OUTFOX - not so good customer service

ArKay

This as advisory only but whilst happy that Outfox seems to have pleased many people by its cheap deals, my experience has not be so good and I felt I must share this for those who are considering a switch.

I could not get through to customer service on the phone (after 20 minutes of muzak etc.) so I sent an email as they suggested. Then resent; then resent again. After 3 attempts only after I contacted the CEO's office that I got a reply which does not bode well for customer service at all. Be warned!

ALSO, if you try to sign up online, they only allow a mobile number (yet 24% population still don't have use of one and I live in a dark area) and strangely they also require your date of birth, which I am unhappy to give as that detail is not needed and if hacked, can help someone get a cloned profile of you.

They said it was so they could check you were over 18 but no other energy companies require it because if you pay by D/D from a bank account, you can only do if you are an adult.
OUTFOX require too much to make it easy. Customer service appears flakey.

Mark_d

I tried OTM a while ago and I think I'm going to stick with Octopus now.  It's worth regularly checking that you're on a competitive deal but it's not worth switching to a questionable company to potentially have a few pennies.

HillStreetBlues

ArKay said:

ALSO, if you try to sign up online, they only allow a mobile number (yet 24% population still don't have use of one and I live in a dark area) and strangely they also require your date of birth, which I am unhappy to give as that detail is not needed and if hacked, can help someone get a cloned profile of you.

I think your figure is way out, I expect it's way over 90% that have use of one  these days

spot1034

HillStreetBlues said:

ArKay said:

ALSO, if you try to sign up online, they only allow a mobile number (yet 24% population still don't have use of one and I live in a dark area) and strangely they also require your date of birth, which I am unhappy to give as that detail is not needed and if hacked, can help someone get a cloned profile of you.

I think your figure is way out, I expect it's way over 90% that have use of one  these days

Whatever the figure, is there any reason not to accept a landline?  I'm pleased that someone else has brought this up, because a few months ago I was thinking of joining Outfox and did a dummy run at the first page of the signup, only to be thwarted by the requirement to give a mobile phone number. I found out a couple of years ago that there is a similar problem signing up with Octopus, and when you put a landline number into their signup page you get the response 'please use a valid UK phone number'. What? A landline number is a valid UK number. Why do they think it isn't?  Octopus never got my business either. 

I'm not some bewildered elderly person who shuns all modern technology - I just happen not to want a mobile phone. 

HillStreetBlues

spot1034 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

ArKay said:

ALSO, if you try to sign up online, they only allow a mobile number (yet 24% population still don't have use of one and I live in a dark area) and strangely they also require your date of birth, which I am unhappy to give as that detail is not needed and if hacked, can help someone get a cloned profile of you.

I think your figure is way out, I expect it's way over 90% that have use of one  these days

Whatever the figure, is there any reason not to accept a landline? 

It would be a business decision, easier to set up a system with a standard 11 digits phone number always starting with 07. A factor in that decision would be mobile phone use. There would be a huge difference if 95% have one compared to 76%.
 

Bungle73

Their recent handling of the whole recent exit fee thing has been terrible, but every time I’ve had a need to contact them their response has been very swift. Did you not try the online chat?

matelodave

We went with  OFTM in July, no problems at all, switch went as expected, smart meter picked up within 24 hours (SMETS1) and the billing is spot on. I'm now set up at 20.3p/kwh for the winter.

NormalNorman

Recently switched offspring's uni pad to OFTM with zero issues. By far the cheapest for the area.

WiserMiser

I never give my DoB to anyone who doesn't have a very good reason for wanting it, e.g. car insurance.  Outfox probably think the credit reference agency needs it, but I've never been rejected because I gave a fake DoB.

They seem to want a mobile number for SMSs because not all landlines can receive them.

Bungle73

matelodave said:

We went with  OFTM in July, no problems at all, switch went as expected, smart meter picked up within 24 hours (SMETS1) and the billing is spot on. I'm now set up at 20.3p/kwh for the winter.

Is that the the August v3 tariff? That's the same as I'm paying, and 5.07p for gas. 

Marvel1

ArKay said:

strangely they also require your date of birth, which I am unhappy to give as that detail is not needed and if hacked, can help someone get a cloned profile of you.

They said it was so they could check you were over 18 but no other energy companies require it because if you pay by D/D from a bank account, you can only do if you are an adult.

https://www.rbs.co.uk/banking-with-royal-bank-of-scotland/how-to/direct-debit.html

"Who can use a direct debit?

Anyone with a bank account can set up a direct debit. Most of our bank accounts are available to those 18 or over. However, some accounts are available to customers aged 11+. Specific account eligibility criteria apply. "