Octopus Energy customers outraged over ‘ridiculous' rule which means they miss out on free £50
The UK's biggest energy supplier runs a referral scheme which gives current customers and the new joiner cash.
1
Each party receives £50 when the referred friend signs up directly through the website using the existing customer's special link.
But customers are just realising there's a major caveat in the policy.
If the house was already supplied by Octopus you cannot get the cash freebie - even if you just moved into the property and are a new customer.
One angry customer took to social media and wrote: " Octopus energy have a refer a friend deal on.
"As Jess has just bought a house we referred her. You should get £50 credit each but as the previous house owner was with them this means Jess doesn't qualify for the deal, I can't understand why as she is a new customer and it's a new contract.
"Typical big company changing rules."
Users quickly agreed with post.
One wrote: "That makes no sense whatsoever should be on an individual."
Another said: "That's ridiculous. New customer, new contract, new friend!"
A spokesperson for Octopus said: "If a customer moves into a property that is already supplied by us, they're unfortunately not eligible for the referral credit. The scheme is specifically designed for homes that are completely new to Octopus.
"We had to introduce it to prevent abuse of the scheme, and it's been in place since the start.
"We know this can be frustrating for new customers moving into a home already supplied by us, but this rule helps us keep the scheme fair and transparent for everyone.
"But we totally recognise that this occasionally gets in the way of legitimate customers and that's the last thing we want.
"Anyone who thinks they're negatively affected should email hello@octopus.energy and we'll sort them out."
How to cut energy costs and get help with FOUR key household bills
Following The Sun's involvement, Octopus has since reached out to the disgruntled customer to work out a resolution.
If you think you should qualify for a referral reward and are initially turned down, it's worth emailing hello@octopus.energy and put forward your case over why you should qualify.
It comes after thousands of Octopus Energy customers are set to receive a share of £1.5 million in compensation after Ofgem found the company had broken the rules.
More than 34,000 energy customers didn't get their final bills within six weeks of leaving, breaching the energy watchdog's rules.
Earn you cash for nothing
Refer-a-friend rewards aren't just available through energy companies.
You can earn cash sums on everything from broadband and banking to food and fashion, simply for telling pals about a company you enjoy using and encouraging them to sign up too.
Utility providers often have some of the most lucrative schemes.
For example, with Sky you can earn up to £100 in vouchers by referring friends.
You can even get money for referring friends to cashback sites.
TopCashback, for example, use your unique tell-a-friend link, and once your pal has earned their first £10 cashback, you'll receive up to £20 in your cashback account.
How to save on broadband and TV bills
HERE'S how to save money on your broadband and TV bills:
Audit your subscriptions
If you've got multiple subscriptions to various on-demand services, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Sky consider whether you need them all.
Could you even just get by with Freeview, which couldn't cost you anything extra each month for TV.
Also make sure you're not paying for Netflix twice via Sky and directly.
Haggle for a discount
If you want to stay with your provider, check prices elsewhere to set a benchmark and then call its customer services and threaten to leave unless it price matches or lowers your bill.
Switch and save
If you don't want to stay with your current provider check if you can cancel your contract penalty free and switch to a cheaper provider.
A comparison site, such as BroadbandChoices or Uswitch, will help you find the best deal for free.
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