Ovo help! Previous homeowner debt

zaq1xsw2

Hi looking for some advice,

Just bought a property supplied by Ovo, that has prepayment meters for gas and electric. There is debt on both meters and gas in total of £1300 and increasing by the day. Ive provided all the evidence to Ovo that I have only just moved in opened and closed an account with ovo to go with my old supplier octopus.

However the debt is still showing on the meters and Ive chased up Ovo today and they are now saying they cannot clear the debt it is my responsibility to contact the previous homeowner/ estate agents to get their details to get them to settle the debt!! and I infact inherited this debt with the property!

12 days later from completing we still cant move into the property (have a young child and pregnant) as we do not have a key or card for the meters so no power or gas even if we wanted to use

We are getting a smart meter fitted this week with Octopus but Im concerned about the debt and if this will even go ahead with debt outstanding?

Has anyone been a similar situation? Im not sure what to do next?

Thank you!

QrizB

OVO are out of order. It's not your job to chase their bad debts for them.

That have a complaints process. You should raise a complaint and follow it.

zaq1xsw2 said:

We are getting a smart meter fitted this week with Octopus 

Does this mean you've switched to Octopus? And you've closed your OVO account?

Have Octopus sent you a new key for the current electricity meter, and a card for the gas?

sallysaver

QrizB said:

OVO are out of order. It's not your job to chase their bad debts for them.

That have a complaints process. You should raise a complaint and follow it.

zaq1xsw2 said:

We are getting a smart meter fitted this week with Octopus 

Does this mean you've switched to Octopus? And you've closed your OVO account?

Have Octopus sent you a new key for the current electricity meter, and a card for the gas?

He/she isn't an Ovo customer.  It's the previous tenant/owner who have left the debt of £1300.  Ovo are really bang out of order asking them  (the OP)to chase previous occupants.  Looks like another untrained CSA giving out duff info.  

ROY47

Ovo are wrong wrong wrong 

Daughter bought  a house nearly 2 years ago 

Had keys etc we  walked in no electric / gas in the house  , we didn't check when we viewed the house .

Went outside to meter boxes for gas / electric . both token / card  prepay meters there were stickers saying Ovo energy supply etc. both meters were blank 

Inside were final bills adressed to previous owner , we rang estate agent who rang previous owner and came back with You have my permission to open them and pass on info to estate agent to pass to owner  who as far as we could tell rented property out 

Gas / electric both owing around £1200  in total

I rang ovo and explained the situation ,giving meter numbers from the bills in the house and no electric / gas available at property , they agreed amount owed 

I explained daughter just bought house etc.  and previous bills nothing to do with her as the new owner 

They agreed it was up to them to chase previous owner for the money I told them estate agent etc she had bought  property from and to chase them to contact owner

Fair play ovo sent new cards to insert into meter with £10 credit on each  wiped off the owing money  and arranged for new smart meters in daughters name 4 days later , the unused credit on new cards was carried over to her account 

They also sent letters to daughter stating previous debt at the property was not her resposibility 

You need to call ovo and calmy explain situation again and highlight previous debt is their problem not yours 

Normally when you buy property you set up an account with the supplier , give it a  week or so then change supplier  I was told by Ovo at that time, but daughter was happy to stay with ovo 

QrizB

sallysaver said:

QrizB said:

OVO are out of order. It's not your job to chase their bad debts for them.

That have a complaints process. You should raise a complaint and follow it.

zaq1xsw2 said:

We are getting a smart meter fitted this week with Octopus 

Does this mean you've switched to Octopus? And you've closed your OVO account?

Have Octopus sent you a new key for the current electricity meter, and a card for the gas?

He/she isn't an Ovo customer.  

He/she:

zaq1xsw2 said:
..  bought a property supplied by Ovo, 

therefore he/she was an OVO customer prior to switching to Octopus.

OVO will have set up a deemed account in OPs name, which they will need to close.

ROY47 said:

Normally when you buy property you set up an account with the supplier , give it a  week or so then change supplier

Exactly this.