Cloud portal to have a fee from May?

GivEnergy Products GivEnergy Cloud Portal
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I have really mixed feelings about this email. On the one hand I’m really frustrated, eg it’s obvious to me they were getting into a CS business (big installed base with long warranties), but didn’t plan for or scale it. Also where’s the money gone or was the kit priced incorrectly because of the prior point (I don’t feel I paid top whack compared some brands). I think a lot of these companies are big on the product, ideas and tech and forget CS is a necessity.

I have always had to pay for my car app to get remote features and API access for IOG to work. Deep down I dislike that a bit, paying forever and relying on a manufacturer being around for the lifetime. But if priced fairly there is a genuine cost to them and value for me in having it there and my subs supporting customer service and their longevity.

Sadly GE misplayed all this and now we’re grumpy for the about face and their bad planning.

An old friend once said “don’t begrudge the other man his profit” especially if you want him to continue to do business with you and still be around when you need them. This is harder when they are not helping themselves very well.

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Collective action may well get a positive outcome here. If enough customers send in properly worded complaints citing the promotional “free for life” claim and the relevant UK laws (section 50 Consumer Rights Act 2015), GivEnergy may consider that defending against such claims is more expensive than its worth.

Section 50 turns pre‑contract statements - emails, adverts, verbal assurances, website claims, into enforceable contractual terms.

A written, dated complaint does three things:

  1. Puts GivEnergy formally on notice — they cannot later claim ignorance
  2. Creates a paper trail if you escalate to Trading Standards or a regulator
  3. If enough people send them simultaneously, it transforms a customer service issue into a potential regulatory problem for GivEnergy

The key piece of evidence

GivEnergy published an official portal brochure (dated July 2023) which describes the portal as:

“Easy to use, remotely updated, and free forever”

This document was publicly available on their website as part of their sales materials. Under Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, pre-contractual representations made by a trader can become terms of the contract. “Free forever” is unambiguous language, in a published GivEnergy document, used to support hardware sales. That matters legally.

You can verify and save this document here — do it now before it disappears: https://givenergy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/GivEnergy-Portal-brochure.pdf
https://givenergy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/GivEnergy-UK-Product-Brochure.pdf

Screenshot it or download it as a PDF immediately.

What to include in your complaint letter

  1. Your name, address, and GivEnergy account/serial number
  2. Date of your hardware purchase (and installer name if applicable)
  3. The specific representation — quote the “free forever” language from the July 2023 brochure
  4. The legal basis — reference Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which provides that pre-contractual information given by a trader forms part of the contract
  5. Your position — that you purchased (or had installed) GivEnergy hardware in reliance on the portal being provided free of charge, and that introducing a fee represents a unilateral change to the terms under which you contracted
  6. What you want — be explicit: exemption from the fee for existing customers who purchased under the “free forever” representation
  7. A deadline — give them 14 days to respond before you escalate

Keep the tone firm but factual. Avoid emotional language — it weakens the impression.

A simple template to adapt

Dear GivEnergy Customer Services,

I am writing to formally object to the proposed introduction of a cloud portal subscription fee, as announced in [date of email].

I purchased a GivEnergy [product name] on approximately [date], installed by [installer name if known]. At the time of purchase, GivEnergy’s published portal brochure (July 2023) described the portal as “easy to use, remotely updated, and free forever.” This representation was publicly available on GivEnergy’s website and formed part of the basis on which I made my purchasing decision.

Under Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, pre-contractual information provided by a trader to a consumer is treated as a term of the contract. I therefore consider that introducing a charge for cloud portal access constitutes a breach of the terms under which I contracted.

I request written confirmation that existing customers who purchased under the “free forever” representation will be exempted from the proposed fee. I would ask that you respond within 14 days of this letter. If I do not receive a satisfactory response, I intend to escalate this matter to Trading Standards and, if appropriate, the Competition and Markets Authority.

Yours faithfully, [Your name]

Where to send it

Send your complaint by email (so you have a dated, written record) to:

support@givenergy.co.uk

If you want to add extra weight, also send a copy by recorded post to their registered address:

Osprey House, Brymbo Road, Lymedale Business Park, Newcastle, Staffordshire, England, ST5 9HX

If GivEnergy don’t respond satisfactorily

Escalate in this order:

  1. Citizens Advice consumer helpline — 0808 223 1133. They triage complaints to Trading Standards. This is free.
  2. Trading Standards — via the Citizens Advice referral. A pattern of identical complaints about the same misleading claim is exactly what Trading Standards act on.
  3. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) — if Trading Standards deem the issue systemic, they can refer it upward. The CMA has previously taken enforcement action against companies making misleading “free” claims.
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