My Octopus nightmare

bemused77

Anyone else having problems with Octopus?
I requested a smart meter several months ago but heard nothing until mid Feb when I received the email saying my meters need to be replaced and invited me to book an appointment ' 
Couldn't do it online as their website wouldn't accept my booking.so had to email. Eventually got a reply saying they could not arrange an appointment either but suggested I phone. Tried to phone but never got through. More emails followed and then received an admission they were also having a problem and was given another number to call. Can't get through. Sent another email asking for someone to call me. Silence.
Silence that is until I receive another email this time asking me how they were doing!
Am I alone or are others having this problem?

Foxy16

Sorry I can't help with your problem, but just wanted to say you have my full sympathy dealing with Octopus, I am having a nightmare experience with them since switching to them a few weeks ago. I was able to submit opening readings, but can't submit anymore readings, my account is messed up, they have supplied my old supplier with the wrong closing reading. They take over a week to answer e'mails, do not read them fully, so the problem is not sorted. Yes the laugh is, they send an e'mail to ask how they are doing. Wish I had never switched to them. Hope you can get things sorted out. 

gt94sss2

bemused77 said:

Anyone else having problems with Octopus?
I requested a smart meter several months ago but heard nothing until mid Feb when I received the email saying my meters need to be replaced and invited me to book an appointment ' 
Couldn't do it online as their website wouldn't accept my booking.so had to email
Am I alone or are others having this problem?

You just need to keep trying online as their is a nationwide shortage of meters/installers.

I suggest trying early on a Monday, though sometimes short notice appointments appear on a Thursday/Friday for the following week.

Spoonie_Turtle

Not intuitive, but they do tend to answer Twitter messages reasonably quickly.

pearl123

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Not intuitive, but they do tend to answer Twitter messages reasonably quickly.

i also highly recommend that you try via Twitter. It's seems to get results. 

Raxiel

Foxy16 said:

Sorry I can't help with your problem, but just wanted to say you have my full sympathy dealing with Octopus, I am having a nightmare experience with them since switching to them a few weeks ago. I was able to submit opening readings, but can't submit anymore readings, my account is messed up, they have supplied my old supplier with the wrong closing reading. They take over a week to answer e'mails, do not read them fully, so the problem is not sorted. Yes the laugh is, they send an e'mail to ask how they are doing. Wish I had never switched to them. Hope you can get things sorted out. 

Meter readings on change of supplier go through an industry third party validation, which often adjusts the readings a little based on historical averages.

You can dispute the change, but only if it's by more than 1200kWh of gas or 250kWh of electricity. Provided both suppliers use the same figure it shouldn't make much difference. When I switched from E.On to Octopus, the accurate reads I provided were increased by the validator, meaning I paid a bit more to E.On and a bit less to Octopus, which was fine because I'd come off a cheaper fix with E.On and it saved me a couple of quid.

It used to be a regular topic on this board back when switching suppliers for better deals was still a thing.

[Deleted User]

Meter readings - do they trust me? 

The answer is ‘no’. The switching validation process exists because some consumers fail to provide a switch reading; many misread their meter and some consumers deliberately lie if there are some pennies to be saved by doing so. 

The validation process is carried out using industry-approved procedures and the opening/closing reading is passed to both suppliers via an industry data flow. All the gaining supplier does is pass any meter reading provided on to its metering agent/data collector.

If the closing reading is higher than it should be, you will save a few pence. The new supplier will not charge for units until the meter passes the agreed switch reading.

t0rt0ise

They don't seem to let you know when there's a slot for you to book a smart meter appointment. I found mine accidentally when looking at my account. And then there was only the choice between two days. You have to keep looking to see if there are any available appointments.

cannugec5

The irony is that smart meters are being ‘wasted’. 

I had one installed in January.
it doesn’t work here as I now know we are in the 0.something % of the country that isn’t covered by the Smart Network ( or whatever they call it).
With hindsight I have discussed this with neighbours. Many of them now also have non-Smart, smart meters! 

NONE of them have them smart. 

So why install in this area when you guys are crying out for them? 

They guy who installed ours told me I was the only installation that day and he had a 180 mile round trip to do it. ( There had been a second booking but it cancelled). 

InvertedVee

I switched to Octopus at the end of January. I contacted them three weeks ago to let them know that my SMETS2 meters weren't sending data and they're coming tomorrow (Monday) to swap the gas meter and power-cycle the electricity meter. Can't complain about that service.