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Original poster

Octopus Customers - what are you doing?

125 replies

JorisBonson · 01/08/2022 10:14

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!

OP posts:
dianthus101 · 01/08/2022 19:20

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.

If you fix now for the year the price will be much higher than the current price cap and higher than the price cap in October too . So even if you leave tomorrow you will have lost money. Obviously the price may go even higher in January or April next year but I would be surprised if it goes much higher. I think there will be some government intervention if it does.

DottyLittleRainbow · 01/08/2022 19:40

Flexible as the fix is insane. I’ve been overpaying slightly since January to build up credit and just increased our DD by a bit more. I recently had an email projection from them of advised monthly based on last years usage and this winter’s projected pricing which was helpful.

Zoeslatesttrope · 01/08/2022 19:47

I've fixed but I dont really understand it. People give conflicting advice.

BEAM123 · 01/08/2022 20:06

Afterfire · 01/08/2022 17:28

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

Show quote history

I went and had a look, found that I'm actually on a really good deal so will stop being miffed about my standing charges. 😂

dianthus101 · 01/08/2022 20:21

Londono · 01/08/2022 14:28

Because this is how I prefer to do it and any interest wouldn't be more than pennies. The reduced admin time is worth that to me.

It would be a few pounds for a couple of minutes admin.

Noseylittlemoo · 01/08/2022 20:50

Until December I was on a fixed tariff of £57 per month. When that came to an end they suggested switching to another fix of £169 but I calculated my usage and decided even at the new prices my average would be £112 ish so I continued on the flexible rate and upped my direct debit to £120 (the lowest that they would allow) . The current fix best offer is £282 - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something will change before I have to start paying 5 x more per month within a year!

ancientgran · 01/08/2022 20:52

dementedpixie · 01/08/2022 18:50

@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.

It is but back in February when I fixed it was still a difficult decision as we had no idea it was going to go up so much in October and then seems like it is going up again in January. I can't remember how much of a jump it was when the cap went up in April but for me it was over 100% increase as I'd been on a good deal. It is so difficult to know what to do whenever a fix ends, I am happy I made the right decision but in February it didn't seem so clear cut as I was signing up to pay more than the April increase.

I'm not looking forward to next April as it will probably be more difficult decisions. I'm just trying to cut back on what we use, one thing worked out well as my boiler packed up last week and has virtually been rebuilt but the engineer says it will be so much more efficient now that it will be cheaper to run. Fingers crossed. I was so worried as they said it would cost nearly £1k but then I found out I had some cover for it so it only cost £100 which was a big relief.

Snid · 01/08/2022 20:55

GreenLunchBox · 01/08/2022 18:05

What?😂

Show quote history

It was the oddest phone call I have ever taken. I can only think it was someone’s last day at the call centre. It went something like

BG-you’re leaving BG, how can we get you to stay?

Snid- you can’t, I’m leaving because of x, y and Z and going to Octopus because of A, B and c.

BG-well you’re a f@@@ c@@@ then aren’t you.

….

EasterIssland · 01/08/2022 20:57

Sure we can’t live of paying £400 on gas ? The country would enter crisis because people won’t be able to afford it or people will only pay for it and food and not spend on the rest of things.

EasterIssland · 01/08/2022 20:57

Btw my husband after reading this said we’re staying in flexible

ancientgran · 01/08/2022 20:58

dianthus101 · 01/08/2022 19:20

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.

If you fix now for the year the price will be much higher than the current price cap and higher than the price cap in October too . So even if you leave tomorrow you will have lost money. Obviously the price may go even higher in January or April next year but I would be surprised if it goes much higher. I think there will be some government intervention if it does.

But I fixed in April, well I was offered it in February but it didn't start till my old deal ended in April. So I've been paying a bit over the cap since April, while my gas use has been virtually nothing, and I'll be well below the cap in October. If the govt intervene I can just leave with no penalty. So I took a chance in February but it will pay off over the winter.

dianthus101 · 02/08/2022 00:10

But I fixed in April, well I was offered it in February but it didn't start till my old deal ended in April. So I've been paying a bit over the cap since April, while my gas use has been virtually nothing, and I'll be well below the cap in October. If the govt intervene I can just leave with no penalty. So I took a chance in February but it will pay off over the winter.

I don't remember the deals offered in February being that low but regardless they would have been a lot lower than they are now. The deal offered to me now is a lot more than twice the current payment. It would be mad to take it.

ancientgran · 02/08/2022 11:50

dianthus101 · 02/08/2022 00:10

But I fixed in April, well I was offered it in February but it didn't start till my old deal ended in April. So I've been paying a bit over the cap since April, while my gas use has been virtually nothing, and I'll be well below the cap in October. If the govt intervene I can just leave with no penalty. So I took a chance in February but it will pay off over the winter.

I don't remember the deals offered in February being that low but regardless they would have been a lot lower than they are now. The deal offered to me now is a lot more than twice the current payment. It would be mad to take it.

I was on a deal and got offered a loyalty deal so I don't think it was a deal on offer to everyone. I'm just glad I took it.

dementedpixie · 02/08/2022 12:12

I am offered a fix and a loyalty fix. They are both crazy high prices so I'm not choosing either of them

BarbaraofSeville · 02/08/2022 14:22

dianthus101 · 02/08/2022 00:10

But I fixed in April, well I was offered it in February but it didn't start till my old deal ended in April. So I've been paying a bit over the cap since April, while my gas use has been virtually nothing, and I'll be well below the cap in October. If the govt intervene I can just leave with no penalty. So I took a chance in February but it will pay off over the winter.

I don't remember the deals offered in February being that low but regardless they would have been a lot lower than they are now. The deal offered to me now is a lot more than twice the current payment. It would be mad to take it.

I took a loyalty fix from Octopus in February, it's about 15% above the April price cap - it started straightaway, I didn't know I could have arranged for it to start in April, but you live and learn.

But I was still lucky, I'm protected from the worst of the October 22 increase until late February next year and the version I got was pulled days later and replaced by a more expensive one.

Unfortunately the current fixes from anyone are about double the current price cap.

ancientgran · 02/08/2022 15:17

BarbaraofSeville · 02/08/2022 14:22

I took a loyalty fix from Octopus in February, it's about 15% above the April price cap - it started straightaway, I didn't know I could have arranged for it to start in April, but you live and learn.

But I was still lucky, I'm protected from the worst of the October 22 increase until late February next year and the version I got was pulled days later and replaced by a more expensive one.

Unfortunately the current fixes from anyone are about double the current price cap.

Show quote history

I must confess I didn't arrange it, I assumed it would start in February but it didn't and it definitely runs til next April. I think it was a good deal with hindsight but it seemed very expensive at the time as I had a really good deal ending in April. I couldn't have imagined then what was likely to happen in October.

ThePerfectCircle · 02/08/2022 15:29

Current advice from Martin Lewis is that there are only a handful of fixed price deals out there and they are 40-110% more expensive than the cap. So it might be worth doing but it’s by no means the no-brainer it used to be.

For anyone in credit with their energy supplier, do not take this money out unless you are going to keep it safe to use in the winter. The way your direct debits are supposed to work you overpay in the summer and then massively underpay in the winter.

RewildingAmbridge · 02/08/2022 15:35

Anyone ever won anything on the octopus wheel of fortune thing

CanYouMakeMe · 02/08/2022 15:37

I'm another Arvo customer who was moved over to Octopus. Thanks for this thread as it's prompted me to look up what deal I'm on (flexible) rather than keep sticking my head in the sand 😬

JerkintheMerkin · 02/08/2022 15:41

@RewildingAmbridge that wheel of fortune is a complete waste of time. I don't believe anyone has ever won.

RewildingAmbridge · 02/08/2022 15:44

Also I never did get my octopus

LakieLady · 02/08/2022 18:43

In June last year, I rang Octopus to tell them they weren't charging me for gas. There had been an inputting error when they set up the smart meter for the gas and the readings were rejected because they appeared nonsensical. It was resolved while I was on the phone and all adjusted and correct on the next bill.

While I was on the phone, I checked when my fixed deal was due to end and explained that I was concerned about affordability when the price cap increased in October. The woman on the phone said that I could commit to fixing for 2 years at the prices then current, but that they could defer starting the new fix until my current one ended in Nov 21. I damn near bit her hand off, I got a fix till Nov 23 at June 21 prices, which is fantastic (although I'm shitting myself about how much it might be by then).

I'm leaving the credit to build up on the account (currently £190-ish) and will leave the extra government payments to build up and increase the credit, which will hopefully ease the impact of nearly 2.5 years worth of increases all in one hit.

I've always found them very helpful on the phone, and knowledgable, and am quite disappointed that some PPs didn't have such a good experience. And they guy who came to install the smart meter was very polite, and rang me when he was leaving his previous visit so that I knew when to expect him.

It sounds rather as though they haven't been able to maintain the same standard of service now that they've got bigger, and presumably busier.

OneFrenchEgg · 02/08/2022 19:37

I just looked on TrustPilot at the poor reviews and they all reflect my experience which is interesting - smart meters failing, no response to complaints, bored call handlers.

ancientgran · 02/08/2022 19:43

LakieLady · 02/08/2022 18:43

In June last year, I rang Octopus to tell them they weren't charging me for gas. There had been an inputting error when they set up the smart meter for the gas and the readings were rejected because they appeared nonsensical. It was resolved while I was on the phone and all adjusted and correct on the next bill.

While I was on the phone, I checked when my fixed deal was due to end and explained that I was concerned about affordability when the price cap increased in October. The woman on the phone said that I could commit to fixing for 2 years at the prices then current, but that they could defer starting the new fix until my current one ended in Nov 21. I damn near bit her hand off, I got a fix till Nov 23 at June 21 prices, which is fantastic (although I'm shitting myself about how much it might be by then).

I'm leaving the credit to build up on the account (currently £190-ish) and will leave the extra government payments to build up and increase the credit, which will hopefully ease the impact of nearly 2.5 years worth of increases all in one hit.

I've always found them very helpful on the phone, and knowledgable, and am quite disappointed that some PPs didn't have such a good experience. And they guy who came to install the smart meter was very polite, and rang me when he was leaving his previous visit so that I knew when to expect him.

It sounds rather as though they haven't been able to maintain the same standard of service now that they've got bigger, and presumably busier.

That was a fantastic deal. You must be so pleased that you got that. Timing is everything isn't it.

MigsandTiggs · 02/08/2022 21:23

smart meter checker
This is the Citizen's Advice tool you can use to check whether your smart meter has gone into dumb mode. Apparently my smart meter is working ...so I don't have a clue why Octopus stopped billing me since Feb.