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Just switched back to OVO and had a Smart Meter replacement - Why hasn't this been updated on my online account so I can track my usage?

  • 10 November 2021
  • 7 replies
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C
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Userlevel 3

I used to have a SMETS1 smart meter - it was brilliant until I switched suppliers. This was a few years ago, and the switch was to OVO from British Gas. So OVO fitted new smart meters - still SMET1 though, but back then they worked well, until I switched again.

Several switches of supplier later (using meters that had become dumb, but I got used to it) I have come back to OVO. So I request more smart meter replacements and this is done very quickly and apparently efficiently by a fitter that I had great praise for at the time (well he knew more than me about smart meters, so he seemed like an expert).

However, after over 6 weeks my SMETS2 meters are as dumb as any other meter that I had on my property, and in fact are worse, because not only are they NOT keeping me (and the National Grid) informed of my energy consumption, they won’t even allow me to input manual readings to my OVO account because the number is less than my previous meters number (obviously because the new ones started at 0 again).

These are turning out to be my worst experiences of any energy company I have been a customer of, because to cap the obvious major technical issues of very dumb smart meters, you have a very unresponsive customer service team who just aren’t either bothering to find out why my account is dysfunctional, but are not very forthcoming in letting me know why they are having such difficulties.

And don’t get me started on the pointless app, which seems to have such high praise from the user community- but it isn’t even an app! It just points you literally to the web page login of your account where you see utterly useless consumption information due to the dumb meters failing to do their job and not even having my tariff information for my gas supply.

so several months after re-joining OVO (and many weeks since the smart meter refit), I have no idea what size of energy bill I am racking up!

 

 

 

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Best answer by Jess_OVO 10 November 2021, 16:13

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7 replies

Jess_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Updated on 18/10/23 by Abby_OVO

 

I’m so sorry to hear of the issues you’ve experienced since your switch back to us and your recent smart meter installation, @croninsfc.

 

Usually we’d expect your meter details to be updated on your account within 6 weeks of getting new meters installed, so I’m disappointed to hear that there’s been a delay which is preventing you logging your meter readings manually. If you haven’t already it would be worth reaching to our Support Team who’ll be able to take the necessary steps to get things updated. They may also recommend you carry out a smart meter health check to help diagnose any communication issues that might be preventing us receiving the meter readings automatically.

 

I totally appreciate your concern about the lack of visibility you currently have of your energy usage, particularly as we head into the winter months so I’m hoping the Support Team will be able to get things resolved ASAP for you. If they’re not able to get things sorted it might be worth raising this as a formal complaint, which would ensure we’re able to fully investigate any technical issues that might be going on behind the scenes. You can find a full run-down of our complaints procedure here.

 

I’m hoping this information helps in some way - While we can’t discuss the specifics of your account here, we’re always on hand to offer more general advice that might help so don’t hesitate to pop back if you’ve got any further questions.

 

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Hello @Jess_OVO , I am very pleased to report that my account has now been upgraded onto the new system and the app is fully functional for my account now😁

And I have to say it is now by far the best app experience of any energy company so far….although to be fair, as this is the first time I’ve had SMETS2 smart meters and therefore a proper smart app, that wouldn’t really be to difficult to achieve, but having said that there are features of the app (and website) that I would not have dreamed of being a thing-such as monitoring how green the energy grid is operating, so you can make informed choices about when you consume energy flexibly in as carbon neutral way as possible. Brilliant 🤩 

Blastoise186
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Hey @croninsfc , that’s good to hear. Thanks for letting us know!

I’m Blastoise186 by the way, one of the forum volunteers who helps out here. Bug hunting is one of my specialities, so if you have trouble with the app or MyOVO again, feel free to stop by the forum. We can help you pin down any bugs and get them flagged up right here, so that you don’t have to go via the Support Team for those (but you can also go that way if you’d like to).

The features available in MyOVO and on the OVO Energy app are generally kept in sync for the most part, especially as both are custom built in-house - the app is built by OVO and MyOVO is built by OVO’s sister company Kaluza. It proves quite useful that way.

Now I should mention that it might take a few days or so for everything to show up in the app and MyOVO correctly, just while everything gets synchronised properly, but it will all catch up within a week or so at most. I have to admit that my personal favourite feature is really the real-time billing that OVO uses. In addition to your monthly bills, you can also see exactly what your costs are every day (assuming your meters are on Daily or Half-Hourly mode) and you’ll always see how much credit you actually have left after all charges so far this month have been taken from your balance. Useful to get an idea as to whether you’re on track to keep the account in good shape!

If you have any ideas to help make the app even better, OVO is definitely interested to hear them. I guess you could also say that… Sharing ideas might become even easier in the future… You’ll have to wait to find out what that means.

Anyway, if you ever need a hand again, feel free to stop by. We can’t fix everything via the forum, but there’s a good chance we can help you out. :)

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
K
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I joined OVO last year and have been trying since then to get my smart meter working without much success.  After three attempts at arranging an engineer visit, one finally attended in March, and he replaced the electricity meter, which he said would resolve the issue.  He read the old meter and left a piece of paper fixed next to the new meter with the final reading and the date.  

Unfortunately the smart meter still doesn’t work and I now have an issue with manually submitting electricity meter readings, as the new meter started from zero and OVO think I’m making a mistake.  They sent out a meter reader to check the reading (who apparently took note of all the information the engineer had left) but this seems to have made no difference.

My electricity account continues to be based on estimated readings, which I’m keen to sort out.  I have tried emailing and filling in complaint forms, but these are not even acknowledged, let alone responded to.  Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, how was it resolved?  

All suggestions gratefully received.

Tim_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hi @KW0469 and thanks for flagging this here on the forum. 

 

I’m really sorry to hear about this experience, especially given how long it’s been going on for. As you can imagine it’s tricky to comment on the potential issue here without guessing. We don’t know the details, but I do know it can take a number of weeks for meter details to be confirmed following engineer visits and meter exchanges. In the meantime the online account can be out of synch with what’s on site.

 

Those details should now be on your account and ready for our internal teams to update. Are you able to ask for an update via an online chat, and link to to this topic to save you having to write anything? 

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
K
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Thanks for your reply.  The old meter serial number is still showing on my account this evening, so I’ll access an online chat as you suggest.  Due to work commitments, this may not be until Saturday.

Blastoise186
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Just so you’re aware, the live chat is only open half-days on a Saturday, so you’ll want to use it between 9am and 12pm to have the best chance of getting through.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!

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