Octopus Customers - what are you doing?

[JorisBonson]

We're currently on a flexible tariff with Octopus and £200 in credit.

Are people staying on the flexible rate or fixing? We've been offered a fix which is basically double what we're on now, but I'm very wary of October being not far away!

I checked my options to fix just the other day and they were sky high! It was the loyal Octopus 12m fix tariff. The unit prices seemed so much higher than even the predicted price cap in October. I don't get it. Unless I am doing the maths totally wrong, which might be the case?

I started from the April price cap - 28p per kwh for electricity
I added 65% to that (according to the predictions flying around) to get 47p per kwh
Octopus fix is offering 59p per kwh!!

It actually made me quite cross.

I had no idea what this was about so I checked my Octopus account. If I switch away from Flexible they want over £700 a month. For a small 3-bed end terrace. So we'll be sticking with Flexible.

I'm with Octopus and sticking on the variable rate. I'm £459 on credit which is increasing nicely. Along with the £400 in October (paid to the account at £66pm) I'm hoping I can have a warm(ish) winter!

If you are on flexible now you are paying the maximum cap or have I got that wrong?

Why on earth would you choose a fix at more than double that? The price cap increase is predicted to be about 65%.

Taking your credits and the £400 rebate into account so your 'monthly payments stay the same'? So they are using your own money to keep your payments the same when they more than double your rate. So if you stayed on the flex rate you could have reduced your monthly payments?

I think some people are being taken for a ride.

I'm not fixing because I think when the government do their inevitable U-turn when people are rioting in the streets people will regret being on these super-high fixes

The fix I was offered was approx 82% higher for electricity and 111% for gas. It would be stupid to fix at those prices if the price cap is going to be about 75% higher than just now.

I've been offered one, I've also had a letter telling me my electricity meter needs replacing due to age.

I clicked to make an appointment, got a message saying they couldn't do one, gave a few reasons, poor signal is probably applicable one.

But then I got a message saying they would come in a couple of weeks.

I'll be slightly miffed if I drag all the shit out of the cupboard under the stairs and they can't fit one but what can you do?

I got moved to Octopus from Avro and haven't been offered any fixes. I need to look into that.

But at the moment my standing charge is 67% of my gas bill and 35% of my electricity bill which annoys me, I have cut down to the bare minimum and I am paying double what I need to.

What's so brilliant about the fact that they gave you your own money back? I've always got my money refunded from other companies with the press of a button on the Internet. They have to give it back if you ask.
I also don't see why you're impressed about the fact that you are going to pay twice the price for your gas and electricity over the next year when it's not going up until October and even then it's unlikely to be double the amount.

They don’t contact you with fixes, they are shown in your account on the website. Well mine are anyway.

British Gas were blooming awful on the phone and treated my money as if it were there’s. I know “they” have to give you you’re money back but it’s awful going head to head against a big company.

I don't know when you tried getting your money but it's not difficult now. If you have an online account you don't have to speak to anybody either.

I find octopus rude and unpleasant to deal with. We've had so many issues since the meters were installed and Im treated like a PITA for ringing/complaining. Put a complaint in expecting an apology and they've ignored it - I just wanted an acknowledgement of how stressful it's been. Told I couldn't have smart meters in dumb mode. I hate contacting them.

A year or so ago. They phoned ME and proceeded to swear at me for not staying with them. Bizarre but true.

Oh and they also didn't charge us for a couple of months despite me sending readings. I had to point that out and was plunged into negative credit.

Just checked and we actually have £350 credit, but they haven't taken any money from it since we got a smart meter installed almost 2 months ago 🤔

Snap! I'm currently £1k in credit ....because Octopus hasn't taken a penny since my smart meter was installed. A few months ago I phoned them about it and was told to continue to submit my readings; that it will eventually be sorted. I'm on a very good 2 year fixed rate deal with more than a year left to run, so atm not particularly worried about price rises in autumn. However I'm hoping that energy prices will be a lot lower when my deal ends.

Oh no One, I’m sorry to hear that. I moved to them because I couldn’t deal with any more rudeness.

Yes awful. I sent a complaint expecting an apology and had to chase for a reply a month later (no acknowledgment, literally expected them to say sorry it's been so stressful). They replied to see they were working on connecting them meter's what else did I want. Despite me saying in the complaint they were put in dumb mode.

What?😂

If you fix now for a year that covers increases in October, January and April. I don't know what they will be but I can leave my fixed price deal without penalty so I've got nothing to lose. I've paid more since April but my usage is low now and from October I will be paying well below the price cap. If it goes up again in January I will be paying even further lower than price cap. It seems worth it to me but everyone has to make their own decision.

I've found Octopus great, I had real trouble with the company I transferred from with them insisting I owned them £5,000 when I was in credit. Octopus sorted it all out for me very quickly, when they thought my DD was too high they contacted me and suggested I reduce it.

Staying on flexible we worked out prices on predicted rates v prices on the fix and we would overpay by about £100 so will just have to chance it and turn stuff off. I'm not sure there is a good outcome.

So you were charged for what you used?

Flexible- being offered fixed of £380 a month- my current Dd is £150 and my summer bill is £130, currently £300 in credit. If it truely is near £400 a month to run a 1 reception room, 3 bed terrace with young children no teens then fuck me I will riot!

@ancientgran your situation is different as you fixed just above the price cap whereas fixes offered at the moment are (in my case) 80-110% above the current price cap. I'm not paying that much extra just now.

So you were charged for what you used?

Yes, but after failing to charge us for a couple of months for electricity but continuing with gas and it was only when I checked back and worked out the dates that I realised. For some reason they weren't actioning my meter readings.