Dispute With Octopus Energy

[Deleted User]

Surely Scottish Power have indicated to you what the deemed or estimated opening read for your account is?  Forget about the reading taken 7 weeks later for the moment.  This opening read has to be the same as closing read used by octopus.  But I see you have raised the issue with Scottish.  Without an opening read provided in the initial window by the OP both providers will be using an estimated deemed opening read.

BeerSavesMoney

NotForQuitting said:

t0rt0ise said:

It seems to me that you confused the issue by giving the reading when you moved in to both suppliers. Scottish Power did not need those readings and you should have only opened an account with Octopus. And then when the account is set up, do a normal change of supplier process to SP. So now you need to write a formal complaint letter to Octopus giving the relevant readings.. the reading when you moved in and the closing reading that Scottish Power are using. 

I arranged the account with Scottish Power as soon as I moved as I had an account with them at my previous address (and also gave them the closing readings for my old address at the same time). At the time I'd never heard of Octopus Energy and wanted nothing to do with them. I stuck with SP on the understanding they're a major well known and reputable company with a reputation to protect and I'd read horror stories about tariff hikes with some of the smaller energy companies (that are now dropping like flies).

My problem is that Octopus are billing be based on a meter reading as it was almost 2 months after Scottish Power started billing me at this address (and at the moment they seem to be trying to pass the buck for this onto each other).

Unfortunately as Octopus were the current supplier for the property then you would of needed to of signed up to them before switching to another energy supplier. They will be able to charge you for any energy used until the date your supply moved to Scottish Power.

MWT

NotForQuitting said:

I arranged the account with Scottish Power as soon as I moved as I had an account with them at my previous address (and also gave them the closing readings for my old address at the same time). At the time I'd never heard of Octopus Energy and wanted nothing to do with them. I stuck with SP on the understanding they're a major well known and reputable company with a reputation to protect and I'd read horror stories about tariff hikes with some of the smaller energy companies (that are now dropping like flies).

That was your mistake though, you can't just bring your old provider with you, you must register with the existing supplier at the new address first, and then switch if you want to. You entered into a deemed contract with Octopus the moment you used energy at the new property, you must deal properly with that contract before you open another one...

When you fail to follow the correct process things go wrong...

BeerSavesMoney

[Deleted User] said:

Surely Scottish Power have indicated to you what the deemed or estimated opening read for your account is?  Forget about the reading taken 7 weeks later for the moment.  This opening read has to be the same as closing read used by octopus.  But I see you have raised the issue with Scottish.  Without an opening read provided in the initial window by the OP both providers will be using an estimated deemed opening read.

I think this issue is caused by them providing the same opening reading to Octopus and Scottish Power? 

Change of supplier readings have therefore been estimated.

I think the best option is for OP to post the bills here with any personal info redacted so we can take a closer look!

MWT

Octopus should get the meter reading from the day you moved in, the meter reading for the switch to SP will be the one for the day the supply actually switched to SP, that could well be 2 months after you moved in if the switch to SP was correctly blocked by Octopus, as you had failed to register with them first.

dbks

NotForQuitting said:

DerwentMailman said:

If the opening reads (for Scottish) are the same as the closing reads (for Octopus) match then I'm not sure what the problem is.  I assume that you set up an account with Octopus when you moved in before initiating a switch away to Scottish Power.

Are you dual fuel BTW?

You would have had a window of 5 days either side of the switch date advised to you 21 days later so I assume that Scottish Power deemed the opening reads for your account on your behalf as you were unable to provide the opening reads yourself.  This deemed opening read should be the same as the read Octopus have used to close your account for the 3 week period they provided you with energy.  If it isn't then complain for sure.

  

My point was that the opening and closing readings for the two suppliers don't match and Octopus are using a closing reading higher than what the actual reading was 7 weeks later. Scottish Power don't appear to have amended this with Octopus (which in my interpretation is equivalent to a 7 week billing overlap, though I have asked SP to raise a dispute).

This would appear to contradict the status you provided us in the OP

NotForQuitting said:

...
I have disputed this with Octopus and they have now amended the bill using that reading (i.e. actual reading 7 weeks later) as their closing reading.

...

If the opening reading used by Scottish Power does not align with the closing redaing used by Octopus Energy, then your complaint should be against Scottish Power, not Octopus Energy.
Scottish Power as the newly appointed supplier is responsible for all aspects of the switch to them from Octopus.

If the opening reading being used by Scottish Power is that you provided them 3 weeks earlier when you moved in, then that is obviously incorrect, especially when you acknowledge that in your OP

NotForQuitting said:

I recently moved home (in July) and set up a new electricity account with Scottish Power, however their billing did not take effect until three weeks after my move in date.

...

dbks

NotForQuitting said:

t0rt0ise said:

It seems to me that you confused the issue by giving the reading when you moved in to both suppliers. Scottish Power did not need those readings and you should have only opened an account with Octopus. And then when the account is set up, do a normal change of supplier process to SP. So now you need to write a formal complaint letter to Octopus giving the relevant readings.. the reading when you moved in and the closing reading that Scottish Power are using. 

I arranged the account with Scottish Power as soon as I moved as I had an account with them at my previous address (and also gave them the closing readings for my old address at the same time). At the time I'd never heard of Octopus Energy and wanted nothing to do with them. I stuck with SP on the understanding they're a major well known and reputable company with a reputation to protect and I'd read horror stories about tariff hikes with some of the smaller energy companies (that are now dropping like flies).

My problem is that Octopus are billing be based on a meter reading as it was almost 2 months after Scottish Power started billing me at this address (and at the moment they seem to be trying to pass the buck for this onto each other).

This would appear to contradict the status you provided us in your OP

NotForQuitting said:

I recently moved home (in July) and set up a new electricity account with Scottish Power, however their billing did not take effect until three weeks after my move in date.

...

[Deleted User]

Let us try and narrow this down to a few givens. One, the gaining supplier is responsible for all aspects of a transfer of supply. SP will have ignored any reading given outside of the 5 days before a transfer. Two, any switch readings given to SP would be subject to independent industry validation. Three, both suppliers are required to use this reading to close and open accounts. Four, the deemed supplier is legally permitted to charge for all energy used in the three weeks before the transfer of supply goes through. Five, if the agreed opening/closing reading is higher than the meter index then the new supplier will only statement the daily standing charge until the meter index passes the industry opening reading. 

In today’s market, overpaying Octopus may result in savings. The difference in cost to the consumer is the difference in the unit costs of the energy supplied times the number of units. Some years ago, I overpaid a losing supplier c£70: the actual cost difference between the two tariffs was £2.34.

Finally, do your research. Octopus is anything but a small supplier. Recently, it has added 580k customers from Avro. It owns or is affiliated to energy suppliers in the USA; New Zealand; Germany and Japan (I may have missed a few). It has bought into H2; wind and solar generation companies, and it has its own heat pump R&D and manufacturing facility. Forty percent of its income now comes from the sale of its technology platform: Kraken. UK suppliers using this platform include Good Energy and E.oN Next. Their CS staff are also UK based which based on my previous experience of dealing with SP makes a heck of a difference.