Updated on 14/12/2020: The info in this update box is taken from this guide on refunds:
Everything there is to know about refunds - your guide
How to sort a refund online
You can request refunds up to £1,000 via your online account. We’ve actually already made a guide on how to do this, click here to see it
You must match the following criteria to be able to initiate this:
- Have an active Direct Debit
- Request a refund of over £5
- Request a refund up to £1000
- Leave a remaining balance of at least one month's Direct Debit
Refunds can be requested through the online account by following these steps:
- Go to the Payments tab and click 'Apply for a refund'
- Choose the amount they wish to have refunded
If you don't meet the criteria outlined above, an error message will be displayed
Final refunds with cancelled Direct Debits
You can still get a final refund if a Direct Debit has been cancelled. The money will then be refunded to the bank account that the most recent Direct Debit payment came from. If this doesn’t work, our Support team can do this for you.
Cancelling a refund
Please reach out to our Support team ASAP, if you want to cancel a refund that you’ve requested. Otherwise the request will be sent to your bank and it will be too late.
Processing multiple refunds to the same bank account
We are unable to process more than one refund in a 24 hour period (3:00pm - 2:59pm the next day) to members with more than one account which has the same bank details. This to prevent accidental duplicates being processed.
This is an uncommon scenario but may occur if for example you’re a landlord and would like credit refunding over multiple accounts.
To prevent the refunds from being cancelled, either request the refunds on separate days yourself, or send the request for refunds to our Support team, who can do this for you.
Anything we’ve missed? Let us know below...
Here's the next installment of our FAQs! The one's on refunds...
I’m in credit and I’ve just had a bill - why can’t I get a refund?
Estimated readings! If the bill the customer’s received is showing estimated readings, the system won’t allow a refund. We will estimate a reading when one isn’t provided the day before the statement date (assuming they don’t have a working smart meter). This will be estimated from the last reading submitted, based on the average usage of the property.
If you have both gas and electricity with OVO, check that both have been billed in your recent statement. If only one supply has been billed, this will prevent a refund.
How can you refund me credit if I cancel my Direct Debit at the bank?
When we set up a Direct Debit agreement, it leaves a record on the system. By cancelling at the bank to stop the payment arrangement, the agreement is left intact ie. we still have your bank details on record, just no permission to extract further funds.
Why do I have to leave some money in my OVO account?
If you’re on a fixed price tariff, you pay in advance for your energy so you’ll need to leave one month’s Direct Debit in your account ready for your next bill. For example if you have £170 on your account and your Direct Debit is £70, provided you’ve been billed to actual readings, you’ll be able to get a refund of up to £100. If you’re on our variable tariff however, you don’t need to maintain a balance on your account and can have a refund of all credit leftover.
Why is my final refund taking so long?
Getting your final bill and closing your account is a different process to a normal refund. We need to wait for your new supplier to send your first readings to us. This ensures there’s no overlap in the energy you’ve paid for. This process can take up to 6 weeks, after which your final refund will follow in 3 to 5 working days. So overall, after switching away you’re looking at a maximum time frame of 7 weeks to receive your refund.
Is there a minimum and maximum refund amount?
The minimum we can refund is £25. There isn’t technically a maximum, but for refunds of £600 or over, we may need to double check the readings are correct before issuing. This usually involves sending a photo of each meter reading to us. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and our Help centre has online chat!
