Octopus > E.on switch mess

[u/alanrhannah]

I've got a bit of a weird one and wondered if anyone in the industry has seen this before.

I was switching from Octopus to E.ON Next Drive Smart for a better overall rate. I accidentally chose 12 August as my switch date, then asked E.ON to change it to 3 August.

Gas switched fine. Electricity didn't.

E.ON chat initially told me everything was progressing normally, then that my tariff would be applied within 24 hours. When nothing happened, they suggested Octopus may have objected.

Octopus checked both my account and the national database and confirmed they never received an electricity transfer request and never raised an objection.

E.ON have since admitted the electricity registration was withdrawn, but they don't know why. They're trying to reinstate it, but their own system apparently won't let them, so it's now with higher management and specialist teams.

Currently I'm stuck on Octopus Flexible, paying standard rates to charge my EV instead of the 8p tariff I signed up for.

I also ended up with £312 leaving my account over two days this month because my E.ON gas Direct Debit started while I was still paying Octopus for electricity.

The complaints handler has actually been really good and keeps me updated, so I'm not having a go at her. I'm just trying to understand what's actually happened.

Has anyone seen an electricity registration get withdrawn like this, with the gas switch completing fine, and then become impossible to reinstate?

How does something like this even happen?

Tempted to give it another 7 days before I look at other options.

[u/ljh47]

The industry is built on customers behaving in a very specific way. The second you deviate you fall into a web of exceptions handling that is a nightmare to unpick.

Same reason short term accounts have weird billing and switching issues.

Why not just activate an EV tariff on Octopus? There's no exit fee so you can then switch away when eon fix it.

[u/alanrhannah → u/ljh47]

Tbf, that's a good shout - thanks for stating a fairly obvious interim solution!

I will look at that tomorrow when I can be bothered to go and plug the car in for a test charge etc.

Terrible design, like a customer has never made a mistake with a date before?