Octopus Energy and their 3rd party company PayLink

bery_451

Hi,

I have a elderly relative that needs help/support:

https://octopus.energy/blog/octo-assist/

Octopus says their Octo Assist Fund is outsourced run by a 3rd party company called Paylink.

Is Paylink like a credit rating reference agency like Experian or Equifax where you exchange your private financial information and your personal sensitive info to them in return to be Assessed by them so they can check your financial accounts like your bank accounts to see if your overdrawn and hence qualify? 

Just to confirm for the help/support shown in the link above you need to show that you are in debt and the only way Paylink will see if qualify and eligible for the help support is giving them permission to access your personal accounts or does Paylink check your credit rating and those with bad credit ratings or scores qualify for the support by them?

Also with Paylink do you need to provide your Balance Sheet showing all of your incomings & outcomings like what an accountant would do?

I ask because Octopus offering free electric blankets and cannot understand the Hurdles above just to get one. 

molerat

They want to check that you actually cannot afford the electric blanket, they are not just giving them away to all and sundry.  Paylink market themselves as affordability intelligence and will look at your overall situation for the supplier and offer assistance as required, it is not just about giving away electric blankets.

bery_451

molerat said:

They want to check that you actually cannot afford the electric blanket, they are not just giving them away to all and sundry.  Paylink market themselves as affordability intelligence and will look at your overall situation for the supplier and offer assistance as required, it is not just about giving away electric blankets.

Yeah I know its not about giving away electric blankets however my elderly relative is on the priority register and lets say its £30 for a electric blanket, 30 quid is a lot for my elderly relative, its not like my elderly relative can go work in McDonalds and work for 3 hours at minimum wage to buy that electric blanket.

My main concern is the private Data giving to the 3rd parties in exchange for 30 quid electric blanket. In this day modern day age of computers running the world, Data is Gold. All of those social media accounts like fakebook, whatsapp, insta and such are never free, you are sacrificing your private data just to use them and these big tech companies harvest your data which is like Gold to them. 

So that blanket is never free. There's no such thing as a free lunch especially in the digital world. You are exchanging your limited time and your private data which is more valuable than money itself for a electric blanket is lets say not worth it.

This "Affordability Intelligence" you speak of, is this some sort of a new market where new companies will form to replace credit reference agencies? How does this Intelligence determine you qualify or met their criteria in the link above not just for the electric blanket? Is it showing a negative bank balance?

molerat

The electric blanket is not a stand alone offer, it is part of the £30M Octopus Assist fund which helps those in need to stay warm.

1) Financial support from Octopus Assist 🐙

In the energy crisis, we set up Octopus Assist: a £15m fund which we increased to £30m over the winter to support even more customers struggling with bills.

Our support is designed to target those in the greatest need. The families who struggled to afford the bills even before the energy crisis, and those whose health and safety relies on heat and power.

If you'd like to apply, we'll ask you to fill out some information about your incomings and outgoings so we can better understand your situation.

Then, we'll offer you advice and support that's most appropriate for your circumstances from a number of wide-ranging schemes like standing charge holidays, personalised account help, and direct bill support.

You can also loan a thermal camera for free to find draughts around your home. Plug one of our infrared cameras into your smartphone to see where heat is escaping, and we'll share tips and ideas to help you fill those gaps to avoid wasting energy.

We’re also offering free electric blankets, which can save the average home £300 per year (they cost between 2 - 4p per hour to run). We’re giving them out free to those in greatest need – particularly the elderly, or those with medical or mobility issues.

Our electric blankets scheme is there to support customers most in need, particularly for people with really specific vulnerabilities and medical needs. To make sure the blankets are getting into the right hands, we’ll be prioritising those customers. Customers who apply for our Octo Assist will be assessed and offered the support that’ll be most appropriate for them.

To start the process, create a Paylink budget to see what support is available, and to see if you qualify for financial assistance.

If you are struggling with your bills, please do contact us, as there are other ways we can help.

If you can, do think about buying an electric blanket yourself: they tend to cost around £60 and our research shows the typical home could save £300 by using an electric blanket to keep warm rather than always heating the whole house.

Paylink merely process the data that Octopus need to determine if you are sufficiently in need of assistance according to their criteria.  That is what they do, they are set up to process data for other people, they are unlikely to be selling it on. But in the end it all comes down to one thing, it's their game you want to play so it is their rules you need to play by.

wrf12345

You can opt out of linking your bank account and doing a credit check, enter things manually instead, though be aware that pensions have a separate section and are not filled in at the earlier income section (where my logic would put them), a bit annoying but in line with modern thinking that they are a welfare benefit more than anything else (as in we are all on welfare, these days).

GingerTim

wrf12345 said:

You can opt out of linking your bank account and doing a credit check, enter things manually instead, though be aware that pensions have a separate section and are not filled in at the earlier income section (where my logic would put them), a bit annoying but in line with modern thinking that they are a welfare benefit more than anything else (as in we are all on welfare, these days).

To be fair, pensions are benefits.

born_again

Go through the process of filling the form in Octopus contact you & ask what support you would like.

Form is a bit of a PIA, but after that it is simple. 
The electric blankets are just heated throws. But are very good 👍

MoneyMon555

  That is what they do, they are set up to process data for other people, they are unlikely to be selling it on. But in the end it all comes down to one thing, it's their game you want to play so it is their rules you need to play by.

'Unlikely to be selling it on' isn't confidence inspiring for the OP though is it? Once a company has this really sensitive information, they can do what they want with it, and a financial incentive to sell is all that is needed for them.