Help please

Squonk444

To cut a long story short I’ve just signed up with Octopus energy, opened my account and found I was £662.44 in credit. It turns out this money has been sat there since 2014 when I had some big problems with First Utility. Octopus have been great and are refunding me, I have no problem with them, but somewhere along the line surely someone should have refunded me. If I hadn’t opened the Octopus account I’d have had no idea I was due anything. Not sure what to do about it, who do I complain to, should I at least be getting interest on them keeping my money for 11 years?

Merlin139

Squonk444 said:

To cut a long story short I’ve just signed up with Octopus energy, opened my account and found I was £662.44 in credit. It turns out this money has been sat there since 2014 when I had some big problems with First Utility. Octopus have been great and are refunding me, I have no problem with them, but somewhere along the line surely someone should have refunded me. If I hadn’t opened the Octopus account I’d have had no idea I was due anything. Not sure what to do about it, who do I complain to, should I at least be getting interest on them keeping my money for 11 years?

Have you asked Octopus why they did not refund you?

First port of call would be to make a complaint to Octopus. If you are not satisfied with the response then escalate your claim to the Energy Ombudsman. 

sgthammer

Obviously yes, someone should have reached out to you before now. But no doubt whatever the original problem was you worried quite enough about it at the time. Life is short, it's a decade later and FU (the name should perhaps have been a clue!) has long since been bought out. Take the win and walk away slowly as the villain's base explodes behind you to the tune of Crazy In Love.

born_again

Squonk444 said:

To cut a long story short I’ve just signed up with Octopus energy, opened my account and found I was £662.44 in credit. It turns out this money has been sat there since 2014 when I had some big problems with First Utility. Octopus have been great and are refunding me, I have no problem with them, but somewhere along the line surely someone should have refunded me. If I hadn’t opened the Octopus account I’d have had no idea I was due anything. Not sure what to do about it, who do I complain to, should I at least be getting interest on them keeping my money for 11 years?

First Utility was rebranded as Shell in 2018. Octopus acquired Shell in 2023.

So have you moved at all?
What did your final bill from First Utility show & had you cancelled the DD with them. Why did you not realise back in 2014 that you were owed money?

As your complaint against them may fail given the timeline & change of ownership.

Ectophile

I would treat it as an unexpected bonus.

If you start getting too awkward, their legal team might realise that the Limitation Act applies, and they don't have to give you the money at all, since it's been over 6 years.

Squonk444

Thanks everyone for your help. I think you’re all correct saying I should just take the money and be thankful. I had so much trouble with First utility at the time, and it could well be their mistake, I literally had no idea I was owed anything or of course I’d have been on at them earlier. I change energy suppliers virtually every year thank God I finally changed to Octopus