Octopus, have they let down their SOLR customers?

Mstty

Sea_Shell said:

I know what you're trying to say Mstty, and it's a shame you're being pulled apart on it.


The fact is that every SoLR customer has been placed with a supplier, not of their choosing.   Some have ended up with poor customer service, some with one who doesn't offer fixes and others with confusing billing and some with probably other flaws.

Octopus was just one example (which has been jumped on).

The point is that it has been a lottery who people have been placed with, and now they have very little say in what happens next.

AIUI, there is no further guidance from OFGEM as to how SoLR customers have to be treated, or what service/deals should be offered over and above being placed on the SVT.

Its a bit "dump 'em and run".

Hi Sea Shell, sadly I expected the same names to come down heavy, I have seen it plenty of times in other posts so was ready and expecting it. I suspect others don't even bother starting a thread as they know the abuse they will get. They love pulling people apart despite their disadvantages in articulation because it doesn't meet their standards. As well as the biased opinion of some suppliers over others that exists.

We rise above👍

MattMattMattUK

Mstty said:

Octopus do not have a decent fixed rate like other suppliers for SOLR'd customers to chose to save £200-600 between this Apr to Oct to get themselves fixed and ready for winter.

You keep saying that other suppliers have decent fixes, but they do not. EDF for example looks ok if you just look at the rates, but it ties you in for two years and has a £150 exit charge per fuel so whilst it will likely be cheaper in the Oct22-Apr23 window it will be likely be significantly more expensive for the 14+ months after that as well as the four months in the run up to the Oct22 increase. 

Mstty said:

People like a fix whether now or three years ago. 

People historically liked a fix as they were significantly cheaper than SVR, they are now significantly more expensive. Some people are still under the delusion that fixes are cheaper so will take a fix that is offered to them even when it is not in their financial interest to do so. 

Mstty said:

The fact remains the lottery of SOLR meant those people looking, and historically used to a fixed deal, who ended up with Octopus will be sadly let down. 

They are not being "let down" by not being offered a fix that will cost them more than the SVR they are already on.

Mstty

You are welcome to your opinion but most fixes on here with other suppliers are much cheaper circa £200-£600 cheaper. BG exit fees are waved if moving to another of their tariffs including SVR and Eon Next have zero exit fees. EDF their one year deals were very good up til about two weeks agin but yes the two year deal is finger in the air.

Picking out one fix out if many offered from one supplier is not the same comparison as Octopus offering no decent fixes for those that want security and less stress and angst but have no choice

That's the beauty we are all allowed our opinions I feel Octopus have let down my two relatives and others seeking a fix deal, you are of another opinion and that's fine by me👍

MattMattMattUK

Mstty said:

You are welcome to your opinion but most fixes on here with other suppliers are much cheaper circa £200-£600 cheaper. BG exit fees are waved if moving to another of their tariffs including SVR and Eon Next have zero exit fees.

None of the current fixes on the market are cheaper than the current SVR. Some are cheaper than the estimated October rise, but will include a period from now until October and after the Apr23 revision where they are significantly higher than the SVR. 

Mstty said:

EDF their one year deals were very good up til about two weeks agin but yes the two year deal is finger in the air.
Picking out one fix out if many offered from one supplier is not the same comparison as Octopus offering no decent fixes for those that want security and less stress and angst but have no choice

The reason I picked EDF is because I am an EDF customer so I have access to any tariffs that they are offering to existing customers. They are only offering two year fixes and have only being offering two year fixes since the end of April. If they were offering the rates they are on a 12 month deal it would be a reasonably good deal, but on two years and based on the predictions we currently have it would mean over paying for 18 of the 24 months of the contract.

Mstty said:

That's the beauty we are all allowed our opinions I feel Octopus have let down my two relatives and others seeking a fix deal, you are of another opinion and that's fine by me👍

I agree that people should be allowed opinions, but when they voice those opinions publicly they are open to scrutiny and others can point out when those opinions do not align with facts or are irrational. I am trying to understand why you feel that being locked into overpaying is a good deal and why a provider not offering to overcharge you is being "let down", but I cannot logically square that circle. 

Mstty

Look I don't agree with you, you don't with me. That's it.

There is a lot of love for the tentacled one on here and I have already stated they are good, well great in some areas. However, for a potential majority of people SOLR'd that want a fix they have nothing on offer that is competitive and they have lost out in the SOLR lottery.

I believe it's a fair statement and I will stick with it 👍

Enjoy your day.

victor2

Without the SoLR process, which is far from perfect, what would have happened to all of the customers whose supplier ceased trading? At best they would have lost any credit they had.

I have two relatives who were Avro customers so got taken over by Octopus. It wasn't plain sailing for one in particular, who had an E7 meter but was on a single rate tariff. It took months and quite a bit of correspondence, but Octopus did sort it out in the end.

The current Octopus SVR is close to many on the market, being limited by the Ofgem cap. Fixes, where they can be obtained, are not that attractive, but Octopus customers can switch away should they find something elsewhere to their perceived benefit.

The days of easy fixes pretty much guaranteed to save you money seem to be behind us now. Is that a failing of Octopus that they have chosen a business model that doesn't offer competitive fixes?

I'm not an Octopus customer myself, but do feel your gripe is a bit off the mark OP. Your poll is hardly an accurate indicator either, with only 64 votes in total so far.

Just my opinion though.

Mstty

Fair enough, you are welcome to that opinion.

The Fixes are attractive and potentially competitive, in my opinion, with other suppliers when compared to the October expected rise. The evidence for that is all over this forum for those that have fixed now to avoid a higher cost in October especially as their energy use is low in the summer months. 

I cannot state anymore that I think octopus are good/great in other areas and CS is one of those from what I have read but fixes no and based in this board and the numbers of people asking "should I fix or not" and the amount going for fixes just through the various threads bears this out.

Reed_Richards

I'm with Eon.next as a SOLR.  The only good fix that I am aware of was around January 2022 where you could fix at about the April rate (to be) but only by switching immediately.  This would have meant you had to pay a higher rate for the high-usage period until April in order to benefit (as predicted) from October.  This fix was only available for a few weeks.  Some people posted here that by speaking to a Customer Services rep. they were able to delay their switch to the new fixed rate until April.  That was unambiguously a good deal but went against the published terms and conditions that the switch would be immediate.

Mstty

Eon / Eon Next Fix v14 mentioned below.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/-are-there-any-cheap--fixed-energy-deals-currently-worth-it--/

Not a single Octopus mention at all

wild666

I was going to fix my rates with Octopus in Feb this year but put it off then one night I thought I'm going to fix when I get in only for Russia to have invaded the Ukraine and the cheap fix was pulled from their site. In the morning the cheapest fix was £94 plus per month, I don't remember the rates but they were somewhere in the 12p per kWh for gas and 39p for electric even though the SC was the same rate as for someone on the SVR. 
As far as I remember the fixed rates were around 24p and 5.2p which at the time I thought was expensive, I just wish I had fixed in Feb rather that keep putting it off.