Octopus failed to apply Warm Home Discount

hopeless45

Hello

Please could you help. 

I'm disabled and receive Employment and Support Allowance with a Severe Disablement Premium and Disability Living Allowance. 

I moved to a new house on 4 August 2023 and signed up with Octopus on 9 August 2023.

I kept emailing Octopus about the Warm Home Discount, telling them I believed I was eligible due to the benefits I receive.  They responded saying all was in order, there was nothing for me to do and the Warm Home Discount would be applied automatically. 

I have at least three emails saying this. 

Wind forward to February 2024 and I had still not received the Warm Home Discount on my account so I contacted Octopus. 

They then told me to phone the DWP.  I phoned the DWP who deal with this and they wouldn't help saying Octopus are responsible.  I go back to Octopus and they say they're looking into this, but the Warm Home Discount will be sorted out and submitted by them. 

I hear nothing further and so I chase Octopus again at end of March. 

This time Octopus say in stark contrast to what they said in the earlier four emails that they're not responsible and that I must contact the DWP myself.  Of course, DWP don't want to know and refer me back to Octopus. 

It's been a lovely wild goose chase, ans I'm worried now about the cost of my electricity. I can't afford to lose the £150 WHD. 

How can I sort this out? 

Are Octopus indeed responsible for this?  They were advised when I opened my account of the benefits I received and all their emails promised the Warm Home Discount would be applied and there would be no problems. 

It's been suggested I raise a dispute with the Energy Ombudsman. 

Thank you for any help. 


. 

KxMx

hopeless45 said:

Hello

Please could you help. 

I'm disabled and receive Employment and Support Allowance with a Severe Disablement Premium and Disability Living Allowance. 

I moved to a new house on 4 August 2023 and signed up with Octopus on 9 August 2023.

I kept emailing Octopus about the Warm Home Discount, telling them I believed I was eligible due to the benefits I receive.  They responded saying all was in order, there was nothing for me to do and the Warm Home Discount would be applied automatically. 

I have at least three emails saying this. 

Wind forward to February 2024 and I had still not received the Warm Home Discount on my account so I contacted Octopus. 

They then told me to phone the DWP.  I phoned the DWP who deal with this and they wouldn't help saying Octopus are responsible.  I go back to Octopus and they say they're looking into this, but the Warm Home Discount will be sorted out and submitted by them. 

I hear nothing further and so I chase Octopus again at end of March. 

This time Octopus say in stark contrast to what they said in the earlier four emails that they're not responsible and that I must contact the DWP myself.  Of course, DWP don't want to know and refer me back to Octopus. 

It's been a lovely wild goose chase, ans I'm worried now about the cost of my electricity. I can't afford to lose the £150 WHD. 

How can I sort this out? 

Are Octopus indeed responsible for this?  They were advised when I opened my account of the benefits I received and all their emails promised the Warm Home Discount would be applied and there would be no problems. 

It's been suggested I raise a dispute with the Energy Ombudsman. 

Thank you for any help. 


. 

Is your ESA income related? 

Even if so, the WHD criteria changed 2 years ago.

You have to be receiving certain benefits AND living in a property deemed to have high energy costs. This is calculated by various pieces of data.

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales

Try this eligibility checker
https://www.check-warm-home-discount-eligibility.service.gov.uk/region/

Spoonie_Turtle

Assuming you live in England or Wales, and if your ESA is income-related, if you can tell us the size, age and type of property you live in then looking at the spreadsheet we can tell you if you should have been eligible or not. 
Because if the answer is no then at least you'll know and not need to expend any further effort trying to chase it.
(And if the answer is yes, you'll know it's probably worth pursuing, perhaps with your MP.)

Chrysalis

Criteria has changed, if you never got an eligibility letter, then the only thing Octopus did wrong was telling you it would be applied.