Everyone seems to be raving about Octopus Energy. Octopus Energy reviews online consistently call it an ‘excellent company’ and it has been a Which? Recommended Provider for the past four years, but we want more details! What is Octopus Energy really good at? Is it worth switching to? Read on to see Octopus Energy reviews and how Selectra rates this ‘new breed of energy supplier’.
Pros
- Scores 4/5 for bill accuracy according to Which? and 4/5 for bill clarity according to both Which? and Citizens Advice.
- Good value for money according to the most recent Which? survey, which rated the provider 4/5 stars in this category.
- Few complaints according to Citizens Advice, which scores it 4/5 stars in this category.
Cons
- Not the easiest to contact according to Citizens Advice, scoring 3/5 in this category.
⚖️Octopus Energy Reviews
Simply saying that Octopus Energy reviews are great isn’t really that useful to anyone. When looking for an energy supplier, people have different priorities. One person may be really concerned with price, another with customer service, another with the range of tariffs they can choose from, etc. So let’s break down the Octopus Energy reviews into each category and find out 'is Octopus Energy good?'.
We have split the Octopus Energy reviews into customer service, tariffs and prices, bills and account management, and complaint handling. Read all of them or skip ahead to the section that matters most to you.
Customer Reviews on Which?, Trustpilot and Citizens Advice
Online, Octopus reviews from customers are very positive. In fact, the reviews it receives are some of the best out there.
On Trustpilot, Octopus Energy has near top marks, with a rating of 4.8/5 and 89% out of around 90,574 customer reviews ranking the supplier as excellent. This is one of the highest scores we have seen energy suppliers receive on the review site.
We've noticed that, in a lot of reviews, customers leave their unique referral link for people to use (Octopus has a refer a friend scheme where a customer receives £50 if a friend signs up to an Octopus tariff using their referral link). There could, therefore, be some slight exaggeration in the reviews to get people to sign up using these links, so bear this in mind when reading reviews.
Similarly on Which?, Octopus Energy reviews come in with consistently high scores. Customers awarded top scores (4/5) for bill accuracy, and according to Citizens Advice it scores the same for ease of switching and customer guarantees. Their final overall customer score on Which? was 70%, now ahead of the former top spot company, Outfox The Market.
Ratings for Octopus Energy by Citizens Advice were equally positive. The provider ranked number 2 out of 23 suppliers, with an overall rating of 3.95 out of 5. They scored 4/5 for number of complaints, and 3/5 for ease of contact, which is the one area it didn't perform excellently. While Octopus Energy didn’t top the charts here, it still performed very well.
All in all, Octopus Energy reviews tend to show a very efficient company with very satisfied customers.
📞Octopus Energy Reviews: Customer Service
Let’s begin by looking at one of the most vital aspects of a good energy supplier: customer service. In this area, it’s no exaggeration to say that Octopus Energy excels. It’s clear that Octopus places a huge emphasis on the importance of delivering high standards of customer service. As CEO Greg Jackson states, ‘if you don’t own your customer experience, you just don’t own your business’.
Octopus Energy reviews constantly sing its praises in terms of how friendly, effective and helpful the staff in its Digital Operations team (DigiOps team) are, as well as how patient they are when it comes to dealing with customer queries.
I have recently had a query (not a complaint) about my billing. Chloe dealt with this very the very same day and was very polite and helpful.Joyce
A company’s speed in replying to customers plays a huge part in its customer service ratings and Octopus Energy seems to know this. On its website it states it ‘provides an efficient and personalised customer experience (say goodbye to long call waits and hello to transparent and consultative customer experience)’, and it seems it's living up to this bold statement. In fact, the Citizens Advice says the average call centre wait time is two minutes and 24 seconds.
Many Octopus reviews report that the supplier is very fast to respond to queries via email and relatively quick to answer the phone too - the best way to contact Octopus Energy is via email.
In a recent undercover investigation, Which? found that Octopus took an average of just 1 hour and 23 minutes to respond to emails, this super quick considering the average is almost 48 hours and some companies take a few days.
In its 2020 survey, Which? found Octopus took 2 minutes 4 seconds to pick up the phone, which is a reasonable time. More impressive is that this is down from 2 minutes 23 seconds in 2019, and we're happy to see that the provider is not content to sit on its laurels in terms of customer service.
There is quite a big discrepancy in the times reported by Which? and Citizens Advice, with the latter giving the provider a lacklustre score of 3/5 in terms of ease of contacting, so which one should you trust? Both figures are based on Octopus’ performance at the end of the year, whereas Citizens Advice simply used data supplied by Octopus Energy to calculate the average, Which? actually rang the customer service number 12 times and worked out an average based on its own call wait times.
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💸Octopus Energy Reviews: Tariffs and Prices
Now the all-important tariffs and prices. In general, Octopus Energy offers some great tariffs at competitive prices, but they are not the cheapest on the market, especially during the ongoing energy crisis.
Since launching in 2015, Octopus Energy has worked incredibly hard to become 100% renewable and we are pleased to say they have achieved this goal. All of its energy now comes from renewable sources, making it one of the rare UK companies to be totally green, which is something that its customers really love.
Allowing customers to really take advantage of renewable energy, Octopus Energy offers some incredibly innovative and unique tariffs.
So these innovative tariffs sound great, but if they cost you an arm and a leg then opinions are quickly going to change! Lucky for you, its tariffs are not crazy expensive and are generally considered reasonably priced in Octopus Energy reviews online. Most customers claim the prices are very sensible for renewable energy.
Quick response to emails sent. Very easy online service to use. Best prices on the market. No exit fees on fixed tariffs. Great service Claire
On Which?, customers gave Octopus 5/5 for value of money in 2018 and 4/5 in 2019 and 2020.
Compared to other providers, Octopus Energy’s pricing sits quite comfortably in the middle of the pack, but it's clear that its rates are getting slightly less impressive to customers as time goes by.
🧾Octopus Energy Reviews: Bills and Account
It’s not just energy where Octopus Energy is positively green, the company has also gone paperless, using digital bills rather than sending customers paper ones. This means that everything is online. All customers have an online account through which they can view their bills, submit meter readings and manage their energy account.
I can honestly say that Octopus Energy are one of the only energy companies that I actually trust at this moment in time. Their energy tariffs are the best I can find. Their monthly bills are clear and concise. Jim
In general, Octopus Energy reviews show customers are happy with the online system, stating it is easy to navigate and manage. From our own experience using the Octopus Energy website, it’s very user-friendly with lots of information, but somewhat basic.
The minimal features can be a positive as it means it’s easy to find what you need to find, but a slightly more advanced and sleek website really wouldn’t hurt. Plus, while there is a lot of general information available, sometimes the exact detail can be a bit scarce.
Apart from the good online system, Octopus Energy reviews from customers also praise the clarity and accuracy of the digital bills. In fact, in Which's Octopus Energy 2020 review, Octopus received 4/5 for bill clarity and 5/5 for bill accuracy.
Need some help logging into your online account? Check out our Octopus Energy login guide for some handy tips and tricks.
📲Octopus Energy App Reviews
The octopus energy app is useful for managing your account when you don’t have access to a computer. Right now it’s only available for Apple devices (sorry Android users) and has some very useful features, especially the meter reader scanner that saves you having to enter meter readings manually.
While Octopus Energy reviews claim it's easy to use and handy to have, it only has a 2.9/5 rating on the App store. The main complaint is that the app lacks a lot of advanced features and does not work on newer Apple devices. Many customers also note that the calendar reminder feature (a reminder to submit meter readings) does not work. All in all, the app does the basics and that’s that.
Octopus Energy Reviews: Smart Meters
Smart meters are particularly important for some of Octopus Energy’s innovative tariffs. For example, having a smart meter allows customers to keep an eye on the energy they use. With this importance placed on smart meters, it’s vital that the supplier’s smart meters function well - and they do!
The Octopus Energy smart meter reviews we found were from customers reporting that their smart meters were not showing data, but they were positive in the fact Octopus Energy were quick to solve the issue either remotely or by sending an engineer to repair or replace the smart meter. Moreover, the fact that the provider receives high marks from Which? and Citizens Advice for bill accuracy (see below), highly suggests that its smart meters consistently work well.
📢Octopus Energy Reviews: Complaints
According to Octopus’ own figures, in the first quarter of 2021, it received 18,138 complaints, of which 17,866 were resolved. 57% of these were solved by the end of the next working day and 88% were resolved within eight weeks.
As you can see in the table below, Octopus Energy have a consistent track record with complaint handling. However, as Octopus Energy receive more complaints, their level dwindles.
| Reporting period | Complaints received | Complaints resolved | Resolved the same or next working day | Resolved in 8 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2019 | 5,634 | 5,634 | 55% | 98% |
| Q1 2020 | 11,498 | 10,837 | 60% | 94% |
| Q2 2020 | 12,896 | 12,892 | 66% | 93% |
| Q3 2020 | 16,857 | 16,879 | 64% | 93% |
| Q4 2020 | 16,632 | 16,050 | 59% | 92% |
| Q1 2021 | 18,138 | 17,866 | 57% | 88% |
Source: Octopus Energy
Complaints FAQs
How do I make a complaint to Octopus Energy?
If you need to file a Octopus Energy complaint, the easiest way to do so is by contacting the supplier on 0808 164 1088 or via email at [emailprotected]. Octopus will aim to solve the issue as soon as possible.
My initial complaint to Octopus is still unresolved - what do I do next?
If you're not satisfied with how the complaint has been handled, you can then escalate the complaint by calling the same number and asking for the information to be passed to its Operations Managers. The team will review your complaints and take the necessary steps to resolve them.
I am unhappy with the way Octopus resolved my complaint - is there anyone else I can contact?
If you are still unsatisfied with the resolution, you can then request a “deadlock letter” from Octopus Energy. This letter serves as written confirmation that Octopus was unable to resolve the issue. You can then refer your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. If the provider declines to issue you a deadlock letter, you can still refer the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman after eight weeks have passed since you first raised the complaint.
