Submitted meter reading wrong, I put some of the numbers the wrong way round - how to get it fixed?

Hi again @Drewm9991 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Gosh. It's indeed crazy that you're expected to jump through hoops for something that can be evidenced from Ovo investigating your November 2022 readings. Outwardly, it looks like a delaying tactic or obstruction in the hope that you might give up. I sincerely hope that it isn't and that I'm not expected to comply with such nonsense as well.

Your 47 days resolution timetable coincidentally barely fits within the 8 weeks that you're expected to wait before you can complain to the ombudsman. If you need help with that or beforehand, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue-energy/

If enough Citizens Advice clients complain about a specific topic, it may be flagged as an emerging issue by their research and campaigns team who in turn contact the ombudsman and the media about it.

My smart meter was installed by Ovo in 2017 so I assume that it's similar to yours, hence our shared problem.

I use the Android Ovo app and I access my account online and I was able to take screenshots of the transposition error for my peak and offpeak smart meter's readings from both sources. It's obvious because the peak readings were originally 5 digit figures and the offpeak were only 4 digit figures. Hence the huge hike in my offpeak consumption in a 24 hour period.

I still haven't received a response from Ovo's “Tech Ops” although my December 2022 statement is now available.

I'll attach a couple of screenshots so you can see what to look for if you haven't already done so.

Please let me know whether you obtain a resolution.

Bye for now.

Hi I had a similar problem on 19 September 2022. Reported it in mid Oct when I saw the huge Sept bill. Mine was for £388 for a single day's use of electricity. Rang help line to report it. Was told the metering department will sort it out. Did not hear from them so after about two months escalated it to a complaint by ringing the helpline again. The money was returned back into my account in late December. I was informed that the problem was caused by changing of the first generation meter into a second generation meter by a software update. Ovo also gave me a goodwill payment for the inconvenience caused. They are using the changed meter readings for Oct onwards billing which are correct even though meter readings are swapped over in September. So I am pleased that the matter has been sorted.  I would advice you to ring the helpline and escalate it to a complaint, this speeds up the process and someone will ring you back within a certain number of days. 

Hi Shaship

i have taken you advice and emailed the complaints department! I did as I was asked and did the load test on the 7th January and sent OVO pics of my meter readings 4hrs apart only to receive an email today saying they can’t see the day and night readings? Can I take them again! I’ve had enough of this! My account balance is down by nearly £330! Spoke to a very nice lady this morning and she could clearly see the reading during the day that was recorded from my pictures! If OVO know there is a problem they should send someone out to check the meter instead of asking us to take load test pictures! How do they expect someone who is old and doesn’t know how to take pictures of the meter! This whole meter update situation is so very wrong on so many levels! I wonder if OVO will reimburse those people who’ve had it happen to them but probably don’t even realise it! Somehow I very much doubt it!!!!!

I never sent any load test photos. My meter readings are sent every half an hour everyday because of the economy seven tarrif. They can read these for themselves at ovo. Oh and tell them to put your money back in to your account while they are dealing with your problem. Also tell them to freeze any direct debit changes for three months while they are sorting out your problem. Do not accept that your problem is resolved until you get your money back. 

Since I've been transfered from SSE to OVO, somehow my meter readings (electricity day and night) been switched in places. Something must have happened. Previously I was sending all meter readings manually to SSE and it looks like I had a smart meter all that time because now it sends readings automatically to OVO. That's fine but NOW all my day usage goes into night usage account and night usage goes into the day one. I mean... it's better for me as I'm paying less because night tariff is cheaper but I already reported it twice, about two weeks ago, via feedback option on my app and via online chat. No one has contacted me since and it's not fixed.

How can I get it fixed? 

Hi @Anarella and thanks for flagging this one. 

The technical term for this is ‘transposed readings’. The examples I usually see are when a customer manually submit readings the wrong way. In this case, it looks like post-migration, the systems that work with the billing platform and your smart meter have swapped over your day and night smart meter reading registers. 

OVO’s Support team will need to raise this with the right teams. Can you start a web chat via this link sometime this week (Monday’s are busy though) and link them to the topic? That way you don’t have to explain anything twice!

Thank you for your advice and proper term for it, I will do it 🙂 It's just last time they couldn't help and said they'll forward it to the right people. Hopefully this time they really will 🙂 Have a nice day Tim. 

Hey @Drewm9991,

Really sorry to hear this,

You can get someone out to read the meter and take photos if you are of pensionable age.

Please get added to the Priority Services Register, then you can request this by calling Support. 

Hope this helps. 

On December 12th 2022 my dual tariff readings on my Smart meter were switched - that is the previous day readings became my night, and night turned into day. In late January 2023 I queried this with the Help Desk and was informed I should have received an email explaining why - no email had been received by me, and a request to provide a copy has so far been “ignored”. I followed up a few days later and asked why I was seeing the message as per the Topic Title when I try to access the daily 30 minute reading data on my on-line account. This data disappeared effectively on the same date my readings where switched about. Answer was “this was a known issue and had now been fixed” - obviously not for my account! Advised that I would be contacted within 24 to 48 hours. Couple of weeks later still nothing and no email explaining why the readings had to be switched! Until now I had often extolled the virtues of OVO’s swift and helpful support, unfortunately that bubble has burst. Up until 12 December 2022 all was fine - there’s nothing wrong with my meter as all the other usage data by day is showing. Would really appreciate some proper support from OVO in getting this issue fixed which is obviously in their “back office”, plus having the courtesy to reply to my original query as to why my meter readings had to be switched about.

For medical reasons I  monitor an OVO energy account for my mother and forgot to update a change in my contact email. 
A manual meter reading by an OVO representative was taken in November (Elec reading is still in the account history but the corresponding gas reading is missing).

This triggered the account to switch from a balance of plus £1000 to minus £9000.  

Whilst I admit due to the change in email I missed the message saying they had increased the DD to £1300, I am somewhat bemused by the lack of a follow up to determine the cause of this change.  This is a 4 bed terraced house and historic accounts show a pretty steady usage.

My question is, has anyone else experienced similar or have any of you been approached by OVO to check when similar issues have arisen?