I have tried calling OVO but they have been no help so far.
I was with SSE from March 2016 until I was migrated over to OVO in early August 2023. Most of my readings were estimated over this time due to other reasons I can not put in actual readings very often. The actual readings were sent in Oct 2019 and then again in Dec 2022. My bills were then revised all the way back to when I moved to SSE in March 2016.
My question is due to Ofgems back billing rules of not being able to bill after a year of the bills date, can SSE revise all of the bills back to 2016? If they are able to do this, why have they gone back further than Oct 2019 (when I put in actual readings then)?
How can I get OVO to help with this due to this happening before I was migrated?
Any answers would be grateful
The Ofgem back billing principle/rule is a lot more complicated than just the often quoted “no more than 12 months before the bill was produced”.
In many cases it can still be more than 12 months - because the principle/rule has clauses about previously produced billing, payments already made, direct debit payments, and so on, and blah blah….
Are OVO actually asking for more money from you?
No they are not, but when the revised bill came through there was about £5000 that was taken from my credit
I suppose then the question has to be why had such a large credit built up?
Was it because the SSE billing was estimated and you knew it was incorrect (too low)?
Were you paying high direct debits to cover when the estimates finally got corrected?
I don't know, just pointing it out as a possibility. It could equally be that you had built up credit for other reasons.
However the fact that you say most of the previous (SSE) billing was estimated, and presumably payed at the time, possibly/probably means that the backbilling principle doesn't apply.
The backbilling principle is to protect customers from brand new, never before issued, billing suddenly being produced and 'charge recovery action' taken for that brand new billing.
In this case prior estimated billing was produced (and paid) so the revision is a correction to those prior estimates rather than brand new billing.
It's a subtle difference, but such subtle differences can be important in law.
(eg If you had/have yourself previously asked the company to correct the estimated billing, which they hadn’t then done, that would be another subtle difference which could bring the principle back into play again - but how many people would do that? Most just wait for the company to correct the estimate).
That being the case then personally I don't think that the backbilling principle applies here - I could be wrong.
(But I’ll note that I have looked at it pretty closely when having my own dispute with a different provider. In my case the Ombudsman agreed with my interpretation of the backbilling principle, and overruled that provider’s interpretation of it).
So to be practical:
If you think that the revised billing is incorrect then your first step should be to query the revisions and ask for a FULL explanation.
If you are then still not happy with the explanation of the revisions you of course have the option to make a complaint, there are escalating steps to take leading up to the Ombudsman if necessary:
https://www.ovoenergy.com/feedback
Hi @Dullday
One of our volunteers Nukecad has left some really great advice here for you already, back-billing write offs are not a given due to the time period, but more if there was an error during that time.
It sounds like the usage has just been estimated due to lack of meter readings and when a new one was submitted, it corrected the usage and credit on the account. Having more than £5000 credit on the account isn’t typical and would usually indicate a problem such as the usage being under-estimated for some time as Nukecad also mentioned.
If you’ve not already got smart meters, it’d be a good idea to have those installed so that we can bill you accurately for your usage and avoid such a catch up bill in the future. You can book this online here.
I migrated from SSE in September 2023. Because they did this without forewarning me I hadn’t given them up to date readings and they overcharged me by £650.00.
I raised this with Ovo at the time but was told not to worry, there was a problem with Migration and everything would be sorted out in about 6 months. I chased 6 months later, still no update.
I got hit with a bill of £1,550.00 (should be around £600.00) on the 7th of August this year, immediately being chased by their collections team. The SSE over-estimate was still showing and they had continued to over-estimate my balance since then.
I’ve given updated readings 3 times, spent around 4 hours on the phone to 8 different people at this point and no one seems to be able to adjust my bill for me.
I’ve now raised a formal complaint but even this hasn’t been acknowledged, which surprises me as the industry is heavily regulated.
Has anyone else had a similar issue and if so how did you resolve it?
No-one on these forums has access to customer accounts, so we can’t give specific account-related advice. However, if you gave a few more details of the problem, we might be able to make helpful suggestions.
I take it you don’t have a smart meter, so you have to submit readings manually. Can you share a list of the readings you’ve submitted since the beginning of 2023? This would give us an idea of how much energy you’re normally using.
How have you been paying for your usage - on receipt of bill or by direct debit? Since coming over to OVO, you should have been paying monthly* - have you?
Bills show the meter readings they’re based on. Are you saying that these readings don’t match the ones you’ve submitted? It might help if you showed us your latest bill, with any sensitive personal information obscured, of course. This would also tell us what sort of tariff you’re on (variable, which OVO calls Simpler energy and which is covered by the price cap, or fixed-rate).
The more information you give us, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to help.
* Since you’re paying monthly, you should submit meter readings monthly, too, to avoid the frustration caused by OVO having to estimate your usage. To be sure of getting an accurate bill each month, you should submit readings on the first day of each billing period.
No-one on these forums has access to customer accounts, so we can’t give specific account-related advice. However, if you gave a few more details of the problem, we might be able to make helpful suggestions.
I take it you don’t have a smart meter, so you have to submit readings manually. Can you share a list of the readings you’ve submitted since the beginning of 2023? This would give us an idea of how much energy you’re normally using.
How have you been paying for your usage - on receipt of bill or by direct debit? Since coming over to OVO, you should have been paying monthly* - have you?
Bills show the meter readings they’re based on. Are you saying that these readings don’t match the ones you’ve submitted? It might help if you showed us your latest bill, with any sensitive personal information obscured, of course. This would also tell us what sort of tariff you’re on (variable, which OVO calls Simpler energy and which is covered by the price cap, or fixed-rate).
The more information you give us, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to help.
* Since you’re paying monthly, you should submit meter readings monthly, too, to avoid the frustration caused by OVO having to estimate your usage. To be sure of getting an accurate bill each month, you should submit readings on the first day of each billing period.
Hi, thank you for your input but I was hoping for a response from a customer that has had a similar issue for their advice. I’m already going through the complaints process to resolve the issue.
To answer some of your questions though:
- I don’t have a smart meter, OVO did attempt to fit one but it isn’t possible with my installation.
- I have not been paying for my usage. I was told at the point of migration that there had been an issue, that my billing cycle had been put on hold until it was resolved and that I should “put money away” in anticipation of receiving (and then paying) a fully-adjusted accurate bill once migration was complete.
- The readings on my bill do not match the readings that I submitted in October 2023 following my migration from SSE. The bills have not been adjusted and are showing 4,000 kWh ++ usage higher than my actual usage.
Each person that I’ve spoken to has said that the above is due to migration issues between SSE and OVO and that I should be patient and wait for it to auto-correct.
Hey @AlexSilver1996,
I’m really sorry for the issues you’re having. It sounds like you’re experiencing a read dispute:
The ‘Meter Reading Dispute’ Process
- We ask you to take two meter readings at least two weeks apart
- We use these to calculate what the meter reading should’ve been on the date you switched
- If there’s a big enough difference between the reading used and the reading calculated, we can officially raise this as a ‘Meter Reading Dispute’
- We contact your previous supplier with our calculated read
- Once they’ve agreed to this new reading, we can amend opening meter reading and reissue your opening statement. Be aware that your previous supplier may also re-issue their final statement with you.
- This whole process can take up to 12 weeks as we have to wait for the calculated reading to be received and agreed to by the other supplier.
During this process your regular monthly billing will be paused whilst we look to correct the opening statement. If you pay via Direct Debit these payments will continue, building up a credit balance in your account to cover the opening statement once it’s issued.
If you don’t yet have a Direct Debit in place, we’d recommend setting one up with our Support Team, to avoid a large balance to pay when your initial statement is re-issued.
You’ve mentioned you’re already going through the complaint process you can find out more about our complaint process here.
We will do everything we can to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. In a small number of cases it might take longer and if it’s taken over 8 weeks, you can speak to the Energy Ombudsman. We may also write to you with a final decision that you disagree with. This is called a ‘deadlock’ letter and you can also speak to the Ombudsman if you are unhappy with our actions. The Energy Ombudsman provides a free, independent service.
They’ll review what’s happened and how we’ve handled your complaint. First, they’ll look at everything we’ve done so far with your complaint. Then they’ll decide if we should have done more – and what we need to do to put it right.
Here’s how to get in touch with them:
Helpful to know – you don’t have to accept their decision – but we have to.
- The readings on my bill do not match the readings that I submitted in October 2023 following my migration from SSE. The bills have not been adjusted and are showing 4,000 kWh ++ usage higher than my actual usage.
I’m still not sure whether you have a record of meter readings, both from before the migration and afterwards. You can only be billed for the amount of energy you have used, and the only way to know what that is from meter readings. How much you are billed will depend on the price at the time, which is why it’s important to take regular, frequent readings.
How do the readings on the latest bill compare with the actual readings today?
@Firedog
My meter has 4 separate rates. 3 are showing Higher on my current bill than my IRL readings.
Rate 4 is 73893 kWh, but appears on my latest bill as being circa 77800 - 4000 kWh higher than my actual consumption - this is despite providing updated meter readings multiple times.
The main issue is that the accurate meter readings I provided in October 2023 were never applied to my account, hence the persistent overestimation.
@Emmanuelle_OVO Thank you for response!
You’re the first person to clarify the process moving forward, I appreciate the clarity.
I’ll wait to hear back from the complaints team, all being well they will be able to resolve the issue speedily.
The main issue is that the accurate meter readings I provided in October 2023 were never applied to my account, hence the persistent overestimation.
A single overestimate doesn’t really matter, because it will be corrected as soon as an actual reading is taken. Any overcharge in one period will be counteracted by a corresponding undercharge in the next. However, you say “ … there had been an issue, that my billing cycle had been put on hold until it was resolved ...” You have mentioned seeing estimated bills, so at what stage did this ‘billing on hold’ come to an end?
Emmanuelle has explained the ‘reading dispute’ process, but I don’t quite understand how this applies in your case - OVO took over your account along with a few million others when they acquired SSE’s retail arm, so there’s no question of ‘switching supplier’. Anything you may have owed to SSE (or vice versa) on migration you subsequently owe to OVO; nothing has really changed except the name printed at the top of your bills. You still have the same meter, and its readings are all that count. A ‘reading dispute’ exists when one supplier disagrees with another about how much a customer should pay to each of them. That’s not the case here, because the ‘before and after’ suppliers are the same company.
If OVO have ignored all the readings (ten of them?) you’ve submitted since September 2023 and billed you on unrealistic estimates, I don’t quite understand why this is heading towards an ombudsman decision, which is bound to be in your favour and to cost OVO a lot extra. Unless you’ve left out some material information here, that is. Is there any doubt, for example, that your meter isn’t recording your usage accurately?
Before OVO’s takeover was completed, we saw a rash of unreasonably high SSE bills which had to be corrected, especially for those choosing to switch to a different supplier. That is now all history.
I really hope the complaints people get their act together and persuade the billing team to issue an accurate bill based on current meter readings. I wish you luck!
My meter has 4 separate rates.
I believe that this will be a RTS meter, with a complex tariff.
The impending RTS shutdown will probably be behind the problem/hold while solutions to the shutdown have been being devised.
From what I can find:
A four rate meter was designed for electric heating systems under the old Flexiheat or Superheat deals.
Rate 1 is conventional Peak/Day Rate. Rate 2 is Economy 7 Night Rate. Rate 3 is for the hot water tank. Rate 4 is for night storage heaters.
@AlexSilver1996
There has been a big excercise ongoing to devise a solution for these 'old style' meters and tariffs that are becoming obsolete.
It is most likely that process which has been behind the hold up getting things sorted out for you.
The good news is that things are now moving forwards with these meters and tariffs.
See this 'Hot of the press' update for news about what is happening with these meters and tariffs:
RTS (Radio Teleswitch Service) Shutdown Update
From what I can see there most* customers with you particular type of 4-rate meter are due to start getting offered replacements as from this month.
(*The exception being those in ‘load managed’ areas).
When that happens for you your billing should also be sorted out.
Maybe @Blastoise186 could offer further advice?
My meter has 4 separate rates.
I believe that this will be a RTS meter, with a complex tariff …
A four rate meter was designed for electric heating systems …
Many meters have a number of registers, but which ones are used and what for is up to the supplier. My own SMETS2 meter is intended for Economy 7, so the first two registers are for peak and offpeak usage. It’s possible that the other two are configured for export, which of course would only apply if there were any sort of microgeneration going on here, which there isn’t.
Using the meter buttons, I can cycle through the four registers; the first and second show the same peak/offpeak readings as the ones OVO collects for billing (albeit curtailed to the kWh figure below), while the third and fourth show 0.
The presence of multiple registers doesn’t necessarily indicate that any part of the supply is controlled by RTS. However, the statement that “I don’t have a smart meter, OVO did attempt to fit one but it isn’t possible with my installation” does suggest that this is a complex metering system, possibly THTC governed by RTS.
@AlexSilver1996 A photo of the meter and anything connected to it would show us what’s what, but otherwise any speculation on our part isn’t likely to be fruitful. For example, not all RTS systems have RTS meters: the switch is often a separate unit.
Sorry, but I can’t add much more to what’s already been said without photos of the current setup.
My existing guides also cover a lot of the questions about this stuff - might be worth checking those out.
Hey @AlexSilver1996
As Firedog and Blastoise186 have both mentioned, some photos of the set up would be helpful.
If it is an RTS meter, the guides below from Blastoise186 will be extremely helpful:
