OVO Energy

finalchex

Hello internet! We'd deadly like some advice. Strap in, it's a bit of a long one.

OVO Energy changed our monthly direct debit from £220 (we're three 30 yr olds) to over £700. They'd emailed us to warn of the change but, when OVO acquired SSE, somehow our email had lost a letter in the transition and we didn't get this email. We rang them up to complain and demand a rationale, to which they sent us the aforementioned email to our correct email address, containing the updated bills after a recent meter reading that explained the increase in payment. Our actual electricity use had shot up 10x a month from the estimated use during the period since we'd last sent a meter reading (granted, we should have been sending them more often). This was based on a meter reading that somebody had come round to take. 

During this first call (and every one afterwards), we gave them an updated meter reading. We went away, looked over the bills and tried to understand what was going on. Obviously, we thought something must be up here. We thought perhaps someone was tapping into our electricity or else something was wrong with the meter. Our electricity use for the same period the previous year was in line with the estimated, not what the actual reading was telling us. 

We called them back and argued this can't be right, please can someone come and have a look at our meter to check if it's faulty or something. And in the meantime, ideally, please can you pause our payments. The guy on the phone agreed this didn't look right and he would escalate it to be investigated, which could take up to 15 working days. In the meantime, he couldn't pause our payments but could apply a 15% discount to our direct debits. With no other options, we agreed.

15 working days pass without any contact from OVO or hint of an investigation and our next direct debit comes out again at just over £700, without the promised 15% discount. We cancel our DD for the meantime and call them again. The guy on the phone sticks to the line 'the meter reading is truth' and blames the DD hike on us not giving more regular readings. At this point, we owe OVO about 3.5k and the guy is obstinate. Tearful, we try to get him to look at the particular bill in question, where the electricity use first goes up 10x from previous month, and ask him to consider how this can possibly be. He is obstinate we are in the wrong and eventually he hangs up. 

After a few tears of frustration, we call back. This time a woman is incredibly sympathetic, she admits there is something weird and puts us through immediately to account management. Another woman is very sympathetic. She can see the last time a meter reading was submitted was when the person aforementioned came round, despite us having given a current reading every time we'd phoned so far. We give her an updated reading and she posits that the person who came round must have made a mistake when they inputted the reading, which made it look like we'd used 10x more electricity than we had over 6 months. She updates our account, the monthly direct debit goes down to below what it was previously (~£140), and we request a refund of the credit (which stands at ~£1,500). We are told to allow 10 working days.

Incredibly annoyed at the slip up though we were - the anxiety and financial strain this had caused - we were overjoyed to finally have got through to reasonable people and to have sorted this out. 

10 working days pass and nothing materialises. Our account does update with the correct bills, however, backdating to the previous correct meter reading. We call them again. They can see that a refund was requested 10 working days ago, but it wasn't processed. The guy on the phone has, today, processed that refund request and we should get it within 10 working days (though more likely 3-5, he says, as if we haven't heard this before). Fingers crossed.

This has crippled all of us for a few months now. We live in London, we are at the beginning of our careers and we do not have piggy banks for slip ups like this. When things like this happen, it costs us financially, emotionally, socially, and disproportionately. Our question is - does anyone know of any kind of compensation out there for things like this and, if so, how do we get it?

Much obliged!

MattMattMattUK

finalchex said:

Hello internet! We'd deadly like some advice. Strap in, it's a bit of a long one.

OVO Energy changed our monthly direct debit from £220 (we're three 30 yr olds) to over £700. They'd emailed us to warn of the change but, when OVO acquired SSE, somehow our email had lost a letter in the transition and we didn't get this email. We rang them up to complain and demand a rationale, to which they sent us the aforementioned email to our correct email address, containing the updated bills after a recent meter reading that explained the increase in payment. Our actual electricity use had shot up 10x a month from the estimated use during the period since we'd last sent a meter reading (granted, we should have been sending them more often). This was based on a meter reading that somebody had come round to take. 

During this first call (and every one afterwards), we gave them an updated meter reading. We went away, looked over the bills and tried to understand what was going on. Obviously, we thought something must be up here. We thought perhaps someone was tapping into our electricity or else something was wrong with the meter. Our electricity use for the same period the previous year was in line with the estimated, not what the actual reading was telling us. 

We called them back and argued this can't be right, please can someone come and have a look at our meter to check if it's faulty or something. And in the meantime, ideally, please can you pause our payments. The guy on the phone agreed this didn't look right and he would escalate it to be investigated, which could take up to 15 working days. In the meantime, he couldn't pause our payments but could apply a 15% discount to our direct debits. With no other options, we agreed.

15 working days pass without any contact from OVO or hint of an investigation and our next direct debit comes out again at just over £700, without the promised 15% discount. We cancel our DD for the meantime and call them again. The guy on the phone sticks to the line 'the meter reading is truth' and blames the DD hike on us not giving more regular readings. At this point, we owe OVO about 3.5k and the guy is obstinate. Tearful, we try to get him to look at the particular bill in question, where the electricity use first goes up 10x from previous month, and ask him to consider how this can possibly be. He is obstinate we are in the wrong and eventually he hangs up. 

After a few tears of frustration, we call back. This time a woman is incredibly sympathetic, she admits there is something weird and puts us through immediately to account management. Another woman is very sympathetic. She can see the last time a meter reading was submitted was when the person aforementioned came round, despite us having given a current reading every time we'd phoned so far. We give her an updated reading and she posits that the person who came round must have made a mistake when they inputted the reading, which made it look like we'd used 10x more electricity than we had over 6 months. She updates our account, the monthly direct debit goes down to below what it was previously (~£140), and we request a refund of the credit (which stands at ~£1,500). We are told to allow 10 working days.

Incredibly annoyed at the slip up though we were - the anxiety and financial strain this had caused - we were overjoyed to finally have got through to reasonable people and to have sorted this out. 

10 working days pass and nothing materialises. Our account does update with the correct bills, however, backdating to the previous correct meter reading. We call them again. They can see that a refund was requested 10 working days ago, but it wasn't processed. The guy on the phone has, today, processed that refund request and we should get it within 10 working days (though more likely 3-5, he says, as if we haven't heard this before). Fingers crossed.

This has crippled all of us for a few months now. We live in London, we are at the beginning of our careers and we do not have piggy banks for slip ups like this. When things like this happen, it costs us financially, emotionally, socially, and disproportionately. Our question is - does anyone know of any kind of compensation out there for things like this and, if so, how do we get it?

Much obliged!

Did it cost you anything in financial terms, if so how much and in what way, if it did you may be able to have those costs covered depending on exactly what happened? If it did not then you will likely get something in the £50-75 "shut up and go away" gesture of good will. 

Mstty

Please raise a complaint based with no emotion just all the dates and times as this unfolded and the promises made.

It will not hurt lodging this now just incase the refund doesn't materialise and this may make sure that happens.

You can then end the complaint with the stress and issues this has cause you. Ask for a complaint reference

I prefer email for complaints as then there is always a record 

complaints@ovoenergy.com