Martin Lewis issues new warning to people with Shell Energy moving to Octopus before end of year

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Martin Lewis has issued a new warning to Shell Energy customers set to move to Octopus Energy, following the takeover announcement last week.

The deal will see Octopus gain 1.4million new energy customers and the half a million homes who get their broadband from Shell in Great Britain and Germany.It means that Octopus will serve a little under 6.5million customers in Britain, making it the second largest supplier after British Gas.

The companies told customers of Shell Energy to "sit tight" as they will become Octopus Energy customers in time and remain on the same deals as they are currently on.Ofgem and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) still need to approve the deal, but in his latest Martin Lewis Podcast, the consumer champion said the move should go ahead sometime between October and December this year.

However, he warned that customers on a variable energy contract may see prices change.Martin explained: “There shouldn’t be any disruption to your service when you’re transferred over and I shouldn’t think there would be any change to your contract if you’re on a fixed tight deal - whether it’s broadband or energy.“If you’re on a variable contract there is a possibility the price will change though having said that, Octopus has generally been known as one of the best customer service providers out there and I suspect what it will want to do is try to keep your business once you move across.“So, if it’s anything like previous transitions I’ve seen in the energy market, most people who were with another firm and then moved to Octopus tend to be happier about it.”He also said that he’s not sure what the Octopus business strategy will be for the half a million broadband users as it’s not something the firm has