Neo Energy and Octopus 2 September 2022 at 3:31PM in Energy 64 replies 3.3K views

baser999

Can anyone say what’s going on here? Was a Neo customer from August 2020, paying monthly bills by DD - regularly submitted readings, never advised payments needed increasing so assumed all was well. No request for monthly payments earlier in the year, chased up and told by Switchcraft (who put me on to Neo) and then by Octopus that they’d taken them over. Been dealing with Octopus for past few months, first DD due to go out yesterday.
Now today, I’ve received emails from Neo categorically saying they’ve not been taken over and I’ve instead been presented with a bill for £2700+ supposedly accumulated over the whole of the period I’ve been with them. Sent email to Neo, generic reply saying that Ofgem has initiated takeover by Octopus.
So what’s going on? Anyone any idea?

QrizB

This Neo Energy?

https://www.neo-energy.co.uk/

Ofgem closed them down in July. Octopus took over.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-appoints-octopus-energy-take-customers-uk-energy-incubator-hub-ukeih

Have Neo given you a clear statement of what the £2700 is for?

GingerTim

https://www.neo-energy.co.uk/ makes explicit they're bust, and the SOLR process has seen Octopus take them over.

PennineAcute

Neo ceased trading on 9 July this year.  Credit balances are transferred over to Octopus, debts are not and chased by the administration team.

For just under two years, you were paying DDs and paying your monthly credit to your account (tip - always check your usage and never rely upon the supplier) then back billing should come into play here and you are only liable from 10 July 21 to 9 July 22.

Dolor

https://www.neo-energy.co.uk/

Treat it as a potential scam. The safe way of finding out if you owe any money is to check your final Neo Bill (if this has been issued). You could also contact the Administator for Northumbria and Neo Energy.

daveyjp

Neo energy was a complete basket case of a company from day one of their operations.

I would ignore anything supposedly from them which isn't in writing.

MWT

PennineAcute said:

For just under two years, you were paying DDs and paying your monthly credit to your account (tip - always check your usage and never rely upon the supplier) then back billing should come into play here and you are only liable from 10 July 21 to 9 July 22.

Not in this case, the back-billing rules do not apply to suppliers who have lost their supply license...

baser999 said:

Now today, I’ve received emails from Neo categorically saying they’ve not been taken over and I’ve instead been presented with a bill for £2700+ supposedly accumulated over the whole of the period I’ve been with them. Sent email to Neo, generic reply saying that Ofgem has initiated takeover by Octopus.

So what’s going on? Anyone any idea?

Neo have not been taken over, that part is correct  (actual company name is UK Energy Incubator Hub Ltd) they have had their supply license revoked and their retail customers transferred to Octopus.

They are currently in administration and will be actively seeking to collect any debts owed to them.

Presumably what you have received is a final bill from them, so you are going to have to check if it is correct...

Look at the bills you have previously received and check the final meter reading to make sure that has not been inflated.

Then check they correctly show your payments made to them and work out if they are right or wrong with the £2,700 claim...

baser999

Thanks everyone for the input. I’ve carefully read through the Neo emails word by word and am not convinced this isn’t an elaborate scam. There’s terminology (and a spelling mistake) that just didn’t sit right, too much use of explanation marks and such. Not what would be expected in such a communication.

On the money side, my combined energy bills have always been in the order of £1100pa so for the period covered wouldn’t expected much more than £2500-3000, compared to their figure of £4700.
Have received a response from Octopus today, they’ve no idea why I’ve received such an email from Neo as they’re presently dealing directly with Ofgem. Been advised that in circumstances should I pay anything to Neo.
Let’s see what transpires

QrizB

baser999 said:

Been advised that in circumstances should I pay anything to Neo.

Should, or should *not* ?

MWT

baser999 said:

On the money side, my combined energy bills have always been in the order of £1100pa so for the period covered wouldn’t expected much more than £2500-3000, compared to their figure of £4700.

Have you actually received a final bill from Neo yet?

Do you have an agreed opening meter reading (9th July) on your Octopus account yet?

baser999

Well spotted QrizB - have been told by Octopus that I should not pay anything to Neo.
MWT - the only account I’ve received from Neo was the one sent with yesterdays email, claiming I’d generated combined energy usage of some £4700. In essence this bill runs from when I initially signed up to yesterdays date. This compares with my usual usage of around £1100pa. As I said in my OP Neo would be sent regular readings and I’d been paying £110pm by way of DD, never advised that my payments were likely to be too little so never thought anything untoward. If that invoice is genuine, and I fail to see how it can be, I fail to see how it. Oils possibly have jumped that much.  

I have a meter reading from when Octopus took over.