Octopus Energy Simply Ripping Customers Off

JonGP

Sounds like an aggressive title, but it's true.

I've been with Octopus Energy for about 5 years now and every year without fail, I have to request a refund of overpayment to the tune of around £700 each time.

Over the last 5 years I've complained about this and been given all sorts of spurious reasons why they overcharged me from computer issues, to changes in my payments adequacy review, to a spike in my energy useage right at the time my adequacy review is done etc.

This year I decided to look into this in more detail following an increase in my DD, but my useage has gone down considerably since both my children moved into their own homes in the last 18 months.

We have a Smart meter with an IHD, (in home display), installed October 2023.

At work we use something called ChatGPT v4.0.  This is a great tool for analysing things.  To save some time, I downloaded all of my bills from November 2023 to June 2024 and got ChatGPT to give me my useage by month in Kwh and £ for both gas and electricity. 

I then took the same dates and manually got the figures from my online account, (which by the way were different figures to the app).

GPT told me there was a discrepancy of around £32 per month on average between my bill and my online account.  

I first thought this was my standing charge, but when I checked I had included the standing charge in my manual figures.  I checked the bill date and filter in my online account to make sure I was comparing like for like and I was.

I then asked GPT to calculate my annual useage bases on the 8 months data I gave it.  Octopus Energy want £211.77 per month.  GPT estimated my useage to be £135.15 per month.

To confirm the figures from GPT, I did a manual check and got the same figure of £135.15.

So this formed part of my complaint to Octopus Energy. 

The second part was my IHD, which has never worked.  The installer told me it needs a few days to pick up the network.   I didn't understand this as my mobile can pick up a network,  so can my tablet and laptop.

Having had 3 IHD's and moved them to various places in the home on the advice of Octopus Energy and we live in Birmingham, they have never worked.  They now want to send a 4th.

The third part of my complaint was in April when I requested the last refund, I agreed with Jack the advisor I would pay £25 per month by DD and clear the bill in full by 1st of each month.  

This all seemed fine, but the next bill they increased my DD and never told me.

On 26th July I made a formal complaint and as of today, I have had various excuses for just receiving holding emails, people off ill, in meetings, on training courses, on annual leave.

My concern is Octopus Energy are overcharging people deliberately on their bills, which I think is illegal and inflating DDs deliberately.   If they have 7mln customers and make £700 per year off each of them and then refund them, the interest they are making is staggering at 4%, £196mln.  This also is illegal I think. 

I want to add, the only reason I had a Smart meter was because I kept getting emails from Octopus Energy, texts.  Everytime I logged into my account, I was forced to have to encounter the Smart Meter screen, I couldn't just log in, do what I wanted to and Exit, so in the end, to make my life easier, I agreed to have one.  Worst decision I made.

I have 3 weeks left of the 8 week complaint period and will then take this matter to the Ombudsman. 

That's my story.

Does anyone have any experience of raising complaints with the Ombudsman?

Sly72

You can amend your DD online to suite you.

JReacher1

As Sly says just lower your DD in your online account. I change mine frequently. 

Ayr_Rage

Your IHD connects to the network that is broadcast from the comms hub that sits on the top of the electricity meter, it has nothing to do with mobile phone or home WiFi networks.

Is your smart meter sending readings to Octopus and are you being billed on those actual readings?

There is nothing illegal happening, annoying yes, but that's often the way when paying a fixed DD, you are always chasing your tail and can end up seriously in credit or debit.

brewerdave

I've noticed since I moved to Octopus that they have a somewhat pessimistic view of my future usage hence monthly DD.
HOWEVER, unlike some of the other major suppliers ,it is very easy to alter the DD via the website - this I have done on a number of occasions in the past year.
No need to phone up Customer Services and have a "discussion" with an agent who says "computer says no" !

fatbelly

You just amend your d/d online, be aware what numbers you give them as readings and continually refuse a smart meter.

Never had a problem

Hoenir

JReacher1 said:

As Sly says just lower your DD in your online account. I change mine frequently. 

Review mine around every 3 months. Never have any issues as a consequence. 

born_again

As above. easy to manually adjust DD in your account. Mine was actually lower, when joining than I estimated. So I increased it. Currently £400 in credit which will nicely cover the winter increase.

I then asked GPT to calculate my annual usage bases on the 8 months data I gave it.  Octopus Energy want £211.77 per month.  GPT estimated my usage to be £135.15 per month.

Which 8 months. April to November will give a vastly different result to November to June. 

The third part of my complaint was in April when I requested the last refund, I agreed with Jack the advisor I would pay £25 per month by DD and clear the bill in full by 1st of each month.  

So if you requested a full refund (which might not be what was shown as often is based on next bill). & your AI worked out £135 a month DD. Where has the £25 DD come from?
You can't have a refund & reduce you DD that low. Even your figures confirm that...

Smart meter has nothing to do with your issue. 

IHD, chuck it in a draw & forget about it. If you want to view something like that, there are APP's that are far better.

Peter999_2

All you have to do is contact Octopus and ask them to change you to a variable DD.   I did this using a twitter DM to them.

From then on, you will get a bill monthly and 14 days later they will take the exact amount of the bill from you.   You will never be in credit or a large debit again.   It works really well for me.   I moved from Octopus to Eon for their cheap EV tariff and they also offered Variable DD but again I had to contact them to do it as it's not an option you can select on their website.

Netexporter

All you have to do is contact Octopus and ask them to change you to a variable DD.

You don't have to contact them. In most cases you can adjust it yourself. Go to the home page of your account and click on the "Payments" tab.

MP1995

If they have 7mln customers and make £700 per year off each of them and then refund them, the interest they are making is staggering at 4%, £196mln

To clear this up energy suppliers do not earn interest on any customer credits.