A blight
Update: yes Jonny sent me an extremely annoying email outlining how it was all my fault according to the terms and conditions (or at least, certainly not their fault). No meter readings to me as far as I can see, on the app or the home display. Pathetic service with worried customers left hanging for weeks and months
So apparently your meter can just stop sending readings. Octopus won’t tell you, you’ll not notice a change to your dd, then when you finally realise there’s a problem, they’ll tell you it’s always your responsibility to check the meter and that they’re going to take at least a month to confirm just howmuch debt they’ve potentially let you slide into. They tell you the absolute bare minimum, claim ignorance as to why their system can’t alert them oryou to the act you need to revert to manual (if you can, I couldn’t because the meter was broken) or point to terms and conditions or tiny lines or your bill. They always win, always.
My advice, never pay by dd and always do a monthly manual reading and go over your bill with a fine tooth comb, assuming they’re incompetent, trying to rip you off, or both.
They’re all well trained at saying what they’ve been told are helpful things and pretending to go through the motions , but it’s small compensation when they ultimately say tough luck, pay us or we’ll shred your credit rating and take you to court and if you don’t like it, read the small print.
Octopus comms team - don’t bother with your usual “so sorry to hear, contact us on our preferred method”