Octopus energy.

Re the Winter Fuel Allowance

Just read this regarding Octopus:

www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/octopus-energy-gives-customers-who-9701223.amp

Octopus Energy gives customers who miss out on Winter Fuel Payments extra £200 in support

NOT everyone and up to.
Will probably help some people.
👍

Oh no... 10 years before or after... sorry I'm just not old enough then!

Interesting Suki - mine is music I have never liked.

You can go onto the website and choose a different tune for hold music - on my list of options (quite a long one) there isn't a single classical piece. They are all grim. My husband and I laughed about it because they are so dire!

If I go back and say I was born in, say, 1650 maybe I'll get something Baroque?

Another plus point for Octopus - when I rang them recently, after dealing with my query, the man asked if there was anything else he could help me with. I asked if the hold music could be changed as I was tired of hearing Pat Boone’s ‘I’ll be home’, Frank Ifield’s yodelling and Doris Day’s ‘Secret Love’.
He said the music you hear is what was in the Hit Parade when you were a teenager and he could change it to 10 years before that or 10 years later so I opted for sixties music. After giving him my d.o.b. he wished me a happy birthday for January and told me I sounded very happy and youthful!

Another happy Octopus customer. They are extremely helpful, reasonable and glad to respond to any query. They make the rest look like crooks.
Do get a family member or someone you trust to contact them anytime you need to.

Thank goodness, glad it has been sorted out Usedtobeblonde.

Great news UTBB
I knew it would have been a mistake.

Glad to hear it's all settled Usedtobeblonde. It must be a great relief for you.

Thank you for all your replies.
I have spoken to Octopus now and they have accepted the readings we sent on Saturday and instead of being in debit by £601 , I am now in credit by £93.
I am having smart meters fitted in November 27th and hope that will be the end of the matter.
Huge sense of relief that it is sorted.

I am with Octopus and very happy with them,also they answer the phone like some don't,they are very good and allow you to pick your own payment price,if you think the price they have asked is too much
Please don't panic
This must be a mistake what you have been asked for

Probably it does make the dithering worse but I wonder what my excuse was in the summer.

Thanks for replies.
I think I'll stay as I am.
Change can be stressful with having to make decisions.
It often takes me hours to get out of the house in the morning deciding what to wear.
Actually this may be related. It occurred to me this morning that being cold could affect my lack of decisiveness.

Welbeck - These are my current electricity charges. It's a fixed rate for another year.
Day Rate - 26.92 p/kWh
Night Rate - 12 p/kWh

Then there is a charge every day whether I use any electricity or not this is called the Standing Charge and mine is 54.57p/day

They will bill me for the electricity I use at these fixed rates until my contract ends.

My gas is also on a fixed rate tariff
5.39p/kWh
Plus the standing charge at 29.43p/day

I know how much gas and electricity I've used over the last 3 years so can work our which company has the best deal.

The amount I pay each month by standing order is negotiated (as Georgesgran says) - and is nothing to do with a "fixed tariff"

Whatever tariff you choose you still only pay for the gas/electric used.

Welbeck. A fixed tariff is just that - the cost per unit of gas or electricity is fixed for the term of your contract.
The advantage is that should there be an increase in the cost, it won’t affect you. Yes, it’s a gamble, but I think it’s safe to say prices usually rise. I re-signed with Octopus on a fixed rate contract in August - the unit prices were lower than the previous year, although the standing charges had risen.
You are perhaps getting confused with a fixed monthly payment as ‘suggested’ by the energy provider, but that can be challenged and changed.

I actually prefer to pay the same every month and build up a bit of credit in summer towards the increased winter bills.

I don't really know what a fixed rate tariff is.
I too am offered the.
What are the advantages?
I just try to use as little gas and electricity as possible.
Doesn't fixed rate mean usage is estimated.
I only pay exactly the sum owed each month not averaged over the year.

Jane I am also on a fixed rate tariff with Octopus. If you owed Scottish Power money the boot would be on the other foot they would have wanted the money yesterday and by now would have started legal proceedings!

We changed to Octopus in August and went onto a fixed rate tariff until October next year. We have had one request for a meter reading and the amount charged for gas and electric was as expected. I do read our meters every month and send in the reading on line. We were with Scottish Power before and we have only just had the balance returned via direct debit, why it takes so long I don’t know.

OPs smart meter may have been installed too long ago to be transferable.
Anyway OP you can email Octopus with your concerns now.
They will respond.

There must have been a mistake. Please ring Octopus on Monday morning. I’ve been with them for a few years and find their Customer Services staff most helpful and friendly.

Usedtobeblonde

Actually we do have smart meters, fitted a few years ago while with another supplier however as soon as you change they are obsolete.
Such a waste of time and resources but I think that is the way of the world now.

This doesn't happen any more. The meters now installed work with any supplier. We had an early model installed by British Gas which ceased to work when we moved to another supplier, but we had ne smart meters fitted 3 years ago by SSE, but we transferred to Octopus and they still work.

Make sure you are on their priority service register.
And don't stint to put the heating on.
They won't cut you off.

I certainly didn’t have credit with EDF .
After it all seemed closed they asked for well over £100 they said I still owed.
I paid it as I couldn’t cope with the hassle.

Ah, ok, sorry.

I am very pleased with Octopus. They answer e mails very quickly. Say you are old and worried. I'm sure it will be resolved quickly. Good luck.

Jaxjacky they are not I was answering a question the OP asked.