Great!  Thanks for this @Ed_OVO 

So to save me continually repeating this in separate Topics, may I please point out the following:

A; The ‘conditions’ which are being applied by OVO for refunds are in accordance with Ofgem guidelines. A Credit Account with a monthly Direct Debit needs to be kept in credit to an amount roughly equal to the expected next bill.

This is not the same concept as “paying the monthly/quarterly bill in arrears” as many of us used to do in days of yore.

B; Because Statements are produced in arrears, the Direct Debit is calculated by taking the estimated Annual Usage and dividing by eleven (not twelve)! This is the equivalent of OVO ensuring that they will not be left chasing a debt at the end of the 1 or 2 year Contract.

There’s more detail about this on the Direct Debit Help Page.

Trying to get a refund is a nightmare! keep submitting readings , then after few days try to get refund on-line & says that not submitted readings! Never get through on phone & get automated reply to emails. What a rubbish company that I didn’t ask to be moved to in first place! Any tips on getting your money back from a company happy to take it but not deal with customers?! Am furious! 

Hi @sblackmore and welcome to the OVO online community,

So sorry to hear of the issues you’ve had requesting a refund on your online account. This does sound like a really frustrating experience, so let’s see if we can give any advice to get things sorted here.

Just in case it helps we’ve got a guide to submitting meter readings which I’ve linked to below.

Did you notice any error messages when you tried to get your meter readings logged a few days ago? I’m also wondering whether the readings might have been lower than we were expecting, in which case they might need to be checked and logged manually by our Support Team.

I hope this helps - Let us know how you get on.

I'm having trouble getting through to support.

I'm trying to get a refund of my account's credit. The automated refund service says I'm ineligible for one, but says I can – I guess – negotiate one by getting in touch.

Unfortunately, the online chat service is too busy for a person to answer me. It recommends I call 0330 303 3063. Unfortunately, the telephone service is too busy for a person to answer me. Neither of these services have a queuing system – for the online chat, I must enter my first name, last name, e-mail address and account number as prompted; simply to try to get through to someone. I have to go through those steps every time I want to try to chat with someone. The telephone service doesn't have a queuing system either. I have to hang up and call to see if it'll connect to a person. The support e-mail address that the online chat system recommends, out of hours, i.e. hello@ovoenergy.com, returns an automated message stating that the e-mail address isn't available any more.

I can't chat with anyone at OVO privately because of that. I can't call anyone there, nor can I e-mail anyone. OVO has their Twitter DMs open and I've tried that but haven't had a reply. This forum is my last resort for reaching a person.

If this forum has private messages, I ask that a member of the OVO team message me privately so that we may talk. I need help with getting this refund.

The OVO support pages state two different minimum amounts of credit to be held in order to gain a refund. Link 1 says I must have enough to cover one month's direct debit; link 2 says three months' worth of bills. The statements are confusing to me.

1: https://help.ovoenergy.com/article/ac4113f0-40fd-4715-a801-3f8798e41aa5-web

2: https://account.ovoenergy.com/payments/refunds/not-eligible?reason=BalanceWouldNotExceedDirectDebitError

I have more than one month's worth in credit, and more than what I personally forecast to spend in three months' time, according to recent bills.

Hi @amonite and thanks for posting this. I’d like to help as best I can. 

Our phone lines should always allow a queuing position as long as the lines are open. They will always be open unless it’s out of hours or exceptional circumstances like a company meeting that everyone has to attend. Even then we usually keep the lines open with some advisors on hand. So I can’t understand why you couldn’t get through to the queue. 

The number is 0330 303 5063, lines are open 8 am - 6 pm, Monday - Friday.

For the online chat option or email, there are times that these are turned off, for example to avoid excessive wait times. The live channels are listed here.

Our Facebook and Twitter team can also help via a private message / DM. Contact them with your full name, address and date of birth, along with your refund amount preference, and they can help get that sorted. 

Hope that gets sorted quickly!

Hi, I am in credit by over £1300 for a single occupancy flat, this is unacceptable to me! I pay by direct debit anyway, I have to tried to apply online but the limit is £500! I want my money back! 

Tried calling but phonelines are stupidly undermanned! Have just been onto offgen.

What else can I do?

Hi @Stevo ,

I’d recommend doing the refund slightly differently, by breaking it down into smaller chunks. If you request £500 now, you can request another £500 once the first refund has been approved and delivered. It will take longer, but it should work.

Hi @Stevo 

Yep that’s once approach ^^^

Otherwise you’re able to arrange a bigger than £499 refund via our Support team with photos of the meters.

One thing though, our Direct Debit calculations aim to build up credit in the summer, so you can keep the same payment amount in the winter and eat into the credit. Would you rather have the money refunded and pay more in Dec-Feb? It’s a question of preference. 

Have a look at this chart to see where your payments are:

https://account.ovoenergy.com/payments/direct-debit/calculator

I have spoken with an ovo representative who promised my refund of around 90% within 24 hours 48 hours ago, no sign of my money yet!

It may take up to 10 working days to process and deliver that refund. Weekends and Bank Holidays don’t count as a working day. Chances are it’s on the way and if you see your account balance in MyOVO drop by roughly the amount of the refund, that’ll be confirmation it’s en-route.

I am a signicant amount in credit and want a refund. I go through the steps as per tutorial and am  told I need to be 3 months  of direct debit amount in credit which is rubbish, or if I try via another route on the site, I'm told the page isn't working! All I want is my money back,  can someone help please! 

Hi @Lynne Doyle ,

Your post doesn’t seem to be a valid Idea, so I’ve asked a moderator to convert it to a Question for you.

If you still want a refund without leaving three months of credit afterwards, please call the Support Team on 0330 303 5063 and they’ll be able to process one for you.

Well I tried twice, i wanted to select question but I  was only allowed to pick the idea box not the other 2. And I have tried ringing all week, either can't get through or today there was a message saying phones weren't working.

Hi @Lynne Doyle,

Sorry for the issues you’ve been having. 

Our customer facing teams are seeing high levels of contact at the moment due to the energy crisis and governments recent announcement of the energy price guarantee.

We are recommending customers keep at least three months worth of credit in their accounts to help with the rising costs, but you can request a refund of more by contacting Support directly. 

I’d advise contacting our Support Team through web messenger to request a refund. They can initiate refunds up to £2,000, however if the refund is over £599, the account needs to have been billed to smart reads or they will need to request meter photos from you.

Hope this helps.

I have tried using messenger numerous times, it just gives you automated replies with links back to the pages to apply for a refund which don't work. It is more concerned with having a rating score than dealing with your query . I have now submitted a complaint to OVO and the Ombudsman. 

@Emmanuelle_OVO 

I think OVO has lost sight of the fact that this is the consumers money, not OVO’s and if the customers wants their account balance to be refunded they have an absolute right to it.

Hey @Lynne Doyle,

Sorry for the issues you’ve had. 

If you are unable to get through to Support on web messenger or by phone you can raise a feedback form through the website. 

You can find out more about our complaints procedure here. 

Hope this helps. 

All sorted now, I emailed the complaints  address and someone rang me straight back,  and arranged my refund.

Hi there,

My case is:

12 July 2022 - I reported moving out online and requested for a refund. My account is in credit all along.

11 Aug - My energy bill summary charges (GBP 0.00), my account is still in credit.

27 Aug - OVO credited GSOP payment to my account

As of now (27 Sep 2022), I have not yet had my refund. 

I had once phoned 0330 303 5063, the staff said could not find my account. I emailed “hello@ovoenergy.com”, unfortunately with a reply …... “the email address you contacted isn’t available anymore.”

How can I have my refund back? Can someone help please?

Many thanks!

Hi @Yee ,

I suspect your best bet might be https://ovoenergy.com/feedback .

Hi @Blastoise186 ,

Many thanks !!

I have a good credit balance.  How can I request some of this?

Hi @Eggsie ,

Personally, I’d probably recommend leaving it where it is right now, we’re coming into winter and the idea is that you build up credit during the summer, to help you through the winter. Now might not be a good time to request a refund.

If you still want to request one anyway, the easiest option is https://account.ovoenergy.com/payments/refunds

My account is in credit where I have been overpaying on my DD. I cannot request a refund for the full amount because you ‘suggest’ keeping a balance of 3 months worth of bills on account. This is not a ‘suggestion’ as I cannot reclaim the full amount.

What is the justification for this? Given that I have overpaid and not missed a DD, also I doubt you do not ask new customers to keep a balance on their account, this seems incredibly unfair that an already cash rich company earns the interest on my money and not me.