Bill confusion

Ami21

I joined octopus energy last march on a fixed gas and electric tariff with them adjusting my payments throughout the year so I didn’t go into debit. My tariff ended in march so I am now on a variable I recently got a bill and on it I have a separate bill for my gas dated sept 21 - march 22. I don’t understand why I have a separate bill when I pay monthly for my gas and electric. Can energy companies change this during your fixed period without them discussing this and is it a standard practice. Any advice would be much appreciated 

Zandoni

You always will have a bill, your monthly payments are just a way of paying and they should be adjusted to keep you out of debit.

Neil_Jones

Ami21 said:

I joined octopus energy last march on a fixed gas and electric tariff with them adjusting my payments throughout the year so I didn’t go into debit. My tariff ended in march so I am now on a variable I recently got a bill and on it I have a separate bill for my gas dated sept 21 - march 22. I don’t understand why I have a separate bill when I pay monthly for my gas and electric. Can energy companies change this during your fixed period without them discussing this and is it a standard practice. Any advice would be much appreciated 

Your direct debit is not your bill.  It is a contribution into a kitty from which bills are paid.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/

BUFF

Ami21 said:

I joined octopus energy last march on a fixed gas and electric tariff with them

What tariff exactly? Octopus has a fixed term tracker tariff (Price Promise) where the rates are linked to the cap prices - £50. So if the cap rates change so will the Price Promise rates.
This has caught quite a few people out.

pochase

This sounds more like you thought you have an all-you-can-eat contract.

A fixed contract does not mean you can use as much energy as you want, it means you have a fixed rate that will not change for the energy you use.

BooJewels

Have you been giving Octopus regular meter readings or are you on a Smart meter? 

I don't know how they bill with smart meters as I don't have one myself, but I do submit meter readings at the end of each month and get a bill for that period within an hour or two at most after doing so - sometimes only a few minutes.  They're one of the best companies in this regard.  If you've got a bill for a much longer period, it would suggest that you've not been submitting readings.   As others have said the word fix relates to the unit price of the fuel you use, not the amount you can use/pay.

Perhaps now that prices are so high, it's time to take ownership of your energy use and get on top of such matters so that you know exactly where you're at with what you pay and what you owe etc.  If you need help with that, there are lots of knowledgeable people here who can guide you.

Ami21

I didn’t think it was all you can eat. As previous rentals it was a pre payment meter. It’s just I’d like a little knowledge with these uncertain times. I was on a fixed octopus energy October 2021v1 I submitted regular reading till my smart reader was fitted. My concern was regular charges Monthly but stopped between sept 2012 till march 2022 obviously I was still using gas on these months as previous just wanted to know why I was charged in one bill rather than spread out like the rest of the year?

Mstty

Might be worth checking the DD still exists in your bank account and they normally feel you last payment taken.

Then call octopus and ask them why they stopped taking it out monthly if it still exists at your end with your bank account.

I think the only way you are going to get a resolution is by talking to them.

Ami21

So I got a reply apparently my gas meter glitched for those months and wasn't sending reading so when I submitted one they sent me a bill for those month 

Zandoni

Ami21 said:

So I got a reply apparently my gas meter glitched for those months and wasn't sending reading so when I submitted one they sent me a bill for those month 

Those meters are not that smart sometimes.

Ami21

Zandoni said:

Ami21 said:

So I got a reply apparently my gas meter glitched for those months and wasn't sending reading so when I submitted one they sent me a bill for those month 

Those meters are not that smart sometimes.

That’s the truest thing I’ve read all day