Hi ​@Hannah29 ,

Yup! Please take the Key or Card with you too! You’ll need both the Voucher and your Key/Card in order to redeem the WHD credit. When you get to the shop, please hand over both the Voucher and your Key/Card and ask the shopkeeper to redeem it. They’ll do the rest. Once it’s loaded, please transfer it to your Meter ASAP so you don’t lose it.

Any problems, let OVO know via https://ovoenergy.com/help .

Did you manage to get this sorted ​@Hannah29? 

Our topic hub might be helpful to you:
 

I've just had problems trying to get my home warm discount put on my key. After getting a letter to take to post office who don't deal with OVO accounts, the woman from post office had to take me to a local pay point with the cash to put on instead, luckily there was another shop close by, so big thankyou to the post office who was good enough to sort this out for me who care more about their customers than our supplier 

​@Kris67 Actually I’d argue that it’s not the crazy controversial thing you seem to make it out to be.

Some Post Offices might process these vouchers, others might refuse them - and that’s a matter far beyond OVO’s control.

Maybe OVO should make it more possible by allowing customers to use a different options like pay points if some post offices don't deal with them otherwise it ends up stressful and playing the waiting game once again trying to get a payment what you're entitled to. I had problems last year but thought it would be easier this year as they were promising vouchers but not realising it was going to be difficult if only certain post offices will deal with them, it wouldn't top up the key but accepted the voucher 

That is allowed - you can generally just go wherever you normally go to top-up and process the voucher there. Given that there’s a bazillion Post Office, Paypoint and Payzone locations around the UK, it’s not like you have to go 500 miles to find somewhere that’ll take the voucher and process it.

Either way, going for Smart Meters also makes this easier as OVO can just auto-load the WHD directly onto the Meter without you lifting a finger - you do also get notified when it’s done too.

Might be worth considering before next years WHD rolls around.

So I received my voucher today as I will take to the post office tomorrow but there is a little problem and that is to top-up as I have a key and not a card but not just that, I know for a fact I will NOT be able to top-up my key at the post office as it's only a payzone in my post office! and I need a paypoint to top-up. So what happens now ??

Hi ​@Seansterdude85 ,

Try this tool to locate a Paypoint store: https://consumer.paypoint.com/ . Any of those places should just be able to do it without question.

It stated on my letter that I could only go to a post office to redeem my voucher but there are not many post offices around and none within walking distance so shouldn't have to travel around trying to find one that would take the voucher and be able to top it up , I usually go to my local shop which have a pay point and the reason I wouldn't get a smart meter in is I know several people where their meter isn't working properly so either over or under charging. When my own mother who was in her 70s got one in they made a mess of her  passage which left her upset and stressed, plus her smart meter never worked properly. 

I know where the paypoints are in my town. I think your missing the point I was saying! I need to take the voucher to the post office... Yes ? The post office only take payzone! So will the post office give me another voucher to take to a paypoint ? Hopefully you can give me a more clear response 

I don’t run on PAYG myself. All I can suggest is you try it both ways. One will work, the other might not.

But at the end of the day… Do what the letter says. If your local Post Office or Paypoint acts like a dodo and won’t touch it, that’s on them.

That is not possible - Smart Meters do NOT over/undercharge you. They are just Meters like any other and merely record how many kWh pass through them. Nothing more, nothing less - it’s the billing system that does the rest.

Even a Non-Communicating one can still give LOCAL readings that you can just submit manually. Provided it’s doing that, then the Meter IS working and performing its Primary Function - everything else is Secondary. And in the case of a Non-Communicating Smart Meter running on PAYG? Well, you can just get a Voucher in the form of a UTRN Code sent to you that you then just punch into the Meter and redeem the credit immediately - no messing with the Post Office/Paypoint/Payzone required.

I also need to manage your expectations a bit here. It’s 10:30pm right now - I can’t magic up a response from OVO at this hour because everyone is asleep.

Ok… So… Here’s the answer…

After digging even deeper and quite literally pulling some of my contacts out of bed (thanks, much appreciated!) I’ve figured it out.

You need to visit the Post Office because this year, these Vouchers are being issued as Post Office Energy Vouchers rather than using the Paypoint system of previous years. OVO isn’t the only supplier doing it this way. Going to Paypoint will NOT work this time around.

You need to do what the letter instructs you to do - if the postmaster messes up, you need to take it up with their manager rather than OVO as they’ve all been told to process these.

Any Post Office staff who either reject the voucher by redirecting you to Paypoint OR just giving you the cash aren’t following the proper process for Post Office Payout - they risk not getting reimbursed for it as well which could unbalance their books.

You obviously don't watch the news where people have been undercharged and then ended up with a massive bill owing thousands of pounds through faulty smart meters and some have to pay for a new one, it should be a choice for the customer which way they want to pay and not be pushed into getting one especially if it's going to cause problems either with mess or faults, my mother was pushed into getting one and regretted it. The reason I posted my review here was to let everyone know how difficult it was trying to get my warm home discount from the post office and not to be going on a rant. Firstly you said not all post offices accept the voucher then you said you can take it anywhere to get it. Maybe you need to get the facts before you try and give advice, this forum is not meant to get personal, it's supposed to help customers, maybe you need to think before you answer 

My contacts were Postmasters. You can't get closer to the source than that.

I am also not just some random user here. There aren't many folks on this Forum with 6k+ contributions...

Just as I thought would happen!! Woman from the post office said let me check your key 1st to see if it will work... She came back and said I'm sorry but your key doesn't work!! She even said our system's are not supposed for those keys!! I'm sorry to say but ovo with a ** strategy!! Now what do I do ????

So I don't think you should be calling them dodo's, which I think is very offensive language when they provide us with great service all year 

If you have a smart Pay As You Go meter

We'll send a credit directly to your meter. If we are unable to send the credit directly to your meter we will send you a Post Office Energy Voucher instead. We will write to you with instructions on how to redeem the Energy Voucher at your nearest Post Office

If you have a traditional Pay As You Go meter

In previous years we would send a signal to your nearest paypoint and you would be required to top up a minimum of 3-5 times. This year we will send you a Post Office Energy Voucher. We will write to you with instructions on how to redeem the Energy Voucher at your nearest Post Office.

The Post Office have assured us that customers can redeem their vouchers at the post office and indeed we can see several thousand customers have done this successfully. We have however identified a small number customers that have been issued a voucher that have certain older key models so they need a replacement key and there is currently a team contacting these customers. When a customer first receives a brand new key it has to be configured in a PayPoint terminal (by making a purchase) before you can redeem your voucher onto your key in the Post Office.

This is a reply to "Emmanuelle_OVO" I'm sorry to say this to you but you are wrong and I will explain why! 1st of all I couldn't redeem my voucher(which I knew this would happen) My post office in the main high street in Perth, Scotland! The woman said to me "our system's can't take that key, our system is payzone and can ONLY take cards!" If OVO want to come to my house to replace my electric meter and for it to take a card then they are welcome to it! A paypoint is the only place I can go to get my electricity topped up as they have the system to top up my key, PAYZONE DON'T! But thankfully after been on the phone to OVO for an hour I managed to get it sorted and how they are going to sort it out is by canceling my £150 home warm discount and then to send me a code(worth of £150) so then I can take that to a paypoint to get my electric put on to my key! Last thing I am going to say is, if OVO don't change my electric meter so it will be a card to use in the future instead of a key, then I suggest for next year's home warm discount is to put on the letter either to redeem at a post office(as it's payzone and only accepts cards) or redeem at a paypoint(which only accepts keys) 

Hopefully OVO can take this message as constructive and not hateful because I'm not being hateful.

Card based Trad Prepay Electric Meters ceased to exist over a decade ago and it’s been Keys only for donkeys years. If you want a Card for your PAYG Electric Meter, you’ve got only one option - migrate to Smart Meters… Which would eliminate the issue anyway because OVO can just dump WHD Credits directly onto Smart Meters by remote control without you doing anything.

When it comes to Trad Prepay, Cards are only used for Gas now.

I’ve spoken to many Payzone outlets over the years - Post Offices included - they can all process Electric Keys. If your outlet can’t, that’s their problem rather than OVO’s. Take it up with Payzone if you feel strongly about that, as IIRC it’s far beyond OVO’s control.

As for Post Office Payout, it is supposed to be able to dump top-ups onto just about ANY PAYG Meter whether Trad or Smart, Key or Card, but alas clearly the Post Office systems are still in the dark ages like Horizon is. If POP can’t do that, then the Post Office shouldn’t be advertising that it can and is arguably mis-selling its services/capabilities.

It is more efficient to use POP and do one visit to the store than it is to use the previous Paypoint method that required three to five visits to the shop to do the same thing.

Long story short, they run different systems for dumping credits - the Vouchers only work at whichever one it says on the letter.

End of the day, I WASN'T able to use the voucher and trust me on this , I am not traveling the whole of Scotland to find out what post office I am able to use the voucher!! Then the post office shouldn't of agreed to take the voucher when some post office's system's aren't able to take that key((surely that we can agree on?!?)) Next year they are gonna have to change it, because I'm not gonna be on the phone for over an hour, speaking to 4 different people to finally get it sorted!! I will continue this conversation but I want a reply from you "Blastoise186" on this question... Can you remember what they did last year regarding the £150 home warm discount ??

Firstly, you don’t get to make demands as to who replies to you - we reserve the right to terminate our responses for any reason. Do not make that demand again as it will be ignored. I should remind you that the Forum Moderators don’t work nights or weekends and I’m also a Fire Service Volunteer with duties that run randomly (such as all day today), so we can’t be here 24/7.

Last year, the Paypoint system was used - but it required multiple shop visits, wasn’t very transparent and generated TONS of complaints that folks didn’t get their credits even though they did and weren’t paying attention to the Meter after the credit went on.

The intention of using POP was to eliminate that this year on the basis you WOULD see it go on immediately.

As I said, migrating to Smart Meters will happen eventually. Your best bet is to do it now before you eventually get forced to.

Evidently, while Post Office Payout is very capable of dumping cash into your pocket or bank account - because they can do a direct deposit via your debit card instead of handing over the cash - it is not as capable of PAYG Energy Top-Ups as they claim it to be...

Last year I never had to use a paypoint for the home warm discount, OVO sent me a cheque of £150! I thought you would of known that!! The only time I had to use multiple paypoint visits was during lockdown because of covid-19. I think I'll consider changing supplier during summer next year

That won’t fix your problem either. All suppliers use the same systems, so all you’re doing is moving the problem elsewhere.

As for that £150 cheque? That probably wasn’t WHD - they don’t usually do WHD cheques for security reasons.

Yes 100% OVO sent me a cheque last year!