Mark Roberts

Escapee from Sheppey, proud public sector worker, Apple addict, Tesla driver, film fan, audiobookworm (earworm?), nerd/geek, misanthrope.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@OctopusEnergy Please ignore me, I’ve just discovered you’ve already fixed this and I simply hadn’t looked at that section of the app for a while. Consider this an accidental feature appreciation post. Thanks!

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

Hi @OctopusEnergy. I like the app generally, but every month I play “Electricity Bill or Heat Pump Subscription?” because both appear as identical “Energy Statements” in the same Bills section. Any chance of clearer labelling please? 🔧⚡

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@verge Aw bless, I remember when Adobe was a scrappy little upstart taking on the big boys at Quark XPress.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@amywenn Thanks Amy, my IOGO 12M fix is 7p/kWh, dropping to 3.49p/kWh on 1 April, so different figures to yours. But my fix ends 7 May, so want to know if I'm then renewing at 9p/kWh or 5.49p/kWh. I've had conflicting information from Octopus across email, website and X.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

Hi @OctopusEnergy please sort out your email marketing. I've had two messages in recent days, one saying off-peak Int Go is dropping to 3.49p/kWh, another saying 'from 5.5p/kWh if you fix now' and when I click to confirm, I'm offered 9p/kWh... what's going on?

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@OctopusEnergy Thanks, that clarifies 1 April to 7 May. Still need confirmation of the off-peak rate from for my account from 7 May, pls.

Website (& screenshot) says “Now just 5.5p/kWh from April 1”, but renewal quote (link from 2nd email) says 9p/kWh. Is 5.5p/kWh only open to new customers?

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

Exhibit A:

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

What's the beef between @OPGGovUK and @ofgem that prevents the latter accepting an LPA verification code for #BUSGrant, rather than hard copies?

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@BootsUK please pass my thanks for amazing customer service to Ori & his team at Hempstead Valley pharmacy who kindly helped fill an urgent prescription by hand for my dad’s palliative care medication even with their systems unavailable. Hugely appreciated by our whole family.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

…in fixing the issue or passing on my feedback to whoever designed the woeful UX of the customer portal. Seems I should have taken time out of my day to call or email @zeninternet to get a link to allow me to update card details. Pretty poor user journey 👎

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

A rare fumble on customer experience from @zeninternet today. Debit card expired, notified I needed to update. Tried to via customer portal, no option to edit existing card or add a new one. Only option to set up Direct Debit instead, which I did… 1/3

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

Thought all was well after speaking to @zeninternet via email. Got a reply from customer billing account manager suggesting DD would take care of outstanding charge. Appears this didn’t happen, and I got a chaser call today. Customer rep didn’t seem all that interested… 2/3

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@rhydy @RSymonsLTD Not in my experience 😂 that’s about the only time I find myself intervening: when my Model 3 is pulling away from a stop in traffic. It’s like “Yeah, that’s too quick… oh, now we’re braking!”

Definitely different tolerances in 150+ year old tunnels with ~10mm clearances.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@rhydy @RSymonsLTD Ok, fair point. I’m not sure how you’d explain to an AI the concept of feathering accelerator or brake, and the right circumstances in which to apply it, without knowing the load, track conditions, the timetable - all unpredictable variables requiring dynamic reactive control.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@rhydy @RSymonsLTD This procedure is often done by drivers working with track engineers to smooth out lumps and bumps in the rails that wear in different places and at different rates over time, with the aim of making the journey more comfortable in the long run. It's an iterative process.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@OctopusEnergy great bit of comms from Pete Miller today, email felt authentic and customer focused - keep up the good work, Team Octopus! #FreeElectricity #IntelligentGo

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@JohnNurden You can only burn coal once, then those "f***ing c***s" will be in the same tents as everyone else, except the world will be in worse shape.

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@hoaxeye "I call it the 'SuckKut': as you can see, it sucks as it cuts!"
"Well, it certainly does suck."
#WaynesWorld

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@OctopusEV hey folks, any news on whether you’ll be adding the MG S5 EV to your stable for either salary sacrifice or personal lease, please?

[Mark Roberts @cortexrock]

@neso_energy If the colour key only applies to the areas on the map, it's confusing if you then use the same or similar colours for labels and charts elsewhere on the same infographic.