect your opinion, but if they never answer my emails what do I need to do? Call them I suppose, so why do they say "email us, so we can solve any issues while you get on with your day"?

There are still approximately 50,000 ex Avro customers - who are, of course, now Octopus customers, who are still waiting for their accounts to be updated following the demise of Avro. Is it too much to ask for a weekly update on progress, how hard is that? 10 minutes updating the website and you inform thousands of customers

There's only so much you can achieve with innovative tariffs, most people just want a basic level of customer service.

BooJewels

I've said this elsewhere in the thread, but I've been an Octopus customer twice now when the account has been taken over as an SoLR.  My home electricity inherited from GB Energy and now an estate property for both fuels from Avro.  Throughout, I personally have found their service to be excellent.  In each case, it has taken a few weeks for the accounts to settle down, but each time the data in my account gradually appeared, like jigsaw pieces progressively appearing where they needed to be.

The estate account has come to a close today as we completed on the property sale.  I emailed them closing meter readings at 13:44 and had both a personally written email explaining what they'd done at 15:55, then an automated one with the bill attached at 16:13.  Accurate to the penny with my own calculations and with 2 forthcoming DDs set up to clear the debit balance.  I thought that it might take a few days to sort a final bill, but 2 hours is pretty good going.

I'm sorry that some people are still experiencing difficulties, but I can't help but be impressed at how smoothly it has gone for myself.  When I've emailed them, I've always had a reply the same day.

MWT

double_dutchy said:

There are still approximately 50,000 ex Avro customers - who are, of course, now Octopus customers, who are still waiting for their accounts to be updated following the demise of Avro. Is it too much to ask for a weekly update on progress, how hard is that? 10 minutes updating the website and you inform thousands of customers

Not sure what the update would say other than 'we are working on it', and everyone knows that already.

The large groups are mostly sorted not it is just down to working through the ones that are, for whatever reason, in need of more individual attention.

double_dutchy

Thanks BooJewels,

Must be just me then. I emailed Octopus on 8th February asking when my account would be updated (so far no balance, no bills, no DDs). No reply so far, although they claim to be answering emails within 23 business hours (3 days?).

I've promised them I will send the same email every day until they reply.

Maybe I shouldn't be worried, as I owe them rather than vice versa, but I'm expecting to be moving home soon and, perhaps it's a little bit old-fashioned, but it would be nice to get my first Octopus bill before I get my last one