Octopus Energy economy 7 beware

RobMac

Hi,

Just thought I would share my experience with Octopus Energy. Hopefully you all have happy experiences but mine is far from great.
I am an Economy 7 user. Adapted my electricity usage to save money. I switched from Ovo to E.on to save money. E.on were terrible and ombudsman had to sort it. Moved to Octopus due to being which recommended...
They took over my electricity without issue and smart meter on 14th April all fine. 20th April I notice I'm on a flat tariff. An 8 minute call later its fixed whilst on the phone. Great.
25th August notice that no bills and lots of credit so email Octopus. Response in hours apologising and giving £30 credit. Wow. Great.
Then I read my bill. I'm on a flat rate. I email asking why and notice my account is showing flat rate again. Many emails, videos, photos of meter later and I'm informed its fixed again. Now being less trusting I check. Rate 2 is not being used, just rate 1. Rate 2 had not been read since the start on 14th April.
I have emailed and called. Its still not fixed. On one call they tell me nothing is being done about it. The system however shows me on economy 7. Now because I'm on Economy 7 but they only are drawing one reading I'm being charged the much higher day rate for all my electricity usage.
After many emails, requests for an escalated complaint, the ceo email being ignored, I am at a standstill as to a resolution.
Octopus allow you to download all your energy usage. So I did. 10 minutes on excel I worked out my day usage and night usage over the last several months. If they charge me flat rate I'm overcharged about £80. I have informed them. Their reply.
"before the correction was put into place your meter was only clocking the day rate, and we cannot retroactively change this".
They apparently can't use a spreadsheet to calculate the overcharge. They also have offered nothing to credit the overcharge and won't. They have told me that if I insist on being Economy 7 my last 5 months usage will be billed at the higher day rate 24 hours. They have done this now and I have been overcharged £350 plus. They also continue to overcharge as they are still not taking a rate 2 reading.
I tried to speak to my customer service dedicated person. Strangely they email me and then immediately went on leaving. I call Octopus but no one will help me as only my dedicated person can deal with me and I should expect a call in a week or 2 when they return.
I fully expect to need to use the Ombudsman again to try and fix this and then move back to where I started with Ovo. I think I am cursed.
The claim Octopus Energy are the best for customer service is a matter of perspective. I think if they can fix your problem easily they may be they are best. If you have anything slightly tricky they are awful. Emails now take a week to answer. Calls can last 30 minutes whilst you plead with someone to help and get a flat refusal to help or get involved. I just want to get Electricity, pay my bill according to the contract and live peacefully. Why is that so hard. I so wish I had stayed paying more with Ovo...
Am I wrong that I took out a contract for economy 7, tailor my usage to that, find out that Octopus messed up my meter and so I have to pay extra because their computers can't cope with working out my usage even though I can. Is that too much to expect? Pretty sure If I underpaid they would be hounding me to pay them!

TheElectricCow

Interestingly, I had a similar sort of issue with Octopus a while ago getting switched over to E7, even including the part where billing stops, and while they were fairly slow to resolve it they did eventually do so after a month or two of pretty one sided emailing.

What’s more interesting is that they did actually retroactively apply the change, albeit by only about a week, and my meter immediately updated from recording on R1 only to showing the previous week’s night usage on to R2.

It seems that they in fact can do what you’re asking of them, but for whatever reason will not in your case.

QrizB

OP it sounds like you have had a dreadful time with Octopus.

Did you ever raise a formal complaint by emailing the issue resolution address here?

https://octopus.energy/unhappy/

If you don't get satisfaction, after eight weeks you can take Octopus to the Ombudsman.

RobMac

Hi,

Yes. I did raise a formal complaint. I got a dedicated customer services person. The offshoot is that if they ignore you or take holidays no one else in the company will touch your case or try and help. Wonderful system. The problem with waiting 8 weeks is that they continue to charge me incorrectly, as they still have not fixed the rate 2 issue. They also cannot use Excel to work out the overcharge so I get billed the higher price because the computer does not tell them the answer. Its shocking. I keep doing my washing etc overnight as if on economy 7 but seems somewhat ridiculous considering.

QrizB

Keep updating your records and your spreadsheet. When you go to the Ombudsman you will be able to prove your financial loss, and can ask for it to be made good as part of the settlement.

RobMac

TheElectricCow said:

Interestingly, I had a similar sort of issue with Octopus a while ago getting switched over to E7, even including the part where billing stops, and while they were fairly slow to resolve it they did eventually do so after a month or two of pretty one sided emailing.

What’s more interesting is that they did actually retroactively apply the change, albeit by only about a week, and my meter immediately updated from recording on R1 only to showing the previous week’s night usage on to R2.

It seems that they in fact can do what you’re asking of them, but for whatever reason will not in your case.

Hi,

Thank you that is very interesting to know. Good to not be alone but concerning that they are not learning from their mistakes.
The last email from Octopus was that they can't do as I requested and that I can have it on flat rate to save me some money or just pay the higher rate. I very much felt I was being treated as if I was a nuisance and should go away. I don't tend to let it drop when a company overcharges me hundreds of pounds though.

markin

If its a smart meter they would bill by the 30min Data segments, The is no need for them to use R02.  They should have pulled the data for the last 5 months to re-bill in E7, But they warned you they wouldn't and that they would charge at day rate, Ask them to re-bill at single rate!

If you submit a reading it should automatically produce a bill and will show you if you are on E7 or not.


Have you looked at the other smart tariffs like tracker?


They have a lot of new staff from Bulb, Ect, They all need retraining.
 

RobMac

So it continues. 

They emailed back and they still seem unable to properly calculate my economy 7 rate. I can have a flat rate which would be cheaper than economy 7 all on day rate but still more expensive than if they actually calculated me on economy 7. They don't like I have suggested in frustration they breach their contract to supply economy 7. They still have no eta for meter reading to be corrected. So it nudges close to 8 weeks now and then ombudsman to resolve. I'm mad at myself for 2 things. First is to listen to the adverts that they are which recommended and the second is not watching and checking my meter and trusting their customer service. Should know better.

RobMac

Update.

So on 12th October they finally accept Economy 7 would be cheaper for me and will compensate if they can't get the meter readings correctly updated which is what they are seeking to do. The meter was now having its configuration updated to do 2 readings. This would take a few days apparently. The few days came and went and their automated email about it taking more than 8 weeks came through. On that was a link for a senior manager to become involved and resolve my issue before using ombudsman. I did this. Nothing. So this morning after over 8 weeks of trying I have referred to the energy ombudsman as a last resort. Been told several times its being fixed so don't trust it will ever happen. If Octopus are the which recommended then the energy sector is a difficult place to be as a customer. 

MultiFuelBurner

RobMac said:

Update.

So on 12th October they finally accept Economy 7 would be cheaper for me and will compensate if they can't get the meter readings correctly updated which is what they are seeking to do. The meter was now having its configuration updated to do 2 readings. This would take a few days apparently. The few days came and went and their automated email about it taking more than 8 weeks came through. On that was a link for a senior manager to become involved and resolve my issue before using ombudsman. I did this. Nothing. So this morning after over 8 weeks of trying I have referred to the energy ombudsman as a last resort. Been told several times its being fixed so don't trust it will ever happen. If Octopus are the which recommended then the energy sector is a difficult place to be as a customer. 

I don't generally tell people to switch away from Octopus but when this is all settled have you looked at the EDF Economy 7 rates for your area as others seem very impressed with their overnight rates.

RobMac

MultiFuelBurner said:

RobMac said:

Update.

So on 12th October they finally accept Economy 7 would be cheaper for me and will compensate if they can't get the meter readings correctly updated which is what they are seeking to do. The meter was now having its configuration updated to do 2 readings. This would take a few days apparently. The few days came and went and their automated email about it taking more than 8 weeks came through. On that was a link for a senior manager to become involved and resolve my issue before using ombudsman. I did this. Nothing. So this morning after over 8 weeks of trying I have referred to the energy ombudsman as a last resort. Been told several times its being fixed so don't trust it will ever happen. If Octopus are the which recommended then the energy sector is a difficult place to be as a customer. 

I don't generally tell people to switch away from Octopus but when this is all settled have you looked at the EDF Economy 7 rates for your area as others seem very impressed with their overnight rates.

Ironically I looked them up first as they give very good rates for economy 7 around my way. Bizarrely their systems think my house is a business though and they were unable to get around that. My home has never been a business and lived there 8 years so no idea... I am truly cursed.