Energy Tariffs

[Oldgreybeard]

OGB, Octopus have contacted me a couple of times over the years asking if I would like a repayment as my balance was on the high side, so they have been pretty proactive on that front.

Unfortunately, last time I contacted Octopus (before the present crisis) they weren't interested at all in taking us on. Seems they are only interested in supplying to those that can have smart meters. If you're down as being in an area where smart meters are problematical they don't want to have you as a customer. Understandable, their business model is very heavily focussed on smart meter tariffs and persuading all their customers to switch. Does seem unfair from my perspective, as apart from anything else it means I couldn't invest in Ripple.

You can't blame Octopus for the lack of coverage suitable for a smart meter, surely that should be laid at the relevant government department that should have ensured UK wide coverage by whatever means.

I wasn't blaming anyone at all, least of all Octopus, just pointing out that they are selective as to who they accept as customers. That's their choice, but from my perspective it has consequences that impact organisations outwith Octopus, like Ripple, as well as placing us at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a decent deal for electricity.

From where I'm sitting it seems unfair that someone a mile or two down the lane from us is able to have Octopus as their supplier and invest in worthwhile ventures like Ripple, whereas we cannot. I don't care whose fault it is, but if I had to select the companies most culpable then the blame would lay fairly and squarely with the mobile phone network providers, who refuse to provide coverage in sparsely populated regions. That lies at the heart of this issue, along with the much delayed Emergency Services Network, the replacement for Airwave. My police office neighbour tells me Airwave works fine here, yet their new ESN system they are trialling stops working in several of the "dead spots locally, as that too uses the mobile phone network.

I'm not sure if people living outside a "not spot" understand how restrictive it is living where you cannot get a signal. It means that many services are barred, even simple things like online banking. Despite our best endeavours, neither of our iPhones will receive text messages via WiFi (something to do with our wired internet connectivity I understand). This stopped the banking app for our old bank from working, so we had to switch banks to one that uses a card reader. I don't want a Google account, but couldn't have one if I did, as again that needs a text message to set up, as does Facebook and a few other services. None of them a that much of a loss, although when PayPal also started insisting on a mobile phone number, and refused to accept a landline, that was also a nuisance.

[Joeboy]

Unfortunately, last time I contacted Octopus (before the present crisis) they weren't interested at all in taking us on. Seems they are only interested in supplying to those that can have smart meters. If you're down as being in an area where smart meters are problematical they don't want to have you as a customer. Understandable, their business model is very heavily focussed on smart meter tariffs and persuading all their customers to switch. Does seem unfair from my perspective, as apart from anything else it means I couldn't invest in Ripple.

You can't blame Octopus for the lack of coverage suitable for a smart meter, surely that should be laid at the relevant government department that should have ensured UK wide coverage by whatever means.

I wasn't blaming anyone at all, least of all Octopus, just pointing out that they are selective as to who they accept as customers. That's their choice, but from my perspective it has consequences that impact organisations outwith Octopus, like Ripple, as well as placing us at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a decent deal for electricity.

From where I'm sitting it seems unfair that someone a mile or two down the lane from us is able to have Octopus as their supplier and invest in worthwhile ventures like Ripple, whereas we cannot. I don't care whose fault it is, but if I had to select the companies most culpable then the blame would lay fairly and squarely with the mobile phone network providers, who refuse to provide coverage in sparsely populated regions. That lies at the heart of this issue, along with the much delayed Emergency Services Network, the replacement for Airwave. My police office neighbour tells me Airwave works fine here, yet their new ESN system they are trialling stops working in several of the "dead spots locally, as that too uses the mobile phone network.

I'm not sure if people living outside a "not spot" understand how restrictive it is living where you cannot get a signal. It means that many services are barred, even simple things like online banking. Despite our best endeavours, neither of our iPhones will receive text messages via WiFi (something to do with our wired internet connectivity I understand). This stopped the banking app for our old bank from working, so we had to switch banks to one that uses a card reader. I don't want a Google account, but couldn't have one if I did, as again that needs a text message to set up, as does Facebook and a few other services. None of them a that much of a loss, although when PayPal also started insisting on a mobile phone number, and refused to accept a landline, that was also a nuisance.

Thuraya sat phone?

[Oldgreybeard]

Thuraya sat phone?

Might be an option if we get to the stage where we lose the landline as well, which I suspect may happen at some future date, with everything moving over to the mobile phone network. Probably expensive, though, but then if we have no choice I guess it's what we may have to do if the time comes.

We're also battling with the removal of landlines. We're friends with a lady in the next village over (they also cannot get a mobile signal) and she's recently lost the functionality from her personal fall alarm, as well as having had her call screening gadget stop working, as Openreach ripped out all the phone lines a few weeks ago, part of the move to get rid of the landline network. The consequences of this for her are that the emergency alarm she wears around her neck no longer works, neither does the call screening gadget, and also her big button landline phone won't work with the new system Openreach have installed. Nothing she can do about it, apparently, so a group of us have had to set up a rota to call in on her each day and make sure she is OK.

It would be nice if the companies involved in improving systems took the time to actually understand the wide range of uses customers have for our communications systems, and at least made some effort to ensure the really critical, life-saving, stuff continued to function. We've already been warned here that the defibrillator that we fund raised for and had installed at the village hall will stop working when they get around to taking the phone lines out here. Despite it only being about a year old it seems it relies on the phone line to work, both to give instructions to anyone using it and to relay the data it gathers from a patient to the emergency services, so they can see what's going on.

[Lincs Robert]

Unfortunately, last time I contacted Octopus (before the present crisis) they weren't interested at all in taking us on. Seems they are only interested in supplying to those that can have smart meters. If you're down as being in an area where smart meters are problematical they don't want to have you as a customer. Understandable, their business model is very heavily focussed on smart meter tariffs and persuading all their customers to switch. Does seem unfair from my perspective, as apart from anything else it means I couldn't invest in Ripple.

You can't blame Octopus for the lack of coverage suitable for a smart meter, surely that should be laid at the relevant government department that should have ensured UK wide coverage by whatever means.

I wasn't blaming anyone at all, least of all Octopus, just pointing out that they are selective as to who they accept as customers. That's their choice, but from my perspective it has consequences that impact organisations outwith Octopus, like Ripple, as well as placing us at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a decent deal for electricity.

From where I'm sitting it seems unfair that someone a mile or two down the lane from us is able to have Octopus as their supplier and invest in worthwhile ventures like Ripple, whereas we cannot. I don't care whose fault it is, but if I had to select the companies most culpable then the blame would lay fairly and squarely with the mobile phone network providers, who refuse to provide coverage in sparsely populated regions. That lies at the heart of this issue, along with the much delayed Emergency Services Network, the replacement for Airwave. My police office neighbour tells me Airwave works fine here, yet their new ESN system they are trialling stops working in several of the "dead spots locally, as that too uses the mobile phone network.

I'm not sure if people living outside a "not spot" understand how restrictive it is living where you cannot get a signal. It means that many services are barred, even simple things like online banking. Despite our best endeavours, neither of our iPhones will receive text messages via WiFi (something to do with our wired internet connectivity I understand). This stopped the banking app for our old bank from working, so we had to switch banks to one that uses a card reader. I don't want a Google account, but couldn't have one if I did, as again that needs a text message to set up, as does Facebook and a few other services. None of them a that much of a loss, although when PayPal also started insisting on a mobile phone number, and refused to accept a landline, that was also a nuisance.

Ah, ESN! Airwave was implemented around geographic coverage. ESN uses EE - but is supposed to have agreed coverage “not spots” filled in - at additional expense of course. Irony is that until everyone has migrated to ESN, that Airwave will remain in place- costing the taxpayer in the region of £400 Million per year! Hey ho …..

[Oldgreybeard]

Ah, ESN! Airwave was implemented around geographic coverage. ESN uses EE - but is supposed to have agreed coverage “not spots” filled in - at additional expense of course. Irony is that until everyone has migrated to ESN, that Airwave will remain in place- costing the taxpayer in the region of £400 Million per year! Hey ho …..

I keep hearing this refrain from the chief inspector up the road. I won't repeat his views of the people implementing ESN. Suffice to say he believes that it is a complete and utter shambles, and is adamant that he is not going to put his officers at risk in this rural area by sending them out with barely functioning radios. He has suggested (more than once, but slightly tongue in cheek) they they would be better off putting all the blue police boxes back). Please the Doctor Who fans, I'm sure.

[AE-NMidlands]

Just saw this on my Octopus dashboard today, anyone else had the same?
I'm expecting this is because of the money coming from the government.

I have just checked mine and I am relieved to say that it isn't showing me that... maybe because I am not much in credit (compared with what my winter months bills will be.)
The reason I don't mind is that Santander are doubling the cashback to 4% for a couple of months so I wound my payments right up! I will be decreasing them again in January...
A

[Fintray]

Unfortunately, last time I contacted Octopus (before the present crisis) they weren't interested at all in taking us on. Seems they are only interested in supplying to those that can have smart meters. If you're down as being in an area where smart meters are problematical they don't want to have you as a customer. Understandable, their business model is very heavily focussed on smart meter tariffs and persuading all their customers to switch. Does seem unfair from my perspective, as apart from anything else it means I couldn't invest in Ripple.

You can't blame Octopus for the lack of coverage suitable for a smart meter, surely that should be laid at the relevant government department that should have ensured UK wide coverage by whatever means.

I wasn't blaming anyone at all, least of all Octopus, just pointing out that they are selective as to who they accept as customers. That's their choice, but from my perspective it has consequences that impact organisations outwith Octopus, like Ripple, as well as placing us at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a decent deal for electricity.

From where I'm sitting it seems unfair that someone a mile or two down the lane from us is able to have Octopus as their supplier and invest in worthwhile ventures like Ripple, whereas we cannot. I don't care whose fault it is, but if I had to select the companies most culpable then the blame would lay fairly and squarely with the mobile phone network providers, who refuse to provide coverage in sparsely populated regions. That lies at the heart of this issue, along with the much delayed Emergency Services Network, the replacement for Airwave. My police office neighbour tells me Airwave works fine here, yet their new ESN system they are trialling stops working in several of the "dead spots locally, as that too uses the mobile phone network.

I'm not sure if people living outside a "not spot" understand how restrictive it is living where you cannot get a signal. It means that many services are barred, even simple things like online banking. Despite our best endeavours, neither of our iPhones will receive text messages via WiFi (something to do with our wired internet connectivity I understand). This stopped the banking app for our old bank from working, so we had to switch banks to one that uses a card reader. I don't want a Google account, but couldn't have one if I did, as again that needs a text message to set up, as does Facebook and a few other services. None of them a that much of a loss, although when PayPal also started insisting on a mobile phone number, and refused to accept a landline, that was also a nuisance.

I suppose Octopus could get you on a standard tariff but not one that requires a smart meter for TOU type tariffs.
I would probably be in the same situation as you if our smart meter connection relied on the mobile phone network as only being 6 miles outside the outskirts of Aberdeen our mobile signal requires me to go upstairs to the bedroom and sit on the window ledge to get 1 bar signal.
It's about time that the mobile networks had to allow connection at whichever mast gave the best signal and ensure 100% coverage.

[nowty]

My token £1 per month DD payment has been suspended too. And my fathers £110 per month DD has been reduced by £66 which matches the £66 per month credit we are all getting over the next 6 months.

3 x £66 Oct to Dec
3 x £67 Jan to Mar

So anyone whose DD is less than £66 will be building up excess credit.

[Stinsy]

They've dropped my DD from £100 to £33.

I'm not sure this is how it is supposed to be implemented. Surely the money is to compensate for rising energy bills?

[AE-NMidlands]

They've dropped my DD from £100 to £33.

I'm not sure this is how it is supposed to be implemented. Surely the money is to compensate for rising energy bills?

Isn't it just that your account will show 6 "government credits" in addition to a capped tarriff, so the fuel companies don't need to collect that much off you? Presumably they will get it from govt as a flat rate per consumer, plus a further really big payment to cover the difference in what they have to pay for fuel and what they are allowed to sell it on at...