Being moved from Shell to Octopus - Seems too good to be true

Keu

I was moved to Shell Energy on one of those SOLR directives and to say it has been s'HELL ever since is probably an understatement.

We have all heard the ads about Octopus, "the only energy company that Which? recommends" but is it true?

I did consider moving to them but there were no tangible savings and I was wary of jumping from Frying pan into the fire.

So I made a call to Octopus to get the lay of the land, my first impressions were wonderful albeit that they are only what one might expect from any Energy Company, it is just s'Hell made everything so difficult because of the way they structured their business and the IT systems which was so badly flawed..

I noticed Octopus only open during office hours so I expected it to be manic and 43 people in the queue ahead of me.  Yet the phone at Octopus was answered relatively quickly, (unlike Shell it was not one of the many foreign call centres who are nothing more than a message taking service) the chap was helpful and pleasant.  

I have had a billing issue with Shell Energy for some time, they took months to onboard me from the SOLR, I somehow got "lost" in their system, luckily I had the good sense to save up.  Then they failed to issue an accurate bill for the following six months. Finally, I spoke to a decent person who told me how to fix the fault in their system, it lasted for 5 months and then the errors started again, currently in middle of ombudsman referral.

So I asked some questions about Octopus Energy and they were very open, told me how their billing system worked, said I can pay only what I owe by variable direct debit, they can accommodate how I want to provide my reads and generate a bill based on those reads.  This might sound like a small ask, but with S'Hell they issued estimated reads even if I provided reads within the 24 hour window they dictated.   I know people with Shell Energy who got Estimated reads even though they had a smart meter.  

Basically, Octopus seem to have nailed every aspect of customer service, they were unable to give me their October Tariff yet but based on July 2023 Tariff it will be a £12 cheaper per annum.

Based on what I have been told, I will be moved to the Octopus Billing System and if everything the chap says is true, I should have no reason to contact them.  It seems that their IT system is built around the customer, giving them absolute control.  

So am I dreaming?  Is Octopus all it is cracked up to be or will it be cracking at the seams by taking on a million new customers?

QrizB

Octopus has something like 5 million happy customers. Once it takes on those from Shell, it will be the second-largest UK domestic energy retailer, after IIRC British Gas.

There are many happy Octopus customers on this forum, and the occasional unhappy one. I might be biased (I'm with Octopus and am happy) but I think we see far more upset BG / SP / EDF / EON customers than we do Octopus ones.

Don't forget that if you switch to Octopus voluntarily, before the deal goes through, you might be able to earn a bit of referral credit.

And if you don't like Octopus, all those suppliers (and more) will still be there; you can switch away again.

DougMLancs

It’s struggled a little more recently from posts on here - probably a mix of all the extra customers and training up staff they’ve taken on from failed suppliers like Bulb. Personally I’ve been with them 5 years, had three lots of smart meter installations, two house moves, setting up export tariff and a gas meter removal and they’ve all gone pretty smoothly. Any queries I’ve had I normally DM them on Twitter where they’ve always resolved it within hours. They aren’t perfect but they are a good way ahead of the others and as a company they do seem to genuinely care about their customers and driving change in the energy sector!

[Deleted User]

Keu said:

I was moved to Shell Energy on one of those SOLR directives and to say it has been s'HELL ever since is probably an understatement.

We have all heard the ads about Octopus, "the only energy company that Which? recommends" but is it true?

I did consider moving to them but there were no tangible savings and I was wary of jumping from Frying pan into the fire.

So I made a call to Octopus to get the lay of the land, my first impressions were wonderful albeit that they are only what one might expect from any Energy Company, it is just s'Hell made everything so difficult because of the way they structured their business and the IT systems which was so badly flawed..

I noticed Octopus only open during office hours so I expected it to be manic and 43 people in the queue ahead of me.  Yet the phone at Octopus was answered relatively quickly, (unlike Shell it was not one of the many foreign call centres who are nothing more than a message taking service) the chap was helpful and pleasant.  

I have had a billing issue with Shell Energy for some time, they took months to onboard me from the SOLR, I somehow got "lost" in their system, luckily I had the good sense to save up.  Then they failed to issue an accurate bill for the following six months. Finally, I spoke to a decent person who told me how to fix the fault in their system, it lasted for 5 months and then the errors started again, currently in middle of ombudsman referral.

So I asked some questions about Octopus Energy and they were very open, told me how their billing system worked, said I can pay only what I owe by variable direct debit, they can accommodate how I want to provide my reads and generate a bill based on those reads.  This might sound like a small ask, but with S'Hell they issued estimated reads even if I provided reads within the 24 hour window they dictated.   I know people with Shell Energy who got Estimated reads even though they had a smart meter.  

Basically, Octopus seem to have nailed every aspect of customer service, they were unable to give me their October Tariff yet but based on July 2023 Tariff it will be a £12 cheaper per annum.

Based on what I have been told, I will be moved to the Octopus Billing System and if everything the chap says is true, I should have no reason to contact them.  It seems that their IT system is built around the customer, giving them absolute control.  

So am I dreaming?  Is Octopus all it is cracked up to be or will it be cracking at the seams by taking on a million new customers?

Don’t assume that this is going to happen anytime soon. The purchase has still to be approved by the CMA. Moreover, based on its buyout of Bulb, the transfer of accounts took some months. 

If you are happy moving to Octopus, then why wait? You could switch today.

luvchocolate

I was with Shell but unlike the OP I had no problem with them at all. 
However when I read on here they were selling their retail division I preferred to choose my replacement so with a referral from my son I moved to Octopus..
We both recieved the £50 credit. 

It may be worthwhile checking if this is still an option 

Keu

QrizB said:

Octopus has something like 5 million happy customers. Once it takes on those from Shell, it will be the second-largest UK domestic energy retailer, after IIRC British Gas.

There are many happy Octopus customers on this forum, and the occasional unhappy one. I might be biased (I'm with Octopus and am happy) but I think we see far more upset BG / SP / EDF / EON customers than we do Octopus ones.

Don't forget that if you switch to Octopus voluntarily, before the deal goes through, you might be able to earn a bit of referral credit.

And if you don't like Octopus, all those suppliers (and more) will still be there; you can switch away again.

@QrizB I did not know that people were able to switch, also I think Shell Energy may be asked to pay me some money so I thought I would await the outcome of the Ombudsman.  

I agree with you that the number of people complaining seems very high on the other companies compared to Octopus.

How does this referral credit work?

QrizB

Keu said:

How does this referral credit work?

You apply to switch to Octopus - just like any other switcher - and enter a code (either at the time of applying, or later via your online Octopus account). You and the referrer each get a £50 credit to your Octopus accounts.

luvchocolate

My son..an Octopus customer sent me a referral link....the whole switch took 8 days. 
Credit refund from Shell shortly afterwards 

Gerry1

I'll happily recommend Octopus.  Their bills couldn't be clearer; their Kraken system is so good that they're licensing it to other companies.

Their app is also very good.  Download it and have a read to get a better feel of what they're all about.

Grey_Critic

I contacted Octopus about my Direct Debit - with over two months energy costs in credit they were trying to push it up, No Chance.

Invited them to quote me a new deal. The figures they quoted for Electric were actually 10 units less than I had used in the last 12 months. Gas was different they quoted a projected figure 60% more than the last 12 months. I questioned this pointing out it amounted to £480 more than I paid this year. Said I want a quote based on Like for Like consumption. 

For years I have been able to calculate my total bills year on year within £50.00.  All about how much money they can put in their bank account. No problem as long as they pay me the same interest as I get elsewhere currently 6%

QrizB

Grey_Critic said:

Invited them to quote me a new deal. The figures they quoted for Electric were actually 10 units less than I had used in the last 12 months. Gas was different they quoted a projected figure 60% more than the last 12 months. I questioned this pointing out it amounted to £480 more than I paid this year. Said I want a quote based on Like for Like consumption. 

For years I have been able to calculate my total bills year on year within £50.00.  All about how much money they can put in their bank account.

Not wishing to detract from your point, so long as you're in credit Octopus allow you to adjust your own DD from within your account. If you think it's too high, you can change it to make it smaller.
They're also very good at refunding overpayments on request. I've asked for a refund every quarter this year, and it's been paid within the stated period. (I could reduce my DD but I'm getting cashback on it.)