45mins on the phone to OVO

[RaceDiagnostics]

Got an email from them yesterday saying we are putting your DD up from £165 to £225 or pay £750 up front. I've been with them since 24th November.

So I called the and waited 30 mins for a reply.

How can I help you.

Me - why are you putting up my DD.

We can see that your consumption in December was higher than your DD amount.

Me - your basing my annual consumption based on the coldest month in the last 10 years.

Yes, that's how we do it.

Me - I know my annual consumption and the average cost is £165 a month.

Ok, how about £195.

Me - no or I go to the ombudsman.

Ok let me put you through to someone else.

10min hold, then someone new comes on the phone, and I go through the same again and I give her my full breakdown which seems to go totally over her head. She then says, ok we will leave it at £165 and review in 3 months.

Total scammers!

 

[Wozzaaah]

I had a notification from them that they were putting ours up to £194..... then another a few days later saying because I didn't respond they're putting it up again to £203!

 

[redlig]

I hope you realise that's some poor executive's Christmas bonus down the pan.

 

[brightspark]

scottish power wanted to well increase our rate nearly double wifey wass allready a grand in credit and went off it they kept it the same and we wanted 500 back and leave the rest in

 

[mike 109444]

I hope you realise that's some poor executive's Christmas bonus down the pan.

They gotta get it in quick before they fold the company

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I have no energy DDs....they send me a paper bill and I simply pay it. I just don't see the point of giving them the money when I can put it in a separate account myself and look after it on my own!

I know someone who got accidentally billed over £3k...the energy company seemed to be in no rush to sort the issue out....no thanks I'll give the DD a pass!

 

[My Old Landy]

I know a lot have a bad experience with British Gas but I have found them spot on. They have reduced our DD because we were £400 in credit after a year and we only pay £90 a month anyway.
In our old house they were the only company who would actually replace our boiler from all the companies we got to quote.

 

[Morrisman]

Bulb altered mine last month, sent me an email after the event. The cheek of it.


I'm now paying a £1 a month for electric.

 

[Kayos]

Ovo is a company that has grown rapidly, and honestly struggled with it

For complex reasons (short version, the energy companies are convinced I have 3 phase, I wish I did.) we use pre-payment meters and I am unable to change them. The additional cost over direct debits is currently £9 per year. I have accepted and easily used the govt vouchers

No bills, no bill shock. I used to hate them but I stick £50 when it's looking a bit low, seem to be the best option in the current state of things

 

[brightspark]

Bulb altered mine last month, sent me an email after the event. The cheek of it.


I'm now paying a £1 a month for electric.

u must have one of those magic heaters and plug

 

[James1979]

I had to double take when I saw this thread.

Been on WhatsApp to them all afternoon. It’s in writing then

We transferred to OVO by default with £800 credit on the account. Our monthly DD is £350ish.

Now our account is empty and the DD is £500! Monthly electric use inc standing charge is £250.

The excuse was that SSE have been over crediting us and OVO have under charged us. We have been with them 6 weeks.

I re did all their maths along with SSEs and they owe me all the money back. And some.

I put that in the WhatsApp conversation and the drone ended the conversation. Ffs

 

[carbon]

we were £400 in credit

This is likely to be the government Energy Bills Support Scheme, all households will start to receive £400 off their energy bills from October 2022.

 

[Morrisman]

u must have one of those magic heaters and plug

2 in every room, 99.8% efficient......

 

[gaz1]

Ovo is a company that has grown rapidly, and honestly struggled with it

For complex reasons (short version, the energy companies are convinced I have 3 phase, I wish I did.) we use pre-payment meters and I am unable to change them. The additional cost over direct debits is currently £9 per year. I have accepted and easily used the govt vouchers

No bills, no bill shock. I used to hate them but I stick £50 when it's looking a bit low, seem to be the best option in the current state of things

just becareful with prepayment meters

if they become faulty they wont recredit you

if the battery is dying within them they wont come out and replace the meter and recredit your meter with whats on the prepayment meter
i was told they would wait until the meter failed or no screen was available and any credit would be lost that was on the meter
that was british gas

its what i dont like about prepayment meter you should be allowed to get what normal customers get instead of a 3 tier payment system that they have going on

normal meter payed by dd or other means
online payment
prepayment meter

 

[Kayos]

just becareful with prepayment meters

if they become faulty they wont recredit you

if the battery is dying within them they wont come out and replace the meter and recredit your meter with whats on the prepayment meter
i was told they would wait until the meter failed or no screen was available and any credit would be lost that was on the meter
that was british gas

its what i dont like about prepayment meter you should be allowed to get what normal customers get instead of a 3 tier payment system that they have going on

normal meter payed by dd or other means
online payment
prepayment meter

I'm sure the battery going flat is not going to keep me awake at night

As I said, the price difference is negligible and although a pain to top up, I'd rather do that than find my direct debit has gone up to £500!

My nice, modern, efficient boiler is very good, our gas consumption is quite reasonable

 

[James1979]

I'm sure the battery going flat is not going to keep me awake at night

As I said, the price difference is negligible and although a pain to top up, I'd rather do that than find my direct debit has gone up to £500!

My nice, modern, efficient boiler is very good, our gas consumption is quite reasonable

I always had a prepaid meter till Mrs79 arrived. She prefers DD so that’s the way we went. There was logic at the time but I’m not keen on them having my money then saying it’s not there anymore

I’ve just mentioned the ombudsman on our WhatsApp chat……

 

[MetalMonkey]

I have no energy DDs....they send me a paper bill and I simply pay it. I just don't see the point of giving them the money when I can put it in a separate account myself and look after it on my own!

I know someone who got accidentally billed over £3k...the energy company seemed to be in no rush to sort the issue out....no thanks I'll give the DD a pass!

This is what we do, although it is still a trial getting them to send out the bill which matches the meter reading, despite you submitting the correct figures several times and having somebody out to read the meter.
Computer says no.

 

[DanZac]

Back in the days when someone came and actually read your meter (probably around 1998) the meter reader man got 2 numbers on our electric meter reading transposed.

Whoever we were with at the time then decided we owed them a million pounds or some such ridiculous amount and proceed to put our DD up correspondingly.

It took ages to sort out because they couldn't believe that their meter reader had got it wrong, and they couldn't just take my word for it, despite the massive jump between readings.

From that I think we can deduce that energy company incompetence and money grabbing is not a new phenomenon.

 

[premmington]

My 91 year old Father was £3.5k + in credit with Scottish Power in Nov' 2022 - and they still wanted to increase his monthly direct debit.

I kid you not...

Dad getting in a bit of his mess with his "bills" at home. That is what I have been doing this afternoon - sat down together with him and we been sorting thru his paperwork - compiling a list of what "we" have to do.

Father worked hard - he has plenty of money. It is not about paying - it the "act of paying" he has problems with.

All is not lost - he and Mother (aged 90) are still living independently at home - they just need some help! (More help!)

-----

Dad made a pot of tea and gave me a small scotch.... He had one too. We had abit of giggle - on how well he still sorts his paperwork out. His problem is the "phone" - option 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 ??????? - then on hold forever - it confuses him (or he does not have the patience for it at his age?)

 

[James1979]

New WhatsApp chat with new drone. Different excuses.

No real further progress……

However. The girlfriend of Mrs79 is an advisor for OVO on their web / phone chat. A more brain dead useless creature you will not meet.

I am not holding out much hope…..