Octopus hikes estimated annual usage way above actual usage

Ultrasonic

rhedyn said:
In this thread, I am really not anti-Octopus.  What I am, is very strongly anti the argument that we have some moral responsibility to maintain a credit balance and that companies are justified in preventing us from modifying DD amounts that were supposed to be optional to begin with.  That's what I keep pushing back on and it's not really specific to Octopus.  I'm pretty sure Martin would agree with me

Rather than a 'moral argument' I think this more simply comes down to how the companies choose to price things. If one option costs them more it wouldn't seem unreasonable for them to charge more for it.

You don't know Octopus are preventing you from modifying your DD amount though. Just not in a simple way via your user account that many (most?) energy suppliers don't offer to begin with.

My name is Martin btw  .

rhedyn

Hi Martin!   I agree that Octopus probably didn't mean to do this and will likely fix it.  And that they are free to price their offerings as they see fit within the limits set by Ofgem.  They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.  And I will continue to argue back against people (not Octopus) who insist that they are right to do so.

Ultrasonic

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

rhedyn

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

I would agree with you *if* Octopus were offering a discount, but they are not.  They have presented DD as simply an optional convenience to the customer, not as a condition of tariff.  Since it is optional and has no bearing on pricing, what is there to agree to?  If I am completely free to set the amount to zero, why should I not be free to set it to anything I want?

rhedyn

From Octopus (I'm too new here to be able to link):

"We keep things simple by doing everything online, which allows us to pass on savings to you that are built into all if our tariffs. Though we recommend paying by monthly Direct Debit, you'll never be penalised with different rates if you choose another payment method."

"We prefer payment by monthly Direct Debit, because it's less hassle for customers and it's easy to manage in your online account.

Octopus Energy customers can also choose to pay by bank transfer, cheque, credit/debit card, or cash via PayPoint."

bristolleedsfan

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

You said ypurself that you have not been Octopus customer, Octopus customers are supposed to be in complete control of direct debit amounts    Octopus Energy on Twitter: "@BryceRoddis It's your money and you're always in control. If you prefer a lower monthly payment you can adjust your Direct Debit amount on your online account, just keep an eye to make sure your payments are enough to cover what you're using." / Twitter

Ultrasonic

rhedyn said:

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

I would agree with you *if* Octopus were offering a discount, but they are not.  They have presented DD as simply an optional convenience to the customer, not as a condition of tariff.  Since it is optional and has no bearing on pricing, what is there to agree to?  If I am completely free to set the amount to zero, why should I not be free to set it to anything I want?

As far as I'm concerned DD payments are the industry standard not something Octopus needs to somehow pitch to customers. I don't think it would be reasonable to expect to be able to unilaterally set the payment to zero with any supplier.

rhedyn

The industry standard is direct debit as a condition of discounted tariff, because the industry likes direct debit and thus offers incentives for customers to sign up to it.  It's not a standard entitlement in order to be able to buy energy at all.  You might see that (MSE)Martin is out there this past week advising people not to cancel their direct debits as in most cases it will be too costly to lose the discount.  It's about the discount, not about the industry having a right to require it as a standard.

Ultrasonic

bristolleedsfan said:

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

You said ypurself that you have not been Octopus customer, Octopus customers are supposed to be in complete control of direct debit amounts    Octopus Energy on Twitter: "@BryceRoddis It's your money and you're always in control. If you prefer a lower monthly payment you can adjust your Direct Debit amount on your online account, just keep an eye to make sure your payments are enough to cover what you're using." / Twitter

Thanks. It will be interesting to see whether Octopus find they need to move away from this model.

bristolleedsfan

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

Ultrasonic said:

rhedyn said:

They are, however, preventing me from modifying the amount without their intervention and approval, and I don't want them to be able to do that in future, even accidentally.

I think that's unreasonable personally. Any direct debit amount needs to ultimately be agreed by both parties, and I wouldn't expect any supplier to allow customers to just pick any number they fancy.

I would agree with you *if* Octopus were offering a discount, but they are not.  They have presented DD as simply an optional convenience to the customer, not as a condition of tariff.  Since it is optional and has no bearing on pricing, what is there to agree to?  If I am completely free to set the amount to zero, why should I not be free to set it to anything I want?

As far as I'm concerned DD payments are the industry standard not something Octopus needs to somehow pitch to customers. I don't think it would be reasonable to expect to be able to unilaterally set the payment to zero with any supplier.

I set my Octopus Energy direct debit to £1 a month years ago, is that ok with you ???????