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!

God, I love Mumsnet! Thanks, Royal and Barbara -- you're more helpful than seven months communication with Octopus, who I'm actually paying for a service.

We've been paying by direct debit, and I've been telling them every month that the electric meter doesn't work. Last month, in desperation, I sent in the meter reading (still the same as last December), which triggered Octopus to finally make an appointment to change the meter. They reckon we're £1300 in credit! We're not really of course, but there's no way of telling how much electricity we've used since last December.

They sent a reminder for the appointment, which I replied to. But no one turned up, and they've ignored all my emails since then. I haven't phoned because (a) I want the paper trail and (b) I lose the will to live on hold.

I'm furious because all this delay has lost me the chance of organising a better deal -- when anyone did reply from Octopus, they were just fobbing me off.

Now to contact Good Energy and resolver.co.uk. Thanks again, helpful Mumsnetters.

Did anyone change payments back up when they got the email saying to do so within 48 hours? My dd is set to £300 (increased a couple of months ago) so I went in, changed from £233 to £300 so we paid in full as well as the discount and today they've taken only the lower amount. So I'll have to do it manually anyway.

Yep just checked and they’ve taken the lower amount despite me changing the payment back to the usual amount literally the second I received the email 😡

I don't know why they bothered with the email then. I can't see the government credit in the app either, and they've taken a meter reading somehow on 1st (we have our meters in dumb mode) for electricity. I submitted both yesterday and no bill for gas, just electricity.

It usually takes a couple of days for the gas bill to be generated. If you gave a reading yesterday they date it from the day before. I gave a reading on the 1st so it dates it the 30th September.

Message saying discount isn't showing on the app yet

@dementedpixie thanks but it's just odd as the electric charge came up straight away but not gas on the app. Definitely a separate reading - I did mine yesterday for gas and electric and electric already had one.

How strange
My gas always takes longer than the electricity for some reason. Both readings done on the 1st but the gas is pending for a few days each month

I am in the variable rate. I just don’t understand how to calculate the best deal for us. The fixed rate a few months ago was horrifically high. At the moment we are in credit with them. We are trying to use as little electricity and gas as possible but I am worried about the next bill.

I can’t work out what the best thing to do is.

It is weird isn't it @dementedpixie is that the website? Mine is different on the app and website.

I'm on flexible with Octopus, I've put my DD up to E128 and I am about £300 in credit. I'm not putting it up any more, I'll see how the bills go each month.

I'm not going to fix.

Thanks for this, did the same as you and just checked and they’ve also taken the lower amount. What was the point. We will have to make top up payments each month now.

They put my payment down and I put it back to £147.05, I have just checked and they have £147.05.

That's weird then if they've managed with some people! I did it as soon as I saw the email.

@ChilliBandit you can change your direct debit again if you want and see if it 'sticks' this time. I have changed mine up and down on the app

@SilverLiningPlaybook I'd stick to the price guarantee rates right now and don't take a fix. Most places likely won't be offering fixed rates now anyway

My app says monthly payments are £300. I've emailed to ask why they haven't acted upon me changing it.

@dementedpixie - I’m just going to leave it and make top up payments in case we get into even more of a mess. I had confirmation of the change so not sure why it hasn’t worked properly.

@ChilliBandit does it show the lower or the higher rate in the app?

@dementedpixie - the lower rate. It says payment pending £73 rather than the £145 odd it’s meant to be. I have an email from the start of September confirming the amount they would take on 1 October is £145. They’ve fucked up for some reason.

Has anyone still got payment pending? Mine left my account yesterday but hasn't credited (it usually does). So it's still in debit.

Yeah mine is still pending and my gas charge is still waiting to debit too

My direct debit is due out today so hopefully will be are usual anount i changed it back to. I was really annoyed last week when I saw they'd lowered the direct debit, feel like this is going to catch a lot of people out!

Thank you, maybe it's the new charges and government help that's made it a bit weird this month?

Even in normal months mine says pending for about a week but once it’s processed they allocate it as received on the day it was taken. So even if they don’t process it until the 7th it will go
on my account as being taken on the 1st.