SSE to OVO - outsourcing call centres abroad?

tarves57

I've been an SSE customer for many years and a bit perturbed that OVO have taken over. Not only because they're laying off staff in Perth and other Scottish centres but because I got a phone call this morning from what sounded like a foreign call centre from "SSE" trying to persuade me to arrange a date to install a new electricity meter, a smart meter apparently, which I do not want. I send in readings myself and I'm quite aware of which appliances use the most electricity, so don't see the point in installing one. They're going to call me again in a couple of months to see if I've changed my mind.......

Maybe I've been spoilt, but I've always appreciated getting a friendly Scottish voice on the other end of the line and can't bear the thought of having to deal with overseas callers.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Deleted User]

Suppliers have been finding ways of cutting costs for years; outsourcing of call centres to foreign lands being one of them. If you are unhappy, then vote with your feet. I am with Octopus and as far as I know they only use foreign call centres in extremis: for example, Octopus Energy New Zealand answered calls from ex Avro customers whilst the UK slept.

Smart meters do not exist just to save you from sending in meter readings. Increasingly, we will see more and more time-of-use tariffs offered by suppliers. Those who hold out against smart meters will invariably end up paying more.

tarves57

Dolor said:

Smart meters do not exist just to save you from sending in meter readings. Increasingly, we will see more and more time-of-use tariffs offered by suppliers. Those who hold out against smart meters will invariably end up paying more.

     Looks like I will have to step up the research...... Why can't they let things be??

Curiousgirl1

I thought that when SSE/OVO announced they were cutting jobs, they also said they were bringing all off shore call centres back onshore, could be wrong though 

Verdigris

Why can't they let things be??

Because we'd still have a man with a red flag walking in front of our car if we did.

[Deleted User]

tarves57 said:

  Looks like I will have to step up the research...... Why can't they let things be??

Because the way that energy is supplied to the Grid has changed to include renewable energy from the sun; wind, and the tides. Renewable energy is very fickle. For example, for most of today so far my solar has outputted at about 500W. The sun has just come out and the output has immediately risen to 2.7kW. The Grid has to be capable of dealing with these variables and it has to kept the lights on when renewable supplies are low. Previously, the Grid would just ask coal-fired power stations to put some more coal on the fire when it expected high demand.

The Grid now needs to know not just how much energy we are all using but when we are using it. Each smart meter can record usage in 30minute profiles. Armed with this information, those who manage the Grid can foresee when there might be supply issues. 

Demand peaks (4 to 7pm) each day are particularly difficult to manage. Suppliers are now beginning to offer tariffs which encourage, through pricing, consumers not to use energy at peak times. For example, a single rate tariff does not penalise you for putting the washing machine and the dishwasher on at tea time. A tariff that offered slots at 50% of the peak price might just push you towards putting on high usage devices when energy was cheap. This is typical of what we are going to see in the next few years:

Sailbad

if only.......

QrizB

Sailbad said:

if only.......

The rates aren't UK ones but the principle holds.

Here's a screenshot from Green Energy UK of their Tide tariff. Note that GEUK have an exemption from the Ofgem cap and so they're prices are closer to fair market rates (albeit with a "green energy" enhancement).

The version of this that they were offering as an 18-month fix in autumn last year *almost* tempted me to switch and would have been a good choice for many people, in hindsight:

Brie

Verdigris said:

Why can't they let things be??

Because we'd still have a man with a red flag walking in front of our car if we did.

Run him over says I.  Fool shouldn't be in the road!!!  

tarves57

Dolor said:

tarves57 said:

  Looks like I will have to step up the research...... Why can't they let things be??

Because the way that energy is supplied to the Grid has changed to include renewable energy from the sun; wind, and the tides........

Thanks for the information. Very interesting and I can see why the data from smart meters would be useful.

Your chart above of the most economic time to put on power-hungry appliances would surely help a lot in the form of a simple fridge list.

Installing a smart meter sounds like a good idea but I've heard stories of them counting the power generated by your solar panels as power you've used and adding it to your bill. I suppose that would be a faulty installation. The thought of having to sort that out via foreign call centres.......

Maybe I'm just catastrophising, but the horror stories are out there.....

QrizB

tarves57 said:

Installing a smart meter sounds like a good idea but I've heard stories of them counting the power generated by your solar panels as power you've used and adding it to your bill. I suppose that would be a faulty installation. The thought of having to sort that out via foreign call centres...

Smart meters have separate registers for import and export. Having an export register allows you to choose metered export and be paid on that basis, as opposed to the deemed export commly applied to FIT accounts. Depending on how much of your generated electricity you consume yourself, and the deemed export rate, metered export could be more profitable.