Why are OVO still taking a Direct Debit, and not refunding me final credit balance when I switched away months ago?

At my previous address, I was set up with OVO for both Gas and Electric, there was a smart meter though the Gas had stopped reporting for some reason. Anyway, almost 3 months ago I moved into a new address and signed up to OVO there too, as I had no issues with them. The old address and the new address are both on my account and I can switch between them.

The thing is, I don’t want to, the old account should be closed as I’m no longer living there and it’s been over 6 weeks. The account is showing in credit, but I can’t make a refund request as it keeps saying there’s an error.

I tried to go through the online chat but they didn’t seem too smart when it came to fixing problems, the best response I had was ‘it can take up to 6 weeks after moving’. Well, it’s been over 6 weeks. 

Can the credit be moved into the new account and the old one closed?

Hi @GazH71 ,

If the old account is being closed, the only way to get money out is via the Final Refund back to your bank. There’s no method to transfer a balance from one account to another.

Have you definitely used the Moving Home tool in MyOVO while looking at the old account? That’s the fastest way to terminate the account.

I definitely used the Moving Home option, it looked like it was going to close and everything was going to be fine, but I checked in to see what was taking so long and was in credit. Whenever I try to do anything with the account now I get the message, "A problem has occurred. We’ll take a look at this shortly, in the meantime please try refreshing the page.".

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Ok, in that case try calling 0330 303 5063. Someone should be able to fix this.

I have a pay as you go account that I switched from a pay monthly. since the 8th April I've switched energy providers but OVO is still charging me. how can I get this to stop?

Hi @Anastasia ,

It may take some time for this to be reflected on OVO’s side. The Final Bill should correct this.

If it doesn’t though - https://ovoenergy.com/help is the best place to go.

Hi @Anastasia, 

Blastoise has given you the best information for this one. 

We have a handy leaving OVO step-by-step guide. This should help answer any questions you may have. If there are any answers you’re unsure of, contact our Support Team above.

We’re sorry to see you go, but we wish you all the best with your new supplier! 😊

Hi All.

I switched provider from OVO on the 17th of July 2024. I was massively in credit - over £3000 and so was very much looking forward to having this refunded to me and to keeping a much closer eye on my balance with my new supplier.

However I have yet to receive my refund and when I rang up today I was told that the refund had not been initiated and that this might be because it was over £2000. Unfortunately when the person on the phone put me on hold to check this, I got cut off after waiting for 5-10 minutes. In fact this happened again when I tried again!

I’m not sure what to do next - am I going to have to take OVO to court to get my money back or is there something else I can try first? Any advice would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Jon

When you switch, it can take up to 6 weeks for a final bill - you don’t mention if you’ve got this yet. After a final bill, it could be another 10 days for the funds to be returned (Ofgem rules).

When I switched it took 47 days 

Thanks very much. I was under the impression it was 10 working says from when I switched. I received my final bill just a few days ago (and then another one today after my phone calls to the helpline). I guess I will have to extend my overdraft again and explain to my bank why!

I’ll post a reply here if and when I actually receive my refund. I hope it doesn’t take 47 days.

If you need to get in touch in the meantime, try Live Chat at https://ovoenergy.com/help - it’s faster and generally more reliable.

If you have a final bill it shouldn’t be too long. My 47 days was from my switch, not from the final bill. 
Incidentally, if you’re that much in credit, I would suggest cancelling your direct debit - they say not to but they have your bank details so it doesn’t slow that part. 

Hi @JonOxford,

I’m sorry to hear this.

It seems our forum volunteers have already stopped by with some great advice here. 

Please let us know if you still haven’t received your refund after 10 working days from your final bill.

“ Incidentally, if you’re that much in credit, I would suggest cancelling your direct debit - they say not to but they have your bank details so it doesn’t slow that part.“

I was very annoyed to find out this morning that OVO took another £191 from my account yesterday because the direct debit was not stopped. I didn’t want to do this myself because I thought that if I did then it may prevent or at least slow down my account from being closed by OVO.

I suspect that’ll be the last one they take - after this it should stop.

I’m trying to get a refund from my bank because they had no right to take that extra payment to add to the huge pile of my money that they already have. I received an email from OVO on the 2nd August:

Hello Jon,

We’ve noticed that you’ve cancelled your Direct Debit. That means we won't be able to collect your payments.

This is not true - I did not cancel the direct debit but assumed that this was an automatic email sent because the direct debit had been cancelled by them.

It does look like an auto response. I did cancel my dd - as I suggested earlier - just after my switch as I knew that I had credit. It didn’t alter my refund (although at least they didn’t take another payment)

Hi @JonOxford,

I’m sorry to hear this.

Usually your Direct Debit would be cancelled once your final bill has been sent out. If a Direct Debit is due within the next 4 working days after it has been cancelled, unfortunately it will still leave the account. The bank requires at least 4 working days notice for any changes to Direct Debits. 

You’d get a full refund including the recent Direct Debit that was taken within 10 working days from your final bill. You’d also be able to file an indemnity claim through your bank if you’d rather go that route. They’d be able to reverse this payment. 

I apologise again for any inconvenience caused. You should hopefully have a your full refund soon.