Another Stupid Octopus Bill

Qyburn

Octopus is supposed to bill once a month, on the 1st, so that each bill covers import and export for the preceding calendar month. That's what they're supposed to do and every time it's been mentioned they have assured me that it's what they will do.

Unfortunately they can't seem to stick to this, and are forever sending out part month bills on apparently random dates. It used to look like they had a special soft spot for the 20th, but they've also whacked out bills on all sorts of other dates, sometimes for import only, sometimes for both and quite often covering different dates for import and export.

When I question or complain they are never able to explain why this is. One lady checked and said it was definitely system generated, not a manual over-ride. After a complaint they normally behave themselves for a few months, so for example after extensive billing/crediting/refilling over the Summer, they managed to do it right for November and December and the rep was confidentit was fixed.

Now out of the blue they've send the most irrational one ever.  In this bill they've credited every billing line from 1st April to 31st December 2025, that's 11 sets of reversed charges.

Then they've re-billed with the following lines ...
1st Apr to 1st April 2025  (exact same figure as before)
2nd Apr to 30th Sep 2025 (one penny less than previously billed)
1st Oct to 31st Dec 2025  (also one penny less)
1st Jan to 15th Jan 2026

Obviously I'll need to call them yet again on Monday. Meanwhile, although it's hard to see into the mind of a lunatic, can anyone make any sort of guess as to why they might have done this?

QrizB

Kraken is on the rum again 😆

Qyburn

          

MWT

Qyburn said:

Octopus is supposed to bill once a month, on the 1st, so that each bill covers import and export for the preceding calendar month. That's what they're supposed to do and every time it's been mentioned they have assured me that it's what they will do.

Unfortunately they can't seem to stick to this, and are forever sending out part month bills on apparently random dates. It used to look like they had a special soft spot for the 20th, but they've also whacked out bills on all sorts of other dates, sometimes for import only, sometimes for both and quite often covering different dates for import and export.

When I question or complain they are never able to explain why this is. One lady checked and said it was definitely system generated, not a manual over-ride. After a complaint they normally behave themselves for a few months, so for example after extensive billing/crediting/refilling over the Summer, they managed to do it right for November and December and the rep was confidentit was fixed.

Now out of the blue they've send the most irrational one ever.  In this bill they've credited every billing line from 1st April to 31st December 2025, that's 11 sets of reversed charges.

Then they've re-billed with the following lines ...
1st Apr to 1st April 2025  (exact same figure as before)
2nd Apr to 30th Sep 2025 (one penny less than previously billed)
1st Oct to 31st Dec 2025  (also one penny less)
1st Jan to 15th Jan 2026

Obviously I'll need to call them yet again on Monday. Meanwhile, although it's hard to see into the mind of a lunatic, can anyone make any sort of guess as to why they might have done this?

I've been through a couple of similar incidents with my father-in-laws account.

From experience, if the end result is just that they have billed you 2p less than before I would just leave it alone, don't get CS involved as any efforts they make can just end up with even worse confusion as they fight the system.

The trigger for this re-billing is often just Kraken spotting a small error and correcting it.

The problems come when it does this for something it finds over 5 years ago, with the billing on a smart tariff, as it no longer has the old HH data and things get bad fast, fast.

If the only result is a 2p refund then leave it alone for the sake of your sanity...

Qyburn

The problem is the part month. If left uncorrected they'll carry on billing on the 15th instead of the first, meaning to get monthly figures I need to interpolate two bills. It will also leave import and export billing on different dates.

I've emailed to ask them to (1) reverse the billing for 1st to 15th Jan and (2) check and if necessary reset the billing date on the account to the 1st.

They've done this before. Sometimes it has to be done twice, for example a rogue bill issued on the 18th was reversed, but their system just generated another one the next day.

As for the credit/re-bill of those 9 months, it clutters up the account with 15 unnecessary transactions.

Alnat1

Can't you simply use the figures from the Octopus app that show each month's cost and kWh?

You seems to be getting into an awful tizz over very little. Surely there's more important things in life than obsessing over when you get a bill.

MWT

Qyburn said:

The problem is the part month. If left uncorrected they'll carry on billing on the 15th instead of the first, meaning to get monthly figures I need to interpolate two bills. It will also leave import and export billing on different dates.

I've emailed to ask them to (1) reverse the billing for 1st to 15th Jan and (2) check and if necessary reset the billing date on the account to the 1st.

They've done this before. Sometimes it has to be done twice, for example a rogue bill issued on the 18th was reversed, but their system just generated another one the next day.

As for the credit/re-bill of those 9 months, it clutters up the account with 15 unnecessary transactions.

Well, you are free to do as you wish, but the path you are heading down can result in weeks and months of billing and re-billing if you are unlucky.

Ultimately trying to nail down the billing to be for the whole month every time is going to keep involving you in CS calls as Kraken really doesn't lend itself to an absolute unmovable billing date.

Alnat1 said:

Can't you simply use the figures from the Octopus app that show each month's cost and kWh? 

This is the easiest approach as the app gives you all the information you should need and will show it to you by day/week/month/year as you prefer...

badmemory

Do you thoroughly check your normal bills because mine regularly have things like 9p + 4p =12p  obviously with pound figures in front, just rounding.  I still get the same end total as they do.

Qyburn

I spot check. Not every bill. One thing to bear in mind is that when totalling lots of small items, you can't avoid rounding errors.

Qyburn

Much to my surprise I got a reply today. According to the reply, the credit and re-billing was triggered by them receiving "a reading for the 7th of April 2025" from their Data Collectors. I don’t know what that reading was, hh data or an index reading. But comparing the original and the corrected bill for 7th the day total, and cost is the same for both.

For what it's worth the meter wasn't communicating an 7th April, everthing from 2nd April was back filled in late June after the comms hub was replaced.

Alnat1

Qyburn said:

I spot check. Not every bill. One thing to bear in mind is that when totalling lots of small items, you can't avoid rounding errors.

So fractions of a penny that might make a penny difference?

Turn the TV/computer/lights off, go for a walk for an hour and chill. You'll have saved more than the penny you're stressing about and will help lower your blood pressure.