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Why did OVO financial support team contact me despite my recent payment?


I’m interested to hear from SSE former customers and if it resonates Ovo Energy customers.

I transferred from SSE mid January 2022. My billing cycle was quarterly and bills came not long after the billing period. My bill was paid by a direct payment.

At transfer Ovo Energy placed me on a monthly cycle running 13th of the month to the 12th of the following.

Upon transfer my bill fell at transfer and I paid SSE. The money was transferred to Ovo, however my previous billing and usage with SSE was and still is not visible.

For the period 13th March to the 12th April, I viewed my bill electronically I have smart meters and paid on the 13/4/22 shown on my bank statement as the 14/4/22. I paid modestly over the due amount and was in credit at the start of the billing period. A week later I received a bill from a Ovo indicating a debt.

This debt was imaginary as their system appeared not to acknowledge my payment, even though my account did. For that period and into the next. I was harassed by txt and email.

I tried to contact via chat, that system was not available, I tried to call excessive wait times. Eventually frustrated with their harassing communications. I left a trust pilot review and received some rather pointless communications through that platform. That my experience will be taken up with the billing team.

As the next billing period approached the most recent I paid Ovo on the date my bill appeared in my account. There was no notification that my bill had been issued. Instead I receive a rather harassing text message from collections for a debt that had been over due for more than a month. This was and is not the case.

It is likely I will formally complain through Ovo’s complaints process. They have eight weeks to address my complaint. After that it is the Energy Ombudsman…..all in from a consumer perspective it appears fruitless and time consuming. As there is a clear issue with Ovo’s billing process and procedure.

The other option is to transfer to British Gas.

Thanks for reading and commenting if you do.

 

Oh! a screenshot of my account is attached, yes I’m in debit by a few pounds, I’m in a billing period. Sorry wouldn’t allow the screenshot.

 

 

Best answer by Tim_OVO

Updated on 1706/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
 

What can our payment support team offer if I can’t pay my energy bill?

 

Our payment support team has supported lots of people in similar situations, and are trained to do so. 

Some of the ways they can help are:

  • They can create a payment plan that’s suitable for your financial situation. A payment plan can spread the cost of what’s outstanding, you can find out more about them here.
  • They can discuss what other payment schemes you may be eligible for. They can make sure you’re getting the support that’s available to you, such as benefit entitlement checks. 
  • Our team is also trained to give advice on energy debt, and discuss what help is available. 
  • They can show you where you can find free, independent advice.

For more financial support, call the team on 0800 069 9831. We’re open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-2pm.

 

What’s a payment plan & how does it work?

 

Using the information you give us, we’ll come up with a manageable payment plan. These payments can be made on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis. 

 

Some of the payment will go towards the outstanding balance and some of the payment will go towards your current usage. 
 

 

Thanks for flagging, @Kenyon graham 

 

Kenyon graham wrote:

 

For the period 13th March to the 12th April, I viewed my bill electronically I have smart meters and paid on the 13/4/22 shown on my bank statement as the 14/4/22. I paid modestly over the due amount and was in credit at the start of the billing period. A week later I received a bill from a Ovo indicating a debt.

This debt was imaginary as their system appeared not to acknowledge my payment, even though my account did. For that period and into the next. I was harassed by txt and email.

 

It’s very odd to see that the payment seems to have affected your balance, as shown in your screenshot, but hasn’t stopped collections activity for account debt. It may be worth contacting our Collections team by web chat, and by phone. Start a webchat conversations or or call with our Collections team here. Also you can see our page on payment support here.

 

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64 replies

Tim_OVO
Retired Moderator
  • OVO Forum Legend
  • 1810 replies
  • Answer
  • May 23, 2022

Updated on 1706/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
 

What can our payment support team offer if I can’t pay my energy bill?

 

Our payment support team has supported lots of people in similar situations, and are trained to do so. 

Some of the ways they can help are:

  • They can create a payment plan that’s suitable for your financial situation. A payment plan can spread the cost of what’s outstanding, you can find out more about them here.
  • They can discuss what other payment schemes you may be eligible for. They can make sure you’re getting the support that’s available to you, such as benefit entitlement checks. 
  • Our team is also trained to give advice on energy debt, and discuss what help is available. 
  • They can show you where you can find free, independent advice.

For more financial support, call the team on 0800 069 9831. We’re open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-2pm.

 

What’s a payment plan & how does it work?

 

Using the information you give us, we’ll come up with a manageable payment plan. These payments can be made on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis. 

 

Some of the payment will go towards the outstanding balance and some of the payment will go towards your current usage. 
 

 

Thanks for flagging, @Kenyon graham 

 

Kenyon graham wrote:

 

For the period 13th March to the 12th April, I viewed my bill electronically I have smart meters and paid on the 13/4/22 shown on my bank statement as the 14/4/22. I paid modestly over the due amount and was in credit at the start of the billing period. A week later I received a bill from a Ovo indicating a debt.

This debt was imaginary as their system appeared not to acknowledge my payment, even though my account did. For that period and into the next. I was harassed by txt and email.

 

It’s very odd to see that the payment seems to have affected your balance, as shown in your screenshot, but hasn’t stopped collections activity for account debt. It may be worth contacting our Collections team by web chat, and by phone. Start a webchat conversations or or call with our Collections team here. Also you can see our page on payment support here.

 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 2 replies
  • August 31, 2022

This company seems to be a shambles, I made a payment of £140 on 13th August which would have cleared my balance, the payment was done by bank transfer.

Guess what...OVO have lost the payment. Ive sent them proof of bank transaction on 19th August, phoned them 3 times to ask what the hell is going on, nobody knows.

Then today, 31st August I received an email from collections basically threatening me that if I didnt pay my over due bill it would affect my credit reference.

Absolute shambles and a shocking way to treat someone.

 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • September 1, 2022

Hi @Whyt,

I’m really sorry for the issues you’ve had. When our support team receives details of a missing payment it is raised to our payments team who usually locate the payment within 3 working days. It may be that they are missing some information they need to locate the payment such:

1. Date and amount of payment

2. Method of payment  (direct debit, BACS, card payment) and any possible reference. With BACS (bank transfer) they ask for sort code and last four digits of bank account) and any reference that was used for the payment.

 

3. Proof of payment - screenshot of the bank statement

 

It might be worth contacting support again but through a feedback form with those details. They should be able to put a collections hold on your account until this is sorted. 


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  • Carbon Catcher**
  • 112 replies
  • September 2, 2022

It will take some weeks for the complaint process to complete. Paying this way will cost an average customer over £200 more than Direct Debit once October’s price hike applies. If mum doesn’t trust fixed Direct Debit, perhaps paying actual bills by DD would be acceptable instead? The distrust of DD is going to be quite expensive.


  • New Member***
  • 1 reply
  • September 3, 2022

Thank you, it’s such a worry it’s making my mum ill, feeling so let down by Ovo customer services and the promises they made. 
 

it’s my mums choice not to pay by DD. She is distrusting of them and now Ovo and it seems with good reason as they have failed to do what that promised. 
 

im beginning to wonder whether they took any action at all 


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 7 replies
  • September 3, 2022

I don’t understand why I have a collections email for £39 and yet I made a payment recently of £155 and then when I look on my OVO account I now owe even more…. how are they even making up these figures?

You can’t respond to the email - helpful.  I was on hold on the phone today when it said over 10 mins I think they meant over an hour as I gave up at about 48 mins… I have more important things to do than sit on hold.

The collections mention they have sent me prior email/letter and I have nothing apart from the last bill for £155… honestly it’s a real joke.


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 7 replies
  • September 3, 2022

also don’t tell me to do monthly DD or get a smart meter.  I want to manage my money not line the pockets of energy companies who appear to make up their own rules and I had a smart meter removed from a previous property due to causing headaches and I am already a cancer patient…. where is the option for someone to call me back rather than just hold???


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • September 5, 2022

Hey @mitiebob,

 

I’m sorry for the issues you’ve had since switching to OVO from Boost. If you’ve had your meter exchanged to a smart meter recently there are a few possibilities that could result in a large estimated bill, as advised in these similar threads: 

 

 

 

As we aren’t getting readings from your meter you can submit one on your online account to make sure your bills aren’t estimated and complete a smart meter health check (SMHC).

 

 

Once you have completed your SMHC please send it to our support team. You can contact them through web messenger. They can put a collections hold on your account until the issues with your meter are resolved. 

 

I hope this helps.


Tim_OVO
Retired Moderator
  • OVO Forum Legend
  • 1810 replies
  • September 5, 2022

Hi @Flicky and thank you for flagging this to us on the forum. 

 

I’d like to offer some help and advice from the outside in, just in case it’s helpful. 

 

If your mother is not on a fixed contract plan, a Direct Debit isn’t necessary. She’s able to pay on receipt of the bill, by cheque or via the online account

 

The tricky situation is that whenever a bill is generated and the cheque is sent, there’s a large delay between the balance dropping below £0 and the cheque reaching the team who process it that day and add the credit balance to the account. This can prompt automated letters about the debt. It is these automated letters she’s had, and by the sounds of it, we’ve paused ‘collections’ activity because of it. Eventually that pause will end. 

 

I would advise her to disregard any letter about a debt that she knows she’s paid by cheque. It’s just a delay with what she knows compared to what the account balance is showing as. I would however also advise that she makes the payment online if possible. It’s so much quicker and easier. A direct debit is of course the easiest but by the sounds of it, she’s dead set against it. These pages are also worth a look:

 

Price rises: we're here to support you

 

Here’s the latest information on rising energy prices, and how we can help 

 

Energy Bills Support Scheme

 

This page has all the information that we and our call centre team have on the Energy Bills Support Scheme right now. 

 

Ways to get financial support

 

If you’re struggling financially or you’re worried about your energy bills, we’re here to support you. Find out about the different ways we can help here.


Tim_OVO
Retired Moderator
  • OVO Forum Legend
  • 1810 replies
  • September 5, 2022

Hi @helendo hi @louise74 and thanks for flagging these experiences. 

 

It does sound like we’re sending out that collections message around the time you’re paying. If in doubt, check that account balance and if it’s at or above £0, happy days! This delay between payments and debt letters is when customers choose to pay on receipt of the bill. There can be a period where a debt exists which prompts a letter, but actually the payment is on its way. If you don’t already, I’d recommend paying via the online account which is quickest. 

 

For GDPR reasons we can only discuss account specifics with someone named on the account. See how to get this sorted here:

 

 

To get your mother added to our Priority Services Register, complete the form here


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 7 replies
  • September 12, 2022

Tim your bills don’t make sense, everytime I go online there is another figure and another bill and no history of the payments I have made!! I am moving soon and need to make sure everything is in order before I leave…. I don’t have time for this or to be on hold for an hour at a time!  OVO need to sort it out! 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • September 13, 2022

Hi @louise74,

 

Sorry for the issues you’ve been having.

 

We have a live billing system so whenever a meter reading is submitted by you or received from a smart meter your account balance will update, which might be why the amount on your statements is different from your account balance. Here is a guide about this topic you might find helpful:

 

 

If you are on the Simpler Variable Plan on demand you can pay on receipt of the bill, but with any other plans you would be chased by collections if you don’t have a direct debit set up. 

 

How are you paying for your bill? If you are paying by cheque there might be a delay between when the collections emails are sent out and when we receive payment. If you have been paying by bank transfer we would need you to add your OVO account number and postcode as reference. 

 

All of your old bills are available in your OVO account. To find them, click on Billing history. You can view them, and download them too.

 

Hope this helps. 


  • Carbon Cutter****
  • 7 replies
  • September 13, 2022

Hi

But it doesn’t make sense and I can’t validate all these numbers you are just expecting me to pay. I will be so glad when I move and don’t have OVO to deal with honestly I have never been so confused by anyone’s billing system than yours and from all the other reviews I am not alone.  

I am paying by faster payments using bank transfer so there should not be a huge delay.  Feels like you are once again just pushing DD and smart meters on everyone!

I will wait to pay my last bill until I am satisfied that everything is in order and all my payments are showing.

Thanks,

Louise


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • September 14, 2022

Hey @louise74,

 

I’m sorry for the issues you’ve been having.

 

When you pay by bank transfer are you using the following details: 

 

Bank BARCLAYS
Account Name OVO ENERGY LTD Receipts
Sort Code 20-00-00
Account Number 83683249
Reference OVO account number + member's postcode

 

If you haven’t added the OVO account number and your postcode as reference, they won’t know what account to assign your payment to. Don’t worry though, if you contact our Support Team they will ask you for some further details so they can locate the payments you’ve made. 

 

If you are on the simpler variable on demand plan you can pay on receipt of your bill. It might be helpful for you to request paper statements? That way you can see exactly what you owe on each statement without viewing the ‘live billing’ on the online account as I think this might be causing confusion.

 

We have a really great guide that breaks down how our billing works including example statements, please click here to find out more. 

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 2 replies
  • September 24, 2022

So an update on my missing £140.

Contacted my bank and they said they would be able to claim the money back.

Letter from bank arrived this morning stating that my bank had tried to reclaim my money but this was now impossible as the OVO account has been closed, so basically OVO have stolen £140 of my money.

There has been no  attempt from OVO the contact me regarding the issue, nothing at all

At a time when energy prices are soaring and the cost of living increasing I find this absolutely sickening to be treated like this.

DISGUSTING COMPANY!!


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • September 26, 2022

Hi @Whytey,

 

I’m sorry for the issues you’ve had.

 

I’d advise contacting Support who will be best placed to deal with this. 

 

If the money was transferred to:

Emmanuelle_OVO wrote:

 

Bank BARCLAYS
Account Name OVO ENERGY LTD Receipts
Sort Code 20-00-00
Account Number 83683249
Reference OVO account number + member's postcode

 

 

Our team will be able to find this, it will have gone into a pool of un-assigned payments but as you’ve sent in bank statements they should be able to find it using the last few digits of your bank account number, the amount and payment date. 

 

When you speak to an advisor advise them they need to raise a ‘Payment allocation’ case. This will then be picked up by the right team. 

 

Hope this helps. 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 3 replies
  • October 25, 2022

I made a payment £80 over the phone to Ovo on 28th sept, and was told it didnt go through, attempted another twice ,still no luck apparently, but on checking my online banking later that day it appears that all 3 payments have been taken out of my bank account amounting to £240, but ovo will not credit my ovo account until they "find it" . Even though I have submitted proof from the bank that this is the case , and now my ovo account credit is reducing rapidly and I can not afford to pay more in , the govt payment helps but only slightly . Anyone else had this prob.

 


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • October 25, 2022

Hey @Dinky,

 

Sorry for the issues you’ve had.

 

Did you pay by bank transfer? If so, and you didn’t put the OVO account number and your postcode as reference it will need to be manually located by our team. Rest assured, once the payments have been found, they will be added to your account and the payments made it error will be refunded. 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 3 replies
  • October 25, 2022

Not paid by transfer it was paid over the phone to a real person all my details were given when she answered the phone but has now been 4 wks , you have the proof straight from my bank ,and my credit is getting lowerI also want the whole £240 to go into my credit now.


Emmanuelle_OVO
Community Manager
  • Community Manager
  • 2805 replies
  • October 25, 2022

Hey @Dinky,

 

Thank you for confirming those details. That is unusual that’s it’s showing in your bank but not on OVO’s side. I’d advise contacting Support again to see if the payments have cleared on our side, this should have been sorted by now if you’ve sent across a bank statement. 


  • Carbon Cutter*
  • 3 replies
  • October 25, 2022

I have been contacting them nearly every week and each time they are looking into it !! Lets wait and see .


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 5 replies
  • November 3, 2022

Shocking company.

I pay by standing order. £115 Payment at the start of August credited to my account ok.

Payments at the start of September, October and November all "lost" - same bank details, amount and reference and I've had collections emailing me telling me my account is overdue.

That's £345 of payments LOST.

I've emailed customer service and complaints with a copy of my bank statement showing the payments and twice since re sent it in replies to them when they replied to me asking to prove the payments  with a bank statement (have they even read my previous emails?!)

Not even had my complaint acknowledged even though I have specifically emailed the complaints team.

 

 

 


juliamc
Carbon Catcher***
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  • Carbon Catcher***
  • 1280 replies
  • November 3, 2022

@kay_p I understood OVO don’t accept Standing Orders as a means of payment, but yours worked in August? That’s interesting, though obviously bad that further payments haven’t been allocated to your account. How long have you been paying by standing order ?


  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 5 replies
  • November 3, 2022
juliamc wrote:

@kay_p I understood OVO don’t accept Standing Orders as a means of payment, but yours worked in August? That’s interesting, though obviously bad that further payments haven’t been allocated to your account. How long have you been paying by standing order ?

Hiya, since August. I found their details somewhere as a means of paying and what ref to use, when I set it up I called them and told them and the customer service operative said they'd note it on my account, didn't say they wouldn't accept it. The first payment went through no problem so cannot understand how they have lost three others unless their admin is just shockingly bad. 


juliamc
Carbon Catcher***
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  • Carbon Catcher***
  • 1280 replies
  • November 4, 2022

What do you think @Blastoise186 ? 


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