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Post by crabbyoldgit on Oct 29, 2023 9:20:48 GMT
I did not choose BG , I was transfered upon failure of my previous supplier. Seems I am bad news for energy suppliers, I become a customer and they go bust again and again. However my latest monthly meter readings due and I go on online to fill them in. As every month I have to do password reset for some dumb reason BG have the email address/I'd on a different page to the password so the password safe does not work and I can never remember it from the previous month. But the password reset will not work so I spend 15 mins on hold to be told I have been transfered to the new improved , better platform, use this link to reset password , the person I am talking to can only deal with old platform customers they do not have access to the new platform?.
Why evertime is it an organization improves my customer experience with a new software /platform version I get a deep feeling of dread . So I go on the new password reset get the reset email which has to be used within 24hrs, but it instantly expires instead upon receipt. Phone the new platform help line ,I am 1453 in the que and a quick check of the speed that number is dropping I can't expect a reply in under 10hrs. My mobile battery is not going to last 10hrs . Email complaint it's the only way I am ever going to make progress, I have had an auto response estimated time to deal 3 weeks.
Checking online of others experience of the new improved platform, credit balances from old platform gone missing , meter readings on bill no longer representing figures on smart meter because someone's other smart meter is now attached to the bill, smart meter no longer working at all, unable to log on, no bill history, direct bebit gone missing it goes on and on. Please leave me alone it is not bust stop trying to fix it.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Oct 29, 2023 9:28:53 GMT
Have you tried live chat? I managed to get a final bill after live chat in August. The switch to Octopus was smooth enough and earned referral credits by signing up with friends link.
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radar
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Post by radar on Oct 29, 2023 9:52:58 GMT
You dont need to put up with that kind of service, as Benaj has stated it is easy these days,and as he says the move to Octopus is very smooth and rewarding
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Post by bracknellboy on Oct 29, 2023 10:18:32 GMT
switch supplier. I will also vouch for Octopus customer service, and during my transition to them due to supplier failure they were very good. I had a slight hiccup - delayed response to some email comms - a few months ago, but that has been it for problems.
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michaelc
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Post by michaelc on Oct 29, 2023 13:28:45 GMT
+1 for Octopus.
BUT I'm naturally a little suspicious of how is it that one company out of dozens and dozens can be so much better than the others?
Also switching is much easier than being bought out due to existing going bankrupt AND its easier now than it was just 3 or 4 years ago. Its very fast. And remember when you switch the new company won't have to mess around for months making the "legacy" or "new customers" systems from the bankrupt provider work. In my case at least it was pretty seamless and that included a smart meter transfer.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Oct 29, 2023 14:28:53 GMT
My smart meter wasn’t working after the switching from BG initially, Octopus couldn’t get a read until I sent them the device address
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Oct 29, 2023 14:56:22 GMT
EDF here and no problems, still avoiding a smart meter. On a good fixed rate for another year yet.
Edit: They updated their website and I was expecting a disaster, but it was pretty easy.
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Oct 30, 2023 9:54:21 GMT
BUT I'm naturally a little suspicious of how is it that one company out of dozens and dozens can be so much better than the others? AIUI, it's in large part because they've invested a LOT of money in their back-end IT, resulting in an excellent system - which they licence to some other smaller energy firms. octopusenergy.group/kraken-technologieskraken.tech/When you look at the way in which the supply actually works, the ONLY job that "our supplier" has is to manage billing. Everything else is done by National Grid. Automate that billing, and the efficiencies provide the competitive advantage. It's also why I'm so cynical about the greenwashing of "renewable tariffs", despite being a very big fan of renewable energy. The bottleneck on increased renewable supply is not customer demand, which the whole concept of a renewable tariff is predicated upon. Renewable supply massively outstrips the demand of customers on those tariffs.
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keitha
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Post by keitha on Oct 30, 2023 11:46:32 GMT
BUT I'm naturally a little suspicious of how is it that one company out of dozens and dozens can be so much better than the others? AIUI, it's in large part because they've invested a LOT of money in their back-end IT, resulting in an excellent system - which they licence to some other smaller energy firms. octopusenergy.group/kraken-technologieskraken.tech/When you look at the way in which the supply actually works, the ONLY job that "our supplier" has is to manage billing. Everything else is done by National Grid. Automate that billing, and the efficiencies provide the competitive advantage. It's also why I'm so cynical about the greenwashing of "renewable tariffs", despite being a very big fan of renewable energy. The bottleneck on increased renewable supply is not customer demand, which the whole concept of a renewable tariff is predicated upon. Renewable supply massively outstrips the demand of customers on those tariffs. Getting seriously worried this is twice today I'm in agreement with adrianc If I understand correctly 60% plus of UK customers are on green tariffs that promise your electricity is only "renewable" or 100% green It's a joke, if 50% of generation at 17:00 today is Gas, and the rest is renewable ( ignoring Nuclear and interconnectors ) then you get 50% renewable, the meter does not refuse electrons that are generated from gas. Over a year my Solar produces at least 1000kWh more than I use, but I wouldn't think to claim my usage is net zero, as the truth is the majority of my import is in the winter when gas and coal are bigger contributors than in the summer. Battery storage enables me to charge overnight at cheap rates and that is often greener than other times of the day in the winter. the other issue is curtailment, when generators are paid not to produce energy, because Green is cheaper and more flexible it is cheaper to "turn off" wind turbines etc than gas or nuclear. Again this is where Octopus wins tariffs like Agile are cheaper at these times, with Octoplus they will refund customers for using electricity when there is a surplus rather than paying generators not to generate. Lets say they see very low prices because of surplus 2-3pm tomorrow they will get this cheap so what they do is give it away, Used to be called power hour you get your bill and what you use 2-3 is charged at normal rate then you get a refund of that charge, so free electricity.
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Oct 30, 2023 12:04:26 GMT
It's also why I'm so cynical about the greenwashing of "renewable tariffs", despite being a very big fan of renewable energy. The bottleneck on increased renewable supply is not customer demand, which the whole concept of a renewable tariff is predicated upon. Renewable supply massively outstrips the demand of customers on those tariffs. Getting seriously worried this is twice today I'm in agreement with adrianc <grin> 60%+ of domestic customers, perhaps. But domestic electricity consumption is only 35% of the national total consumption... 60% of 35% is only 21% of the total - and renewables are a much higher proportion of supply than that. About 37% right now. 100% of domestic could be coming from green tariffs, and they could still say "Yup, that works". gridwatch.co.uk/renewablesBut the simple fact is that the grid doesn't differentiate at all. There isn't a green grid in parallel to a dirty one. What comes out of your sockets is what's floating around your corner of the grid from wherever your nearest generator is, and won't change at all no matter who I pay. The geographically nearest generators to me on this map are small wind, solar, hydro installs. The nearest sizable generators are all CCGT, then a nuke. www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-the-uk-generates-its-electricity/
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keitha
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Post by keitha on Oct 30, 2023 12:12:39 GMT
Nearest big one Aberthaw COAL !
lots of small solar locally and big gas ones a bit further away
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Post by bracknellboy on Oct 30, 2023 13:30:32 GMT
crabbyoldgit if you do choose to swap supplier - and given what you've said I wholeheartedly would suggest it - then Octopus has a 'refer a friend' scheme which I'd be more than happy to extend to you (both parties benefit from it) :-)
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Oct 30, 2023 15:17:38 GMT
Nearest big one Aberthaw COAL ! Yes, that raised my eyebrows, too - it doesn't seem to be quite up to date. Aberthaw A closed 1995 Aberthaw B fired a mix of coal and biomass after 2008, and closed in 2020. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberthaw_power_stationsThe only current coal-burning power station in the UK is Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and it's scheduled to close in less than a year. It's also fitted with selective catalyst reduction urea injection (in other words: adblue, same as on modern diesel cars) on the combustion exhausts to reduce NOx.
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ilmoro
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Post by ilmoro on Oct 30, 2023 15:35:48 GMT
Nearest big one Aberthaw COAL ! Yes, that raised my eyebrows, too - it doesn't seem to be quite up to date. Aberthaw A closed 1995 Aberthaw B fired a mix of coal and biomass after 2008, and closed in 2020. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberthaw_power_stationsThe only current coal-burning power station in the UK is Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and it's scheduled to close in less than a year. It's also fitted with selective catalyst reduction urea injection (in other words: adblue, same as on modern diesel cars) on the combustion exhausts to reduce NOx. 4 others on standby and have been fired up this year www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64879044Currently 50% fossil, incl 4% coal, 25% renewables
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