Recommendations for an energy company

davemorton

In terms of good customer service, I have been amazed with Green Energy UK.  Excellent service so far, and a real person answers the phone within a couple of rings. 

mrsyardbroom

Dolor said:

All suppliers are required to carryout smart meter safety checks which includes a meter reading. It is your choice to ditch and switch but no one can guarantee that you will have smooth seas with another supplier. 

It just gets worse. Dolor this is absolutely nothing to do with safety checks. I emailed Octopus in reply to their first email and they said, "Thank you for getting in touch with us regarding your smart meter readings. I'm sorry for any confusion caused by our request for manual meter readings.I understand that you are currently away, so please do not worry about submitting your meter readings as your smart meter has sent us your readings on 05/07/2023. An updated statement will be sent out to you based on these in the next 24 - 48 hours."

They specifically told me not to worry about sending meter readings as the smart meter had sent them the readings.

Also they have now sent me an email claiming that I didn't respond to them. They must have received my reply as they answered it. I'm worried they're going to cut me off.

mrsyardbroom

CSI_Yorkshire said:

What is the thing that you are mainly looking for?

Price? Customer service?  Billing type?

Do you know how much you use peak vs off-peak?

Customer service is the thing I'm looking for. So far after dealing with Octopus for the last five months I've found  their customer service is hopeless. I spent the first two months contacting them by phone but the humans were just as bad as the AI bots. I just want a company that can read my smart meter and update my account every month. I never had any trouble with Bulb. I left EDF because they were extremely expensive compared to the other companies and they wanted me to pay less in the summer and more in the winter. I couldn't afford to work that way.

[Deleted User]

mrsyardbroom said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

What is the thing that you are mainly looking for?

Price? Customer service?  Billing type?

Do you know how much you use peak vs off-peak?

Customer service is the thing I'm looking for. So far after dealing with Octopus for the last five months I've found  their customer service is hopeless. I spent the first two months contacting them by phone but the humans were just as bad as the AI bots. I just want a company that can read my smart meter and update my account every month. I never had any trouble with Bulb. I left EDF because they were extremely expensive compared to the other companies and they wanted me to pay less in the summer and more in the winter. I couldn't afford to work that way.

You have been unlucky. I have been a an Octopus customer for over 5 years and their customer service is by most supplier standards very good. 

I cannot understand why you are so upset about a meter reader visit?  Smart meters can have a comms hub issue which can be resolved by the DCC remotely. 

I have had smart meters now for 41/2 years and I get a statement every 12 months. Occasionally, if there is a data loss it requires manual intervention as I am on 30 minute usage billing.

mrsyardbroom

EDF seems to be cheaper than Octopus. I'll switch to them.

CSI_Yorkshire

mrsyardbroom said:

EDF seems to be cheaper than Octopus. I'll switch to them.

EdF are quite often cheaper than Octopus for Economy 7 tariffs in some areas of the country, especially for people who use a lot off-peak.

However, they are one of the more often complained about companies from the customer service side on this forum (along with British Gas and Scottish Power).  In general, most of the big suppliers get similar ratings outside the forum, but with any company things can go wrong and big companies are often hard to deal with when they do.

As you will have noticed, Octopus customers are particularly evangelical about their supplier but we are starting to see an increasing number of complaints (perhaps as they are growing faster than expected).

Utilita, Utility Warehouse, Co-op Energy and E get relatively high scores from Which? but they are smaller and slightly 'unusual' suppliers and may not be suitable for your circumstances (I think E only does prepayment for example).

Gerry1

CSI_Yorkshire said:

mrsyardbroom said:

EDF seems to be cheaper than Octopus. I'll switch to them.

Utilita, Utility Warehouse, Co-op Energy and E get relatively high scores from Which? but they are smaller and slightly 'unusual' suppliers and may not be suitable for your circumstances (I think E only does prepayment for example).

Not sure the OP would like Co-Op Energy.  'Which?' says

'Co-op Energy came in sixth place in our annual energy customer survey of 10,197 members of the public out of the 16 suppliers we rated. It received a score of 56% – way behind its partner firm Octopus, which was the top provider with 73%.'  😕

CSI_Yorkshire

Gerry1 said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

mrsyardbroom said:

EDF seems to be cheaper than Octopus. I'll switch to them.

Utilita, Utility Warehouse, Co-op Energy and E get relatively high scores from Which? but they are smaller and slightly 'unusual' suppliers and may not be suitable for your circumstances (I think E only does prepayment for example).

Not sure the OP would like Co-Op Energy.  'Which?' says

'Co-op Energy came in sixth place in our annual energy customer survey of 10,197 members of the public out of the 16 suppliers we rated. It received a score of 56% – way behind its partner firm Octopus, which was the top provider with 73%.'  😕

Partner brand does not necessarily mean the same customer service.  Sainsburys & E.ON Next are the same relationship but there are different dedicated teams for each.

Co-op Energy was highly rated at 4th position in the overall table, in fact the four suppliers I named were in positions 2 through 5 with Bulb (pre-takeover) in 6th.

mrsyardbroom

[Deleted User] said:

mrsyardbroom said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

What is the thing that you are mainly looking for?

Price? Customer service?  Billing type?

Do you know how much you use peak vs off-peak?

Customer service is the thing I'm looking for. So far after dealing with Octopus for the last five months I've found  their customer service is hopeless. I spent the first two months contacting them by phone but the humans were just as bad as the AI bots. I just want a company that can read my smart meter and update my account every month. I never had any trouble with Bulb. I left EDF because they were extremely expensive compared to the other companies and they wanted me to pay less in the summer and more in the winter. I couldn't afford to work that way.

You have been unlucky. I have been a an Octopus customer for over 5 years and their customer service is by most supplier standards very good. 

I cannot understand why you are so upset about a meter reader visit?  Smart meters can have a comms hub issue which can be resolved by the DCC remotely. 

I have had smart meters now for 41/2 years and I get a statement every 12 months. Occasionally, if there is a data loss it requires manual intervention as I am on 30 minute usage billing.

Dolor, I am not upset about a meter reader visit. The meter reader is welcome to visit. He can even come to tea or have a bath if he wishes. That is not the issue. The issues are as follows

1) Octopus were unable to tell me how to read the meter for two months.

2) Octopus want to send a meter reader when they are already using smart readings from my meter and sending me bills and they have assured me a visit is not necessary.

3) They are telling me I haven't responded to their first email when I sent a response straight away.

This is worrying. I have no idea whether the next step is cut off the electricity. They've got everything wrong so far and I don't trust them. I can't live with this worry.

[Deleted User]

mrsyardbroom said:

Dolor said:

mrsyardbroom said:

CSI_Yorkshire said:

What is the thing that you are mainly looking for?

Price? Customer service?  Billing type?

Do you know how much you use peak vs off-peak?

Customer service is the thing I'm looking for. So far after dealing with Octopus for the last five months I've found  their customer service is hopeless. I spent the first two months contacting them by phone but the humans were just as bad as the AI bots. I just want a company that can read my smart meter and update my account every month. I never had any trouble with Bulb. I left EDF because they were extremely expensive compared to the other companies and they wanted me to pay less in the summer and more in the winter. I couldn't afford to work that way.

You have been unlucky. I have been a an Octopus customer for over 5 years and their customer service is by most supplier standards very good. 

I cannot understand why you are so upset about a meter reader visit?  Smart meters can have a comms hub issue which can be resolved by the DCC remotely. 

I have had smart meters now for 41/2 years and I get a statement every 12 months. Occasionally, if there is a data loss it requires manual intervention as I am on 30 minute usage billing.

Dolor, I am not upset about a meter reader visit. The meter reader is welcome to visit. He can even come to tea or have a bath if he wishes. That is not the issue. The issues are as follows

1) Octopus were unable to tell me how to read the meter for two months.

2) Octopus want to send a meter reader when they are already using smart readings from my meter and sending me bills and they have assured me a visit is not necessary.

3) They are telling me I haven't responded to their first email when I sent a response straight away.

This is worrying. I have no idea whether the next step is cut off the electricity. They've got everything wrong so far and I don't trust them. I can't live with this worry.

Are you being serious? No supplier can cut off your supply without first obtaining a Court Order. Clearly, you have made up your mind: I hope that you can find a supplier that meets your needs. 

FWiW, Octopus has an excellent smart meter reading guide on its website. 

https://octopus.energy/blog/how-to-read-your-meter/