Octopus Energy Scandal

TroubledTarts

moto50 said:

We have been with Octopus for years, and have never been in arrears or missed any payments. We pay £160 each month for our Electric. Yet, we are increasingly building up credit - recently over £700 (we were permitted a percentage to be refunded)

We are told we MUST pay that amount, and they refuse to allow us to pay less, even when competitors are offering (INCLUSIVE of the April Rise) £133/month.

They cans we are always in credit, and as I say that £700 or just under pre-refund was after the winter on E7 heating - so we are paying well over, as this will rise to £1550-1900 over the summer when the power usage drops.

So how many others are propping up the energy companies by force? Because our credit is paying for these that cannot afford to pay for their use or their supply losses.

We asked the question today, over the disparity of what we are paying, what they are charging and if we can lower our payments - the lady did not have an answer other than going elsewhere! So you are being FORCED to pay more than you use.

To be clear you are not FORCED to pay by direct debit. You could in fact ask to pay by variable direct debit for the energy you use rather than the yearly guesstimate.

You can also easily adjust your own direct debit on the customer portals.

paradigital

Another Octopus user here who has set their own DD payment value (based on my own spreadsheet of the last two years of bills), and has also without fuss refunded over £1000 worth of credit.

Unless there are some specific circumstances or problems the OP is experiencing, I don’t understand the issue?

mjm3346

Octopus DD monthly for the exact amount - no issues

northernstar007

i also pay £1 DD then the rest of the bill straightaway on a reward credit card

confused.com2

Don't take any notice of the monthly payments other companies are offering, you need to compare the unit prices to get an accurate idea.

QrizB

There is no scandal here.

Move along folk, nothing to see.

moto50

Firstly - thankyou for your comments, using the app to reduce is something we have not looked into, as we just pay whatever is needed.

Now, we have asked numerous times to reduce the amount paid each month to more accurately cover what we are using. Each time, INCLUDING TODAY - Octopus have told us that isn't possible. We have been told to KEEP the payment the same, or USE ANOTHER SUPPLIER.

Now, I am neuro diverse, so may have missed something here. Surely, if it was as simple as changing a setting in an app, or moving to a variable direct debut - why wouldn't the Octopus CS agent just say that, rather than telling us to go to a competitor? Rather lose a customer that pays on time, every time - over allowing them to pay what the bill really is? Customer service are meant to help, the company is mean to be honest - so why not state that?

I still think there is an active interest in keeping your money in their accounts to trade with, instead of just allowing you to pay for what you use? Why can I not pay what is owed or at least somewhere closer to it?

Yes, I do have a smart meter - no, it does not match the bill, nor the package we are on, and changes all the time. Octopus told us to ignore it. The meter thinks we are using over £250 a month as the day rates and unit rates change up and down daily. We pay £160 and accrue huge amounts of credit.

Octopus have our package at one rate - the bill states we have charged at a lesser rate per unit/standing charge the meter does what it likes. Moaned since they put it in, told it is all fine, they can't answer why and not to worry about it.

Why should that be good enough? How can you accurately pay what is owed, when the company billing you don't know and can't answer why either? I do find that a scandal - you are paying an amount, and the company cannot account for what or how much? That is ok?

Sure, Sheep - nothing to see, move along. Pay the money, do what you are told. Easy answer I guess.

GingerTim

When you say smart meter doesn't match the bill, do you mean the actual meter on the wall, or the little in-home display? The latter is often incorrect compared to your bill and tariff.

Also, insulting everyone because they happen to disagree with you or you don't like the advice isn't a great look.

victor2

moto50 said:

Firstly - thankyou for your comments, using the app to reduce is something we have not looked into, as we just pay whatever is needed.

Now, we have asked numerous times to reduce the amount paid each month to more accurately cover what we are using. Each time, INCLUDING TODAY - Octopus have told us that isn't possible. We have been told to KEEP the payment the same, or USE ANOTHER SUPPLIER.

Now, I am neuro diverse, so may have missed something here. Surely, if it was as simple as changing a setting in an app, or moving to a variable direct debut - why wouldn't the Octopus CS agent just say that, rather than telling us to go to a competitor? Rather lose a customer that pays on time, every time - over allowing them to pay what the bill really is? Customer service are meant to help, the company is mean to be honest - so why not state that?

I still think there is an active interest in keeping your money in their accounts to trade with, instead of just allowing you to pay for what you use? Why can I not pay what is owed or at least somewhere closer to it?

Yes, I do have a smart meter - no, it does not match the bill, nor the package we are on, and changes all the time. Octopus told us to ignore it. The meter thinks we are using over £250 a month as the day rates and unit rates change up and down daily. We pay £160 and accrue huge amounts of credit.

Octopus have our package at one rate - the bill states we have charged at a lesser rate per unit/standing charge the meter does what it likes. Moaned since they put it in, told it is all fine, they can't answer why and not to worry about it.

Why should that be good enough? How can you accurately pay what is owed, when the company billing you don't know and can't answer why either? I do find that a scandal - you are paying an amount, and the company cannot account for what or how much? That is ok?

Sure, Sheep - nothing to see, move along. Pay the money, do what you are told. Easy answer I guess.

What you say does not reflect other people's experience with Octopus,

You are presumably referring to the In House Display (IHD) when you say your smart meter does not match the bill. The meter itself must be sending readings to Octopus for them to bill you. Many people just chuck the IHD in a drawer once the novelty has worn off. It should know your tariff rates, but really they are only useful for showing your consumption in kWh.

As already suggested, you can ask Octopus to switch your account to a variable Direct Debit so that you only pay for what you have actually used, after you have used it. Then you will never have a credit balance, but should be prepared for larger bills in the winter than the summer. You can request that by emailing them. I've already done that for one Octopus account I look after.

Maybe a little diplomacy in the way you correspond with Octopus is all that is required?

masonic

moto50 said:

Firstly - thankyou for your comments, using the app to reduce is something we have not looked into, as we just pay whatever is needed.

Now, we have asked numerous times to reduce the amount paid each month to more accurately cover what we are using. Each time, INCLUDING TODAY - Octopus have told us that isn't possible. We have been told to KEEP the payment the same, or USE ANOTHER SUPPLIER.

Now, I am neuro diverse, so may have missed something here. Surely, if it was as simple as changing a setting in an app, or moving to a variable direct debut - why wouldn't the Octopus CS agent just say that, rather than telling us to go to a competitor? Rather lose a customer that pays on time, every time - over allowing them to pay what the bill really is? Customer service are meant to help, the company is mean to be honest - so why not state that?

They were probably answering the question they were asked. Have you tried asking to move to variable direct debit?

moto50 said:

I still think there is an active interest in keeping your money in their accounts to trade with, instead of just allowing you to pay for what you use? Why can I not pay what is owed or at least somewhere closer to it?

That is not what this payment option is designed to do. It is for customers who would not be able to avoid large fluctuations in their energy costs. By fixing the payment and maintaining credit on the account, costs are spread over the year and a buffer is there to absorb rising prices. If that's not what you want then you can opt to pay for what you use when you use it. It is your choice.

moto50 said:

Yes, I do have a smart meter - no, it does not match the bill, nor the package we are on, and changes all the time. Octopus told us to ignore it. The meter thinks we are using over £250 a month as the day rates and unit rates change up and down daily. We pay £160 and accrue huge amounts of credit.

Octopus have our package at one rate - the bill states we have charged at a lesser rate per unit/standing charge the meter does what it likes. Moaned since they put it in, told it is all fine, they can't answer why and not to worry about it.

What you seem to be describing is a misunderstanding between the In Home Display and the meter. Your meter does not record usage in pounds and pence, it records kWh. If your unit rates change up and down daily, then that would mean you are on a time of use tariff such as Agile or Tracker. Some IHDs try to estimate price based on a standard unit rate, but that isn't accurate for a tariff like yours. It is good advice to ignore it, or switch the display from price to units. Better still, use the app and/or get an Octopus Home Mini to track costs more reliably.

The meter does not do what it likes. Your meter is the source of the information used to calculate your bills, and if I am understanding correctly you are happy with the charges in your bill as opposed to the charges estimated by your In Home Display. So perhaps turn that off and put it in a drawer if you cannot switch off the price estimation feature.

moto50 said:

Why should that be good enough? How can you accurately pay what is owed, when the company billing you don't know and can't answer why either? I do find that a scandal - you are paying an amount, and the company cannot account for what or how much? That is ok?

Sure, Sheep - nothing to see, move along. Pay the money, do what you are told. Easy answer I guess.

Branding those who are trying to explain things to you as "Sheep" is rarely productive, however common it might have become in this post-truth age.