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August 8, 2017
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Why am I being forced to change my Direct Debit?

  • August 8, 2017
  • 107 replies
  • 14177 views

Anyone else being forced to change their direct debit due to 'impending debt'?
Apparently OVO don't think my current direct debit level will cover the final amount owing for the year, so they've already sent me two letters from their Collections Department, talking about 'how much debt' they think I will have if I don't rectify my payment. Bear in mind I haven't missed a payment and have been pretty good at giving monthly readings, so I'm not in 'debt', as they so succinctly put it, they just think I will be, despite the 'shortfall' being quite manageable.
OK, so I acquiesce to this veiled threat from Collections and attempt to increase my direct debit payment. But it turns out I can't choose what that level is, they decide based on what they think I'm going to owe.
This would be great, however their projections for what they think my overall useage will be have been found to be wildly inaccurate.

OVO, I'm a grown-ass man, I think I should be allowed to decide whether I think I need to change my direct debit payment and to which level - or, conversely, receive a bill at the end of the year to cover any shortfall - it should be my choice.

Undoubtedly you will come back and regale us with the usual corporate flannel - 'well we do this to protect the customer form big bills', 'we've only got your best interests at heart', 'some people don't like being surprised by a big bill at the end of the year'.

I've got to say, I switched from British Gas for a similar reason (and received a massive payment at the end for their continued incompetence regarding estimated bills), but my experience thus far has not been much better, which is a damning endictment given the corporate ineptitude that British Gas display daily.

As an aside, the app is still rubbish. You've been trying to fix the thing for months now, to no avail. Maybe funnel some resources in to interface management as opposed to haranguing customers for mythical debt.

    Best answer by Lucy_OVO

    Updated on 10/06/25 by Abby_OVO

     

    How do Direct Debits work?

     

    A Direct Debit is an automatic monthly payment set up with your bank or building society. You can choose which day you want the payment to go out each month, and your bank will sort the rest.

     

    Once your Direct Debit is set up, you don’t need to do anything else to make your payments.

     

    Why paying by Direct Debit is the best way to pay

     

    Direct Debit is usually the simplest and cheapest way to pay for your energy. This is because:

    • You don’t have to remember to make payments each month – it’s all done automatically 

    • You’ll get a cheaper rate if you’re on our variable Simpler Energy tariff

    • You’ll pay the same every month for your energy, which can help with budgeting

    • A Direct Debit spreads your energy costs evenly over the year, which means you’re less likely to have to pay more in winter

     

    How does OVO work out my monthly Direct Debit?

     

    The aim is to make sure you have credit for 1 month’s payment in your OVO account by the end of March. This is to help cover any change in your home energy use over the course of the year. 

     

    For new customers, this only comes into effect once you’ve reached March. When you first join, the aim is to make sure you have no balance left to pay after 1 year.

     

    How do we check you’re paying the right amount?

     

    Your Direct Debit payment amount will be regularly reviewed to make sure it still covers your home’s energy use.

     

    We’ll let you know if your Direct Debit amount needs to change to keep your energy account balance up to date.

     

    Why is my Direct Debit increasing when my balance is in credit?

     

    It’s normal for a credit balance to build up in your energy account over summer, when energy use is usually lower. This credit can help pay for your energy in winter, when most homes use more. It helps you spread your energy costs over time. 

     

    Even if your energy account is in credit, sometimes your Direct Debit payments still need to increase.

     

    This could be the case if we’ve worked out that your OVO account is likely to have a debt balance long term – based on how much energy your home is predicted to use. 

     

    You can always choose to get a credit refund if you prefer. Request one at any time in your online account, in our app, or over the phone. You just need to leave credit in there for 1 month’s payment. This is in line with our refund policy.

     

    It’s important you have all the info, then you can decide what’s best for you.

    • If you request a refund online, sometimes we’ll need to confirm this over the phone. This is to make sure you have the details of how it’ll affect your energy account.

    • Getting a refund might mean your Direct Debit payments will need to increase, once your account has less credit in it.

     

     

    Check out our Direct Debit “check in” process here.

     

    We’ve got lots of handy topics all about Direct Debits so check those out too:

     

    Is there any support available if I’m struggling to pay for my energy?

     

    If you’re worried about your payments changing or you can’t afford them, please speak to our team. We can make sure you get financial support that’s tailored to you and your situation. There are many options available for anyone who needs help. To get in touch with our team: 

    • Sign up to our online tool at ovoenergy.com/payment-support and we can find the best plan for you.

    • Call us on 0800 408 6615. We’re here Monday to Friday, 9am and 5pm, and 9am to 2pm on Saturday. 

    • Talk to us online at ovoenergy.com/help Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and 9am to 2pm on Saturday.

     

    107 replies

    Show previous replies
    Blastoise186
    Super User
    Blastoise186Super User
    Super User
    November 29, 2022

    Hmm… That’s unusual. I’ll keep an eye out on the forum in case anyone else reports the same issue. If they do, I’ll ask for it to be investigated.

    In the meantime, if you wish to discuss your payments, the Support Team via https://help.ovoenergy.com for Live Chat or on 0330 303 5063, or the Collections Team on 0800 069 9831 might be able to help.

    Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      B
      Newcomer
      bobsheppard
      Newcomer
      November 30, 2022

      I have tried to contact OVO without success, both by phone and chat, told I am number in the queue but after 30 minutes still no response, how about OVO contacts me to discuss?

      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      December 1, 2022

      Hey @bobsheppard,

       

      Sorry for the issues you’re having,

       

      Every customer should receive two direct debit review communications. Do you get other emails from OVO? I’m wondering if we have the correct email address on your account.

       

      I’ll get someone from Forum_Support to reach out to you, they can take a look into it. Please keep an eye on your private messages.

       

      Hope this helps. 

      Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
      B
      Newcomer
      bobsheppard
      Newcomer
      December 1, 2022

      JohnM (OVO) has apparently fixed the issue my account was set not to receive them, I am surprised that this capability is available to turn off all notifications, especially something as important as account changes.

      M.isterW
      Rank 6
      M.isterW
      Rank 6
      December 1, 2022

      OVO shouldn't be able to switch off direct debit notifications as the direct debit guarantee states that a company must notify you of changes to your direct debit.

       

      @Emmanuelle_OVO can you confirm that this notification function cannot be switched off?

      1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      December 2, 2022

      Hey @bobsheppard,

       

      I’m really glad to hear this has been rectified for you,

       

      @M.isterW financial communications can’t be ‘switched off’, only marketing preferences. It sounds like in this situation there may have been a technical issue with the email address, or no communication preference was selected. Sometimes we can attempt to send communications which ‘fail’. 

       

      @bobsheppard, if you’d like any previous communications re-sent to you, just let our Support Team know. 

      Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
        B
        Newcomer
        bobsheppard
        Newcomer
        December 2, 2022

        Now I have had some time to think about this the words from your agent were

        “Firstly I wanted to apologise sincerely If you have not received communications advising of the direct debit review. I can see that email communications have been attempted several time but on each occasion they have failed. After investigation I can see that you were not set up on the account to receive emails so I have implemented this feature so that future attempts will now be successful. Please allow 24/48 hours to take effect.”

        From the above there is a communication success or failure status recorded. If sending these notifications is a regulatory requirement that has to be met this status should be checked and appropriate action taken to rectify the situation if the message fails. Should OVO be reporting itself to the regulator to say they have failed in this respect?

        Bob

        Blastoise186
        Super User
        Blastoise186Super User
        Super User
        December 2, 2022

        They do have to be sent, but delivery is beyond OVO’s reasonable control. If your email provider chokes on them or spits them out and refuses to deliver such emails, there’s nothing OVO can do about that.

        Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
        B
        Newcomer
        bobsheppard
        Newcomer
        December 2, 2022

        Whilst I agree with your synopsis, this was not the case, mine was not enabled, hence in the above statement “After investigation I can see that you were not set up on the account to receive emails” I did not get a postal notification either, this is why I made the above statement.

        As an aside I get email from all sorts of other providers with no issues, especially as I use a professional paid for email service.

        If emails fail for regulatory either OVO should consider moving to a mailbox system where I get an email telling me there is something awaiting my review or as previously suggested they should be investigated or re-sent, or a postal letter sent..

        Blastoise186
        Super User
        Blastoise186Super User
        Super User
        December 2, 2022

        It already is set up that way. As far as I can tell, the emails with your bills etc are sent via AWS SNS aka Amazon Web Services Simple Notification Service. That’s already a professional system, albeit probably not exactly a cheap option.

        OVO also pays for a pretty expensive internal email system. I know what they use, but I don’t reveal that information. You cannot use stuff like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 to send out several million emails a day from a single account though - you’d get banned if you did that for breaching Terms of Service.

        As for having an In-App Mailbox feature, while that would be really nice to have on the forum, I can’t see that happening for MyOVO. You’d be welcome to suggest it though. However, given that not everyone wants to log into MyOVO just to check a bill and given that it’d duplicate functionality that already exists… I’m not too sure I’d be keen to support such an idea myself.

        Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
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