OVO Energy compensation

Pez2

My dad is a British Gas energy customer and pays for his energy through a prepayment meter.

At some point a few years ago OVO Energy decided for some reason that he was there customer and started sending him bills. I thought he had resolved this at the time, but it turns out he was never able to convince OVO customer services that he wasn't their customer. He came to me for help recently as the amount he 'owed' was now over £8,000 and was being passed to a debt collection agency (one debt collector did eventually show up at his house).

This has now been resolved as I helped him draft a letter to the CEO and this got things moving pretty quickly and they have now acknowledged that he was never their customer and have cancelled the debt.

They have mentioned that he will be offered compensation but the amount has not been specified yet. My uncle has suggested to him that he should hire a solicitor to represent him in any negotiations over compensation, but I'm skeptical that the amount he'll be offered will cover the costs of legal representation.

Does anyone have any idea of what level of compensation he might be offered? He has not suffered any financial loss as a result of any of this, but the situation has run for years and as a pensioner on a low income this has caused him quite a bit of stress. Would there be any benefit to getting a solicitor involved?

CSI_Yorkshire

£50.

£100 if you're lucky.

You said it yourself - there's been no loss - so it will be a "goodwill gesture".

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Would there be any benefit to getting a solicitor involved?

Yes if you were the solicitor.  Not for your dad though.

£50 is probably as good as it'll be for him.

[Deleted User]

Erroneous transfer of supply are covered by Guaranteed Service Payments.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/

CSI_Yorkshire

[Deleted User] said:

Erroneous transfer of supply are covered by Guaranteed Service Payments.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/

Was it an erroneous transfer?  The description doesn't really clear up whether the supply was actually switched.

[Deleted User]

CSI_Yorkshire said:

[Deleted User] said:

Erroneous transfer of supply are covered by Guaranteed Service Payments.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/youve-been-switched-to-a-new-energy-supplier-without-your-agreement/

Was it an erroneous transfer?  The description doesn't really clear up whether the supply was actually switched.

‘Never their customer’ doesn’t mean that an erroneous switch hadn’t taken place.