Advice on OVO energy overdue bill - 1 year

polarbears12

Hi all,

I'm just looking for some advice and opinions on what you would do in this situation. So, I moved out of a private rented property last March - and into my parents house to save for my own home. I closed all utility/council tax etc. accounts appropriately and as far as I knew everything was paid.

I recently (as in the past 2 weeks) started receiving text messages and emails from OVO energy saying that my last bill is overdue. I was with OVO in my old place which I left over a year ago, and upon logging into my account it's the final bill from that property.

I have had no comms from them or reminders in any format saying that I owe them this money, apart from what has come to me recently in text and email. I have called them up to question this as it doesn't seem fair to be asking me daily for this money now when no effort has been made to ask for it in an entire year. The operator on the phone said that she can see I was sent an email last year 2 days after I moved out, and nothing else at all until this April. I don't remember the email from last year, but it was a day I was on a long haul flight so if I have had it, it's probably been overlooked which I admit would be my own fault - but owing them money, I'd expect a reminder?

I understand that if this is my final bill, then I do owe the money, that's fine and I will pay if I have to - but my issue is that they haven't made any attempt to contact me in over a year and they have told me that this corroborates what is logged on their system too. I also have recently had a mortgage offer and am in the process of waiting for solicitors to move into my first owned home - so I'm worried that this debacle will affect my credit rating and then have an affect on my mortgage offer.

Any advice or if anyone has also been in this situation would be appreciated, like I say - it is my final bill and I am happy to pay it if I have to, but with the lack of comms for an entire year here I'm wondering is it likely that they could write it off/reduce it as a goodwill gesture, and is this likely to hurt my credit file right now.

Of course if OVO won't write it off, I would pay and I won't let it go to a collections agency or anything like that.

Thanks for reading and for your time.

BarelySentientAI

If the bill is correct, and they first told you about it within 12 months of you using the energy, then you do owe it.

They won't write it off as "goodwill".

MeteredOut

You were provided with a final bill and you did not pay that, so I can't see how back billing rules would come into play here, so you are legally due to pay for the energy you used.

If they had not sent you a final bill, you could reasonably ask for back billing rules to be applied and only pay for any usage in the past 12 months up to the point where OVO contacted you 2 weeks ago.

But, given the poor communications from OVO, I'd try push for some level of discount or even a gesture of goodwill amount knocked off it. How much is the bill?

Have you checked your credit record?

polarbears12

Thanks, but is it not odd that they don't chase up for over a year? If you owe money, it's highly unusual to just hear nothing about it?

Like I say, I'm happy to pay it but my problem is that they have had a whole year to chase up and now bombard me with "overdue" reminders so this surely is not a normal case.

MeteredOut

Incompetence with regards to energy companies is not odd.

Think of the positive - treat it as you having had an interest free loan from OVO for the past year that you've (hopefully) been earning savings interest on. 

BarelySentientAI

It's not normal, but there's nothing that I know of in the rules that makes a difference to you at this point.

If you argue hardship or press for a goodwill payment, you might get £50 credit to make you shut up.

polarbears12

MeteredOut said:

You were provided with a final bill and you did not pay that, so I can't see how back billing rules would come into play here, so you are legally due to pay for the energy you used.

If they had not sent you a final bill, you could reasonably ask for back billing rules to be applied and only pay for any usage in the past 12 months up to the point where OVO contacted you 2 weeks ago.

But, given the poor communications from OVO, I'd try push for some level of discount or even a gesture of goodwill amount knocked off it. How much is the bill?

Have you checked your credit record?

Thanks, yes they say they sent a final bill via email but I don't recall seeing it and I can't now find it in my inbox, but they say they sent it.

The bill is only £225 so not a huge amount but like you say, it's the poor communication which is what I am querying. I have a complaint open with them to see if they can do anything as surely it's worth a shot in case they can at least offer a discount.

I have checked my credit record in and out over the past couple of months due to applying for a mortgage and there is nothing at all on there about this.

polarbears12

BarelySentientAI said:

It's not normal, but there's nothing that I know of in the rules that makes a difference to you at this point.

If you argue hardship or press for a goodwill payment, you might get £50 credit to make you shut up.

Thanks, yes more was hoping that they would see it as an exception due to a failure in their communication - will see what comes of the open complaint in the next few days as they said they will call me back in 48h.

I just can't get my head around such incompetency and then the threatening "overdue" messages when they have quite literally had a year