Have any former Green customers had a new supplier update?
I kind of wish I’d stayed with bulb.
This is the tariff Avro customers will get Flexible Octopus £10 below the price cap. Apparently cheaper than the fixed price they are offering new customers. Though as I thought the price cap is limiting what they can charge.
For those interested the AVRO website is working - i updated my meter readings last night and it updated my balance (i screenshot it for reference). Got the email from Octopus also but i'm in the middle of a switch to sainsburys who intend to start supplying me on 4th October (before AVRO fell over). Hopefully should get some money back from Octopus
Am I in a minority of one here? I just can't be bothered with all the angst of going through switching between suppliers just to save a few quid. I was with Scottish Hydro when I moved here about 20 years ago. About 10 years ago they screwed me over by charging me £52 to change from a rip-off pre-pay meter to a standard meter. I moved to Bulb and have been with them since, with no plans to move unless Bulb goes pop and I am moved with no choice. My time is worth more to me than anything I am likely to save.
Until the present debacle, it was not hard to take 10 minutes on comparison sites and make a saving of a few hundred quid (even more with bigger properties/families). It was honestly wazzing your money up the wall if you didn't do it.
But right now...yes it's quite unlikely to pay dividends.
I think that when one is only paying £650 a year for all the power (electricity) coming into your house, then the savings are not going to be on that scale, which is at least partially at the root of my not bothering. It could also be the fear that I sign up for a deal that ends up costing me more. Bulb were very good at putting the price down quickly, whereas other providers I had been with were tardy in the extreme.
It's not helped me this time though! Went from Green to Avro (saving £100) and just before the switch both went bust. Now in limbo...
£160 in credit at Green (which I arranged with them to return three days before they went bust, but then they didn't) and £60 at Avro. It's certainly got messy. I guess you could say uSwitch have paid for the money that may be lost if the next supplier doesn't know about the credit, given the mid-switch issue could cause problems!
Last edited by hughtrimble; 28th September 2021 at 08:07.
I was with Ovo on their dual fuel tariff for the last 7 years and had never bothered to switch, but by moving our electric supply to Octopus we will save about £1,000 over the next year.
I think that is worth the couple of hours it took to research what was available and make the switch!
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
I’ve just heard from Bulb who have written to me to kindly inform me that my DD has to be increased from £85 per month (that I’ve paid since January 2018) to £101.
I’m £346 in credit and this time last year I was £390 in credit, but my energy use (according to them) had nearly doubled. It hasn’t but I guess their prices have just about doubled and so they reckon I’m going to be in debit to them pretty quickly.
There are going to be a lot of cold houses this winter.
A friend who has been an AVRO customer for 2 years received an OFGEM email last Friday advising that all AVRO customers are being switched to OCTOPUS ... also suggested that current meter readings should be submitted to AVRO ... but I have not checked to see if AVRO's website is still operational. Friend's email also states that DD payments to AVRO should not be cancelled and that the switchover will be automatic ... and that once the transfer is effected, customers can then choose whether to stay with OCTOPUS or find another energy provider.
I await OFGEM's email
dunk
EDIT ... this is the OFGEM / OCTOPUS email sent to my friend:
Ofgem have appointed Octopus Energy, Britain’s most awarded energy supplier, to take over your energy supply from Avro Energy.
Your energy supply will carry on as usual, any credit balance will be safe.
Should you choose to stick with us, you’ll enjoy our great value 100% renewable energy, and outstanding customer service.
You don’t need to do anything now, we will be in touch with more information in 7 days.
Dear Mr XXXXX XXXXXXX
Ofgem, the energy regulator, has asked Octopus Energy to step in and look after Avro’s customers as the company has ceased trading.
Over the next few weeks, we will transfer you to our award-winning customer service platform on one of our great value tariffs.
We will be in touch with your rates and charges soon, but they will be cheaper than anything available from any other large supplier today — and cheaper than the fixed prices we’re currently offering new customers on our own website.
Once the switch is complete, you’ll be free to stay with Octopus with no exit fees, or switch to another supplier. You won’t be able to switch until then due to energy industry limitations.
If you’ve already started a switch to a different supplier, including Octopus, that should still go ahead as planned.
Good to know:
Your energy supply will continue uninterrupted. You will not be cut off.
Any money Avro owed you is safe and will be credited to your new Octopus account as soon as possible
If you pay by Direct Debit, this will continue as usual and automatically start crediting us rather than Avro. Please do not cancel your Direct Debit.
If you’ve already cancelled your Direct Debit, that’s no problem — we’ll send you details of how to set up a new one soon.
If you are a prepayment customer, you will be able to top up in the same way you have been doing and will not lose supply
There’s no need to call or email us — we will be in touch within 7 days with an update. Throughout this process, you’ll find the latest information on our website.
You don’t need to do anything, but submitting a meter reading on the Avro website will help us ensure a smooth transition.
If you have any difficulties with the Avro website, just make a note of your readings and we'll ask for them soon.
If you are away, or can’t make a note, don’t worry. It won’t affect your switch and we will be in touch soon with more information.
Octopus is renowned for fantastic service, but please do not call or email us unless it’s vital.
Here’s what will happen next:
Within 7 days
We will contact you with an update.
Within 14 days
We expect to have most accounts reviewed, transferred, and operating properly. Please do not cancel your Direct Debit as we will move to over to us.
Once your switch is complete, you’ll be free to switch to another supplier (but we hope you’ll stay).
We are committed to making this as smooth as possible. We’re proud of our reputation for customer service and ask that you bear with us whilst we begin the tidying process so we can give you the service you deserve.
Love and power,
Greg
CEO and founder
Octopus Energy
P.s. Who are Octopus Energy?
We are the only energy supplier to be recommended by consumer champions Which? for four years running, three time uSwitch’s Supplier of the Year, and backed by the £8.5 billion Octopus Investments.
We supply 100% renewable energy, and believe in fairing pricing and outstanding customer service.
Click here to unsubscribe
Last edited by sundial; 29th September 2021 at 11:37.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
They missed of “ trust me” but we are with Octopus and they have been efficient when contacted on a fixed until Jan 2022.
I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
Enstroga, igloo energy, symbio energy have all failed today.
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publication...-symbio-energy
The email you quoted (I removed) is what I got on 26th which is the day Avro officially went out of business and the date on which you are supposed to take the last meter readings. The Avro website is now pretty flaky but I did get in on Monday to enter the final readings (which took a couple of goes) and record my in credit amount. No statements were present though. If you were with Avro you probably should have had an email by now from Octopus I would have thought.
Just read that Symbio (also Igloo and Enstroga) have gone to the wall. That’s my electrickery bill up by 50% then.
I was with Igloo before switching to Avro!
That`s the two previous engergy suppliers i have been with gone bust, i`m a Jonah!
And, when i checked yesterday on the Igloo website i had £172 in credit, add that to the £100+ Avro took out earlier this month and i`m already nearly three hundred quid down without even knowing what provider i`m going to next!
What a complete and utter shambles.
I have tried several times to submit meter readings on Avro site - it keeps saying to try again in 15 minutes.
I followed the link on the Octopus email and that did allow you to submit a reading - on the Avro page!
Set up a DD and username & pword on the Octopus site but could not submit readings there as they have not loaded the meter details..
shame about Avro going bust as I was on a good deal - they did take their time to reply to queries though..
Hope Octopus is a bit healthier :)
I hope Zog Energy survives as I have a 2 year fixed rate gas deal that I took out when prices were cheap in the early summer.
The interview with Octopus on the radio this morning suggested that they have a long-term strategy.
Symbio gone. Wonder who we'll get?
Until today I was with Symbio. I switched from Avro after they ceased trading.
Now Symbio has ceased trading.
My gas is with SO energy £60.per month fixed rate
I was with Igloo but switched to EDF just before Igloo went under, although the switch was only confirmed today. I was in credit so I'm assuming whoever takes over Igloo customers will repay me ?
Sent from my moto g(7) plus using Tapatalk
I’m on Green and being moved to Shell, just had an email from People’s Energy (a previous supplier) saying BG are taking over my supply!
Had an email from Martin Lewis Energy club about Octopus taking over my Avro account and how to do a comparison for old vs new. So done it and f me a nearly £500 per annum increase. That initial saving of Avro over Octopus in March is looking a bit dumb now!
See https://www.theguardian.com/money/20...es-of-up-to-80
Sounds like they are doing it to build up credit to safeguard themselves at your expense
Symbio have crashed and burned, but still sent me an email telling me they would take £60 this month by DD, despite me being in credit by over £200.
F-you. DD cancelled.
The DD advice is likely automatic ... it will be refunded or c/f to your new energy supplier ... if you are expecting a refund Symbio or whoever is dealing with Symbio a/c might not be able to process the refund if you have cancelled the DD which has your bank details.
I have a credit balance with my old supplier, OVO ... and a credit balance with my new (but failed / busted) supplier AVRO ... I know the OVO balance plus this week's DD to them will be refunded back to my bank a/c ... and the AVRO credit balance will be transferred to the allocated new supplier Octopus ... when i'm officially advised of the Octopus a/c being set up ... always takes a few weeks to sort out ... no need to panic
Last edited by sundial; 3rd October 2021 at 00:34.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I have not heard from Bulb as others have here and elsewhere, so I went to look at my account balance. I am £250 in credit and they have suggested reducing my monthly payment to £42. I will leave it as it is as I will undoubtedly be using more power this winter at a greater cost, and hope for the best that the service remains in place.
There is no consistency with Bulb, I’m a tiny amount in credit and they wanted to double the DD in the summer which I flat refused to do and went to my account and upped it by £10 and intend to top up over the winter months.
My partner has had DD increases and is £250 in credit, the account dashboard will not allow her to change the DD except up.
Ampower
Colorado
Goto energy
Home energy trading
Whoop
Ofgem has published on ists website that it is proposing to issue final orders with all these for non payment of renewable obligations and they have been unable to provide assurances that they can meet their payments.
So they are all likely to collapse.
I'm with (was with) Igloo and have had notification today I'll be moving to E.On Next.
Despite ceasing trading Igloo took my direct debit today and I'll be well in credit, circa £250, so fingers crossed it all passes over as smoothly as I'm being led to believe it will be...
Took a screen grab of my Igloo balance yesterday but their website won't allow me to login today.
Crazy situation!
I was with OVO and switched to AVRO and have paid one DD to Avro ... meantime I continued paying my DD to OVO as per contract ... today I received my final statement from OVO who advise:
OVO Energy logo
Account number: 20XXXXXX
You'll receive your refund within 10 working days
Hello Duncan,
Just to let you know we’re processing your refund of £51.72.
The good news is you should see your refund in the bank account your Direct Debit comes out of within 10 working days – if not sooner.
Thanks,
The OVO Team
© 2021 OVO Energy Ltd. 1 Rivergate, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6ED. Registered in England and Wales No. 06890795. VAT No. 100119879. We are a FiT and SEG licensee.
Had I cancelled my DD to OVO, they might not have been able refund my Cr balance to my bank a/c
However, I still await news from Octopus that they have 'inherited' my AVRO a/c ... I have not cancelled my DD to AVRO ... I have faith in OFGEM to ensure my AVRO DDs will be reconciled properly to the meter readings I submitted ... and that Octopus will advise me accordingly when the new Octopus a/c is initiated. Whether I stay with Octopus depends on the tariff I'm offered ... I'll switch if there's a better deal elsewhere. I hope Octopus can access my smart meters. If they cannot access my smart meter readings I'll submit them myself.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Been chasing Octopus, response yesterday:
. We are still in the process of migrating all the accounts over, so no further correspondence has been sent.
You can keep an eye on our progress here: https://octopus.energy/avro/
From their site:
UPDATE 4PM TUESDAY 5 OCTOBER
A second update today...
For the first time today we've been able to meet the Avro Energy team. Late on Friday 24th September we were asked by Ofgem, the energy regulator, to step in and look after Avro's customers, but we had to wait until today to engage with their team directly (we had to go through various conversations first with the administrator appointed to look after Avro after it stopped trading).
We now have a team of senior managers based at their office in Hinckley meeting a great team who have been working under difficult circumstances for the last couple of weeks. If they're reading - a personal thank you from all of us to all of you for welcoming us so kindly.
We've also already started working with those teams to understand how we can most smoothly move Avro customers over to our systems, and training them on Octopus systems to help the migration - so if you have contacted us and we haven't got back to you, please bear with us whilst we ramp up those teams over the next few days.
++First update:
UPDATE 11AM TUESDAY 5 OCTOBER
Thank you for your continuing patience. We are now starting to set up Octopus accounts for you. Any credit balance is protected and will be added to your Octopus Energy account but we have not started moving any balances over to our systems yet - we are hoping this will start to happen over the next week or so, and we will be in contact with you directly with more information, and to confirm the rates you will be paying with us.
The prices Avro were charging were unsustainable, which is why they went out of business. Your Avro tariff came to an end on 26th September - the point the company ceased trading. Customers will be moved onto our Flexible Octopus tariff, which is currently £10 under the price cap. This is currently cheaper than anything else available from any other large supplier and also cheaper than the fixed prices we're currently offering new customers on our website.
For most people however,, this is an increase, and we are sorry about that. We know how hard it is when prices rise. Wholesale costs, which make up 50% of your bill, are up over 300% in the last year - meaning new tariffs are more expensive across the board.
Last edited by Chicken Pox; 5th October 2021 at 18:15. Reason: ETA Octopus update
Symbio now supplied by Eon. I don’t expect any favours and fully expect Eon to gouge my eyes out.
Gas prices hit $40/MMBTU today.
Don’t worry about the units, just realise that this is about 15 times more than the usual $2 to 3/MMBTU.
Natural gas is now $230 per barrel of oil equivalent, while oil is $80. That means it is much cheaper to generate electricity from oil than it is from gas.
Therefore oil demand is rocketing world wide as power generation increases oil demand significantly. Oil prices will go sharply higher, and so will the cost to fill up your tank.
Your gas bills should literally be 10 times higher if it wasn’t for price caps. Nobody is investing in production as oil and gas were almost worthless during early COVID.
If this carries on through the winter, we are literally fooked.