Ovo billing error

canyouhelp

I've had an email from Ovo that I don't really understand and they haven't managed to explain it. 

They said that they have been underestimating my energy use since 2022. It said that they couldn't charge me for energy wrongly calculated before October 2023 (£92.21), and that they had recalculated the usage since then.

I asked them why they were estimating anything when I have smart meters but they couldn't really explain this.

The email said:

We undercharged you by £92.21 – but you don’t have to pay this money back (you’ll see this “write off” as a one-off transaction on your energy account)

We’ve also recalculated your energy use for the last 12 months. This means you now have a positive balance of £39.05 as of 2024-10-23'

I queried the balance figure as my account was actually higher than that at the time they emailed but they assured me that nothing was being taken off my account.

Then when I got my bill the 'Write off back billing' was a credit of £92.21, meaning that my bill overall this month was a credit.

Can anyone explain why this was a credit when they said they'd undercharged me? And what have they 'recalculated'? Is there something else that will come off my bill?

And why they have underestimated it anyway if I have smart meters?

Thanks for any help!

 

elsien

Are your smart meters working and communicating with over Ovo? 

canyouhelp

elsien said:

Are your smart meters working and communicating with over Ovo? 

Yes, and I checked with them that they are working correctly. I often log in to see my usage and it all seems to be communicating.

Brie

Frankly if they are continuing to use estimates I would suggest you submit the correct readings to them.  That way they have no excuse for charging you the wrong amount.

canyouhelp

Brie said:

Frankly if they are continuing to use estimates I would suggest you submit the correct readings to them.  That way they have no excuse for charging you the wrong amount.

I asked them why they are using estimates and they said they aren't and that my smart meters are working correctly which seems to contradict the email saying they underestimated my usage, which is why I don't understand any of it.

Qyburn

Are they saying your monthly DD is too low?

Teapot55

Is the email you had from them saying they have underestimated really an email actually from Ovo? Or is it from someone trying to get you to click on a link so they can get hold of your bank details? Just a thought. 

canyouhelp

Qyburn said:

Are they saying your monthly DD is too low?

They haven't said I have to put it up but when I log in to my account it suggests it needs to be higher, although it sometimes does that then adjusts itself

canyouhelp

Teapot55 said:

Is the email you had from them saying they have underestimated really an email actually from Ovo? Or is it from someone trying to get you to click on a link so they can get hold of your bank details? Just a thought. 

it's definitely from Ovo and I've called them and they have the details on my account

Ildhund

canyouhelp said:

They said that they have been underestimating my energy use since 2022. 

...
We’ve also recalculated your energy use for the last 12 months. 

If you have a smart meter successfully transmitting meter readings to OVO, there can be no 'estimating your energy use'. Are those the words actually used in the email you had?

This may go back all the way to when you first became an OVO customer, if there was a mistake in the account's opening reading which didn't come to light until later. 
  
Another possibility is that they had been using a tariff to which you weren't entitled, e.g. a fixed-rate one which had expired.  

The only way to see what happened is to compare bills you received in 2022 with the new ones they're now presenting and see what readings they're based on.

FreeBear

Ildhund said: The only way to see what happened is to compare bills you received in 2022 with the new ones they're now presenting and see what readings they're based on.

And check the readings to see if there is an "E" for estimated, or "A" for actual after the numbers.