Octopus Energy Bills - Watch those pennies folks

MWT

BigDod12PR said:

MattMattMattUK said:

BigDod12PR said:

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your comments and feedback on this one.

I'd just like to give an update on where I am on this. I have been in touch with Octopus regarding this and they replied to me last night. I have shown below their email response. I still think they are wrong. Octopus have suggested to me that the additional few pence they have overcharged me could be due to one of three reasons but they couldn't say for sure why I have been overcharged. 

"Thank you for your question regarding your bill calculation. Let's break it down together.
If you calculate 550.5 kWh at a rate of 6.59 pence per kWh, the total would be:
550.5 kWh * 6.59 pence = 3,628.695 pence, which is £36.29 when converted to pounds.
It seems that you were charged £36.31, which is slightly higher than the calculated amount. This difference could be due to a few factors:

1. Additional Charges: Sometimes, there are additional fees or adjustments that can be added to your bill, such as standing charges or any applicable taxes.  - (Comment by BigDod12PR - The standing charge fee is on another line entry in the bill and accounted for so it has nothing to do with this).

2. Rounding: The final amount on your bill may also be rounded up to the nearest penny, which can cause a small discrepancy. (Comment by BigDod12PR - If rounded, the total for the gas should have been £36.29 and not £36.31 which they charged me)

3. Billing Period: If the bill covers a period where your usage varied, the average rate might differ slightly from the rate used for the calculation. (Comment by BigDod12PR - The rate they charge is listed in my bill. This is what they should be charging me.)

If you have any further questions or need more clarification, please feel free to ask!"

Look folks. A few years back, some banks & credit lenders were involved in a scam where people were getting pennies taken from their accounts. Nobody noticed as the value was so tiny and seemd so insignificant that nobody really questioned it. This actually happened. Millions were taken unlawfully.

According to data on Google, Octopus have around 7.3 million customers in the UK. If you consider 7.3 million customers having a couple of pence taken from them each month of the year all these pennies add up to a significant sum of money. I have only considered my gas calculations. I havent even looked into my electricity billing but I can only assume it will be the same with some pennies being over-charged.

This morning I contacted Police Scotland to report this as I truly belive that there is an element of fraud happening here. Police Scotland have taken a note of this. I have been advised to first discuss with Octopus. If not resolved with Octopus I need to contact the Energy Ombusman to take the matter further which I will as I am not satisfied by the response Octpus have provided. Why can't they say with certainty where my overcharge has occured?

Sorry to bang on here about this but I think we are all having the wool pulled over our eyes here. I think we are being fed a load of nonsense and a lot of people are just accepting this. We already get ripped off for our energy, I don't see why we should be paying a penny more for what we use. Especialy at others financial gain.

I'm not going to post anything further on here about it. I'm just going to take the matter up with the Energy Ombusman. I wont't settle unitl I have been shown why and how they have overcharged me. Only when I see this will I be abel to accept it.

They cannot show you "why and how they have overcharged" you, because they have not overcharged you. It is not about "being fed a load of nonsense" or "get ripped off", you are choosing to be unwilling to understand, that will get you nowhere in life. 

Trust me. I want to understand. Believe me I but my calculator does not lie. Octopus calculate the same sum as i do yet they charge me over 2 pence onmy bill. I don't care that they have taken 2 pence extra from me but I do care about them taking 2 pence extra each month from 7.3 million customers in the UK.

If you or anyone else can look at my bill and show to me how they calculated £36.91 (before the 5% VAT is applied) then i will gladly accept it and draw a line under the matter.

You are taking the rounded numbers which are displayed on the bill and reworking the calculation based only on the individual rounded numbers, that will not give you the same result as using the original unrounded numbers which are no displayed in full on the bill.

Not sure you are ever going to accept that the fault is in your methodology, not in the amount you are being charged.

GingerTim

You seriously reported this to the police?

QrizB

GingerTim said:

You seriously reported this to the police?

I'm sure a fair proportion of police reports are just as meritless as this one.

WiserMiser

You're still choosing to ignore what you've repeatedly been told.

Octopus are correctly charging you and everyone else at their published VAT-inclusive rates.

All that's happening is that the ex-VAT figure shown in their calculation has been rounded to two decimal places for brevity, but they use the 'real' figure in their calculation.

If you tell us your region and tariff someone will come along and do the sums for you.

bristolleedsfan

MWT said:

BigDod12PR said:

MattMattMattUK said:

BigDod12PR said:

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your comments and feedback on this one.

I'd just like to give an update on where I am on this. I have been in touch with Octopus regarding this and they replied to me last night. I have shown below their email response. I still think they are wrong. Octopus have suggested to me that the additional few pence they have overcharged me could be due to one of three reasons but they couldn't say for sure why I have been overcharged. 

"Thank you for your question regarding your bill calculation. Let's break it down together.
If you calculate 550.5 kWh at a rate of 6.59 pence per kWh, the total would be:
550.5 kWh * 6.59 pence = 3,628.695 pence, which is £36.29 when converted to pounds.
It seems that you were charged £36.31, which is slightly higher than the calculated amount. This difference could be due to a few factors:

1. Additional Charges: Sometimes, there are additional fees or adjustments that can be added to your bill, such as standing charges or any applicable taxes.  - (Comment by BigDod12PR - The standing charge fee is on another line entry in the bill and accounted for so it has nothing to do with this).

2. Rounding: The final amount on your bill may also be rounded up to the nearest penny, which can cause a small discrepancy. (Comment by BigDod12PR - If rounded, the total for the gas should have been £36.29 and not £36.31 which they charged me)

3. Billing Period: If the bill covers a period where your usage varied, the average rate might differ slightly from the rate used for the calculation. (Comment by BigDod12PR - The rate they charge is listed in my bill. This is what they should be charging me.)

If you have any further questions or need more clarification, please feel free to ask!"

Look folks. A few years back, some banks & credit lenders were involved in a scam where people were getting pennies taken from their accounts. Nobody noticed as the value was so tiny and seemd so insignificant that nobody really questioned it. This actually happened. Millions were taken unlawfully.

According to data on Google, Octopus have around 7.3 million customers in the UK. If you consider 7.3 million customers having a couple of pence taken from them each month of the year all these pennies add up to a significant sum of money. I have only considered my gas calculations. I havent even looked into my electricity billing but I can only assume it will be the same with some pennies being over-charged.

This morning I contacted Police Scotland to report this as I truly belive that there is an element of fraud happening here. Police Scotland have taken a note of this. I have been advised to first discuss with Octopus. If not resolved with Octopus I need to contact the Energy Ombusman to take the matter further which I will as I am not satisfied by the response Octpus have provided. Why can't they say with certainty where my overcharge has occured?

Sorry to bang on here about this but I think we are all having the wool pulled over our eyes here. I think we are being fed a load of nonsense and a lot of people are just accepting this. We already get ripped off for our energy, I don't see why we should be paying a penny more for what we use. Especialy at others financial gain.

I'm not going to post anything further on here about it. I'm just going to take the matter up with the Energy Ombusman. I wont't settle unitl I have been shown why and how they have overcharged me. Only when I see this will I be abel to accept it.

They cannot show you "why and how they have overcharged" you, because they have not overcharged you. It is not about "being fed a load of nonsense" or "get ripped off", you are choosing to be unwilling to understand, that will get you nowhere in life. 

Trust me. I want to understand. Believe me I but my calculator does not lie. Octopus calculate the same sum as i do yet they charge me over 2 pence onmy bill. I don't care that they have taken 2 pence extra from me but I do care about them taking 2 pence extra each month from 7.3 million customers in the UK.

If you or anyone else can look at my bill and show to me how they calculated £36.91 (before the 5% VAT is applied) then i will gladly accept it and draw a line under the matter.

You are taking the rounded numbers which are displayed on the bill and reworking the calculation based only on the individual rounded numbers, that will not give you the same result as using the original unrounded numbers which are no displayed in full on the bill.

British Gas spot on, get same result when using individual rounded numbers

14.7 kWh @ 7.069p = £1.04 + Vat ( 14.7 kWh @ 7.07p = £1.04 + Vat

HillStreetBlues

BigDod12PR said:

"Thank you for your question regarding your bill calculation. Let's break it down together.
If you calculate 550.5 kWh at a rate of 6.59 pence per kWh, the total would be:
550.5 kWh * 6.59 pence = 3,628.695 pence, which is £36.29 when converted to pounds.
It seems that you were charged £36.31, which is slightly higher than the calculated amount. This difference could be due to a few factors:

1. Additional Charges: Sometimes, there are additional fees or adjustments that can be added to your bill, such as standing charges or any applicable taxes.  - (Comment by BigDod12PR - The standing charge fee is on another line entry in the bill and accounted for so it has nothing to do with this).

2. Rounding: The final amount on your bill may also be rounded up to the nearest penny, which can cause a small discrepancy. (Comment by BigDod12PR - If rounded, the total for the gas should have been £36.29 and not £36.31 which they charged me)

3. Billing Period: If the bill covers a period where your usage varied, the average rate might differ slightly from the rate used for the calculation. (Comment by BigDod12PR - The rate they charge is listed in my bill. This is what they should be charging me.)

If you have any further questions or need more clarification, please feel free to ask!"

Look folks. A few years back, some banks & credit lenders were involved in a scam where people were getting pennies taken from their accounts. Nobody

I don't agree with that reply, if someone queries a bill as figures don't match then the person should be told the actual reason, not what it  "might be" supply the full figures used in the calculation.

mmmmikey

BigDod12PR said:

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your comments and feedback on this one.

I'd just like to give an update on where I am on this. I have been in touch with Octopus regarding this and they replied to me last night. I have shown below their email response. I still think they are wrong. Octopus have suggested to me that the additional few pence they have overcharged me could be due to one of three reasons but they couldn't say for sure why I have been overcharged. 

"Thank you for your question regarding your bill calculation. Let's break it down together.
If you calculate 550.5 kWh at a rate of 6.59 pence per kWh, the total would be:
550.5 kWh * 6.59 pence = 3,628.695 pence, which is £36.29 when converted to pounds.
It seems that you were charged £36.31, which is slightly higher than the calculated amount. This difference could be due to a few factors:

1. Additional Charges: Sometimes, there are additional fees or adjustments that can be added to your bill, such as standing charges or any applicable taxes.  - (Comment by BigDod12PR - The standing charge fee is on another line entry in the bill and accounted for so it has nothing to do with this).

2. Rounding: The final amount on your bill may also be rounded up to the nearest penny, which can cause a small discrepancy. (Comment by BigDod12PR - If rounded, the total for the gas should have been £36.29 and not £36.31 which they charged me)

3. Billing Period: If the bill covers a period where your usage varied, the average rate might differ slightly from the rate used for the calculation. (Comment by BigDod12PR - The rate they charge is listed in my bill. This is what they should be charging me.)

If you have any further questions or need more clarification, please feel free to ask!"

Look folks. A few years back, some banks & credit lenders were involved in a scam where people were getting pennies taken from their accounts. Nobody noticed as the value was so tiny and seemd so insignificant that nobody really questioned it. This actually happened. Millions were taken unlawfully.

According to data on Google, Octopus have around 7.3 million customers in the UK. If you consider 7.3 million customers having a couple of pence taken from them each month of the year all these pennies add up to a significant sum of money. I have only considered my gas calculations. I havent even looked into my electricity billing but I can only assume it will be the same with some pennies being over-charged.

This morning I contacted Police Scotland to report this as I truly belive that there is an element of fraud happening here. Police Scotland have taken a note of this. I have been advised to first discuss with Octopus. If not resolved with Octopus I need to contact the Energy Ombusman to take the matter further which I will as I am not satisfied by the response Octpus have provided. Why can't they say with certainty where my overcharge has occured?

Sorry to bang on here about this but I think we are all having the wool pulled over our eyes here. I think we are being fed a load of nonsense and a lot of people are just accepting this. We already get ripped off for our energy, I don't see why we should be paying a penny more for what we use. Especialy at others financial gain.

I'm not going to post anything further on here about it. I'm just going to take the matter up with the Energy Ombusman. I wont't settle unitl I have been shown why and how they have overcharged me. Only when I see this will I be abel to accept it.

I think the scam you refer to where banks take a few pennies was actually fictional and the subject of a low budget TV drama the name of which I can't remember. I certainly remember watching the net tighten round the nefarious villain who was living outside his means and running the scam to pay off his debts. Of course it's possible that this happened in real life too, but is it possible you are confusing fiction with fact?

QrizB

mmmmikey said:

I think the scam you refer to where banks take a few pennies was actually fictional and the subject of a low budget TV drama the name of which I can't remember.

You might be thinking of Superman III, 1983?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_III

HillStreetBlues

QrizB said:

mmmmikey said:

I think the scam you refer to where banks take a few pennies was actually fictional and the subject of a low budget TV drama the name of which I can't remember.

You might be thinking of Superman III, 1983?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_III

Could be Office Space.

MWT

bristolleedsfan said:

MWT said:

BigDod12PR said:

MattMattMattUK said:

BigDod12PR said:

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your comments and feedback on this one.

I'd just like to give an update on where I am on this. I have been in touch with Octopus regarding this and they replied to me last night. I have shown below their email response. I still think they are wrong. Octopus have suggested to me that the additional few pence they have overcharged me could be due to one of three reasons but they couldn't say for sure why I have been overcharged. 

"Thank you for your question regarding your bill calculation. Let's break it down together.
If you calculate 550.5 kWh at a rate of 6.59 pence per kWh, the total would be:
550.5 kWh * 6.59 pence = 3,628.695 pence, which is £36.29 when converted to pounds.
It seems that you were charged £36.31, which is slightly higher than the calculated amount. This difference could be due to a few factors:

1. Additional Charges: Sometimes, there are additional fees or adjustments that can be added to your bill, such as standing charges or any applicable taxes.  - (Comment by BigDod12PR - The standing charge fee is on another line entry in the bill and accounted for so it has nothing to do with this).

2. Rounding: The final amount on your bill may also be rounded up to the nearest penny, which can cause a small discrepancy. (Comment by BigDod12PR - If rounded, the total for the gas should have been £36.29 and not £36.31 which they charged me)

3. Billing Period: If the bill covers a period where your usage varied, the average rate might differ slightly from the rate used for the calculation. (Comment by BigDod12PR - The rate they charge is listed in my bill. This is what they should be charging me.)

If you have any further questions or need more clarification, please feel free to ask!"

Look folks. A few years back, some banks & credit lenders were involved in a scam where people were getting pennies taken from their accounts. Nobody noticed as the value was so tiny and seemd so insignificant that nobody really questioned it. This actually happened. Millions were taken unlawfully.

According to data on Google, Octopus have around 7.3 million customers in the UK. If you consider 7.3 million customers having a couple of pence taken from them each month of the year all these pennies add up to a significant sum of money. I have only considered my gas calculations. I havent even looked into my electricity billing but I can only assume it will be the same with some pennies being over-charged.

This morning I contacted Police Scotland to report this as I truly belive that there is an element of fraud happening here. Police Scotland have taken a note of this. I have been advised to first discuss with Octopus. If not resolved with Octopus I need to contact the Energy Ombusman to take the matter further which I will as I am not satisfied by the response Octpus have provided. Why can't they say with certainty where my overcharge has occured?

Sorry to bang on here about this but I think we are all having the wool pulled over our eyes here. I think we are being fed a load of nonsense and a lot of people are just accepting this. We already get ripped off for our energy, I don't see why we should be paying a penny more for what we use. Especialy at others financial gain.

I'm not going to post anything further on here about it. I'm just going to take the matter up with the Energy Ombusman. I wont't settle unitl I have been shown why and how they have overcharged me. Only when I see this will I be abel to accept it.

They cannot show you "why and how they have overcharged" you, because they have not overcharged you. It is not about "being fed a load of nonsense" or "get ripped off", you are choosing to be unwilling to understand, that will get you nowhere in life. 

Trust me. I want to understand. Believe me I but my calculator does not lie. Octopus calculate the same sum as i do yet they charge me over 2 pence onmy bill. I don't care that they have taken 2 pence extra from me but I do care about them taking 2 pence extra each month from 7.3 million customers in the UK.

If you or anyone else can look at my bill and show to me how they calculated £36.91 (before the 5% VAT is applied) then i will gladly accept it and draw a line under the matter.

You are taking the rounded numbers which are displayed on the bill and reworking the calculation based only on the individual rounded numbers, that will not give you the same result as using the original unrounded numbers which are no displayed in full on the bill.

British Gas spot on, get same result when using individual rounded numbers

14.7 kWh @ 7.069p = £1.04 + Vat ( 14.7 kWh @ 7.07p = £1.04 + Vat

... and if Octopus were using a tariff rate that was only being rounded by 1/1000th of a penny and multiplied by a tiny number then their calculation would be the same as well.

If you use your numbers for the rate but a higher usage like 550 then you'll also see a difference once it is rounded.

This is a perfectly normal situation where you round numbers for display purposes. The larger the magnitude of the multiplier and the amount of rounding, the great the eventual difference will be...

It also works in both directions and will sometimes result in lower numbers as well as higher.  

In the end though, the bill is correct.