Tomato Energy (Electric Only Supplier) - Too Good To Be True ?

masonic

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

Their billing system automatically applies the £40 credit when the 6 week expires. The only people who have had to request it are those who received an interim estimated "final" bill that was later replaced. You can try asking them for it if they maintain that you did switch on the supposed switch date. Plus the £40 for them not paying by the appropriate deadline. But if I remember your case correctly, your distributor prevented the switch from taking place, and their records confirm that Octopus is your supplier.

At some point someone is going to have to take responsibility for billing you for the last couple of months. It should be Octopus. That is probably preferable to the Joint Administrators of TE in a few weeks or months time.

Edit: BLF's explanation would make sense - are you still being billed on the same account for gas?

SJMALBA

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

Their billing system automatically applies the £40 credit when the 6 week expires. The only people who have had to request it are those who received an interim estimated "final" bill that was later replaced. You can try asking them for it if they maintain that you did switch on the supposed switch date. Plus the £40 for them not paying by the appropriate deadline. But if I remember your case correctly, your distributor prevented the switch from taking place, and their records confirm that Octopus is your supplier.

At some point someone is going to have to take responsibility for billing you for the last couple of months. It should be Octopus. That is probably preferable to the Joint Administrators of TE in a few weeks or months time.

The DNO said 'Tomato Energy have been banned from taking on new customers in our distribution areas (due to non-payments to the DNO), however the CSS allowed them to process', and 'the DNO have actually requested to CSS that all Tomato Energy customer (since the cut-off date of 30th January) are ‘rolled back’ to their previous supplier – but this is still to be confirmed.'

SJMALBA

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

SNIP

Edit: BLF's explanation would make sense - are you still being billed on the same account for gas?

Yes, I am.

SJMALBA

Looking back through correspondence with Octopus, after receiving a bill on the switch day (for usage up to and including the penultimate day), I queried billing for the 'final day', and they said 'the final bill was issued for the period up to 7th February when your supply transferred to the new supplier. This means the 6th is technically covered in the final bill, and no additional bill will be generated by Octopus.

Contrary to the above, a charge for the 6th, and a bill including it, have now been produced.

masonic

Perhaps that is still yet to happen. If it does happen, then you'll be treated as not having switched. If it doesn't, then presumably you'll be a TE customer from the original switch date. The legislation has an exception for "circumstances of an exceptional nature beyond the control of the supplier", within which this would seem to fit, but you could try your luck. Should you subsequently be rolled back to Octopus and your final bill cancelled, then I doubt they would try to claw back the payment if they made it.

MWT

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

Their billing system automatically applies the £40 credit when the 6 week expires. The only people who have had to request it are those who received an interim estimated "final" bill that was later replaced. You can try asking them for it if they maintain that you did switch on the supposed switch date. Plus the £40 for them not paying by the appropriate deadline. But if I remember your case correctly, your distributor prevented the switch from taking place, and their records confirm that Octopus is your supplier.

At some point someone is going to have to take responsibility for billing you for the last couple of months. It should be Octopus. That is probably preferable to the Joint Administrators of TE in a few weeks or months time.

The DNO said 'Tomato Energy have been banned from taking on new customers in our distribution areas (due to non-payments to the DNO), however the CSS allowed them to process', and 'the DNO have actually requested to CSS that all Tomato Energy customer (since the cut-off date of 30th January) are ‘rolled back’ to their previous supplier – but this is still to be confirmed.'

That is a very damaging statement, and as far as I know, a roll-back like this would be unprecedented and is certainly going to cause some problems for the original losing providers, to say nothing of the customers who thought they were paying a lower tariff and of course Tomato who may have payments to refund...

masonic

MWT said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

Their billing system automatically applies the £40 credit when the 6 week expires. The only people who have had to request it are those who received an interim estimated "final" bill that was later replaced. You can try asking them for it if they maintain that you did switch on the supposed switch date. Plus the £40 for them not paying by the appropriate deadline. But if I remember your case correctly, your distributor prevented the switch from taking place, and their records confirm that Octopus is your supplier.

At some point someone is going to have to take responsibility for billing you for the last couple of months. It should be Octopus. That is probably preferable to the Joint Administrators of TE in a few weeks or months time.

The DNO said 'Tomato Energy have been banned from taking on new customers in our distribution areas (due to non-payments to the DNO), however the CSS allowed them to process', and 'the DNO have actually requested to CSS that all Tomato Energy customer (since the cut-off date of 30th January) are ‘rolled back’ to their previous supplier – but this is still to be confirmed.'

That is a very damaging statement, and as far as I know, a roll-back like this would be unprecedented and is certainly going to cause some problems for the original losing providers, to say nothing of the customers who thought they were paying a lower tariff and of course Tomato who may have payments to refund...

This is possibly one of the market participants referred to in the Ofgem notice today: "On 2 April 2025, the Authority was informed by multiple market participants that they were considering commencing legal proceedings against Tomato Energy for the recovery of unpaid liabilities totalling over £3m."

MWT

masonic said:

MWT said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

masonic said:

SJMALBA said:

SJMALBA said:

After 2 months, during which time both TE and Octopus Energy said, on multiple occasions, that the switch did take place, TE have now said that it did not, and I am still with Octopus! 

Can anyone clarify/confirm the GSOP rules regarding late final bills?

You didn't switch, so there was no requirement to issue one. However, TE would owe you the GSOP payment for failing to switch within the stipulated timeframe.

I should amend my earlier post in that TE have said that I 'remain with my previous supplier', and that my 'previous supplier is responsible for my supply and billing' - whether this means the switch didn't actually happen at all, or it did, but has been 'rolled back' as per the DNO's request, is unclear, but, Octopus maintain (again in correspondence this afternoon), that the switch did take place, that they are not my supplier, and have now, contrary to what they told me back in February, added a charge for the 'final day', and produced a bill for it (using a data collector reading), almost 2 months after the 'switch date'.

Their billing system automatically applies the £40 credit when the 6 week expires. The only people who have had to request it are those who received an interim estimated "final" bill that was later replaced. You can try asking them for it if they maintain that you did switch on the supposed switch date. Plus the £40 for them not paying by the appropriate deadline. But if I remember your case correctly, your distributor prevented the switch from taking place, and their records confirm that Octopus is your supplier.

At some point someone is going to have to take responsibility for billing you for the last couple of months. It should be Octopus. That is probably preferable to the Joint Administrators of TE in a few weeks or months time.

The DNO said 'Tomato Energy have been banned from taking on new customers in our distribution areas (due to non-payments to the DNO), however the CSS allowed them to process', and 'the DNO have actually requested to CSS that all Tomato Energy customer (since the cut-off date of 30th January) are ‘rolled back’ to their previous supplier – but this is still to be confirmed.'

That is a very damaging statement, and as far as I know, a roll-back like this would be unprecedented and is certainly going to cause some problems for the original losing providers, to say nothing of the customers who thought they were paying a lower tariff and of course Tomato who may have payments to refund...

This is possibly one of the market participants referred to in the Ofgem notice today: "On 2 April 2025, the Authority was informed by multiple market participants that they were considering commencing legal proceedings against Tomato Energy for the recovery of unpaid liabilities totalling over £3m."

That would seem likely.

joowho

Over 3 months since joining TE and having no data whatsoever in myWatts or any bills despite chasing and being added to the technical team 'spreadsheet' in January, I phoned again earlier in the week and have today received a bill covering 3 months, not on the Lifestyle TOU tariff I signed up to but their standard single rate tariff (usage based on meter reads I gave) which, by my reckoning, has worked out around 20% more expensive.  Have been told that until they can get myWatts working that's how it is and they will rebill when/if(?) data ever comes through.  Should add no problems previously with Octopus tracker & Bright app is still recording HH usage (smets2 meter) and now nothing to encourage TE to sort it out as they will be being paid more! 

Bendo

I'd refuse to pay and complain to the ombudsman if it comes to it. Their incompetence resulting in inability to read a communicating smart meter is not a legitimate reason to bill at svr rates.