Why did OVO not collect my Direct Debit on my usual payment date?

It can take up to 7 working days after Direct Debit taken for the refund to arrive in your Bank Account.

Why on earth would OVO take my direct debit amount on the 27th of July and again today on the 1st of August?? 
 

I have also already paid a deposit upfront so it has nothing to do with that. 
 

extremely annoyed as I don’t have the money to just give it up to OVO, I’m inclined to cancel my direct debit but I’m fixed and they’ll only start charging me exit fees….

EDIT. I've changed my post because I just noticed something -

27th July was a Sunday.

The banking system does not process DDs on weekends so it would normally be taken on the following Monday.
But may sometimes take longer.

Double check you bank transactions, have there actually been two payments taken or was it just taken later than you expected?

Hey ​@xJames99, 

As ​@Nukecad’s already mentioned, July 27th was a weekend, so banks don't actually process payments then. Your Direct Debit might have shown up in your app as planned, but it probably didn't leave your account until the next working day.

If you think there might be a duplicate payment, it's a good idea to check with your bank. If they confirm it, you can ask for a Direct Debit indemnity, and they'll get your money back to you on the same day. You can find more info about the Direct Debit Guarantee right here.

I’ve left some handy articles we have on Direct Debits below

We'd really appreciate your feedback on whether this sorted things out for you. It could really help others in the same boat!

Hi guys, I am new account holder in OVO, I just started usimg it last October 18, I chose variable plan, my payment method is monthly every 28th of the month using direct debit...so now I am due on Ocotber 27 but my bill is £103, Is there anyone who experienced this?because thsy amount is upcoming in my debit?thank you

The direct debit may sometimes vary by a day or two as the transaction is processed. The £103 bill will have been calculated from your usage over 12 months giving you an estimated annual usage of £1,236. OVO will vary your payment amount if your usage changes.

When a new account is opened and the account holder decides to pay by Direct Debit, based on the information you have supplied, OVO has to make an estimate of what your usage will be over the next year and how much this will cost (including daily standing charge(s) and 5% VAT). They then divide this amount by 12 and this is what your initial Direct Debit will be set as. Have you registered for an on-line account? This will allow you to keep track of your usage over your billing period. A billing period may not be a calendar month. For instance, my billing period runs from the start of the 4th of the month to the end of the 3rd of the following month. So, my present billing period is 4th October to 3rd November, but I pay my Direct Debit on the 28th of each month. As OVO get to know your usage over time, your Direct Debit amount may be adjusted up or down to make sure that your payments will cover your future usage.

Why do they use an estimate when you have a smart meter? You are only billed after youve used the leccy so why would they guess on your first month, or any other?

When I switched from payg to paym my usage was between £35 and £80 a month (summer vs winter)

The estimates were £126 monthly when I switched, my meter hasnt changed, my compnay hasnt changed, my tarrif hasnt changed, PAYM is supposed to be more cost effective.

Annual PAYG actual £690
Their Anual PAYM estimate from my actual, £1512 lmfao

When you opt to pay via Pay Monthly, then you do just that - you use the energy and, when you receive your bill, you pay exactly that amount. You pay more for your standing charges and more for your unit rates when you opt to pay in this way.

Do you mean that you have now changed to paying via a Monthly Direct Debit? Have you received a statement of account from OVO for your PAYG usage? Was there any credit left that has now been applied to your account? In general, based on the information you give them, OVO makes an estimate of what your energy costs (including standing charges and 5% VAT) will be over the next year and divides that cost by 12. After a few months of paying this amount, OVO’s system will understand your usage better and the Direct Debit amount may be revised to reflect this usage. Using my estimated usage for the next year, my total should be £1351.12. Dividing that by 12 gives £112.60 per month. I have been paying £100 per month since January 2004 and this has allowed me, today, to have a credit balance of around £300. As a result, OVO say that, at the moment, I could pay £88 per month. I have chosen to remain in credit to allow me not to worry about keeping warm this winter, so I will not be reducing my Direct Debit. If you set up and look, regularly, at your online account, you will see that OVO actually takes your total daily costs from your account balance at the end of each day. Energy companies are obligated to try to make sure that customers do not get into debt. Direct Debits actually work in a similar way to PAYG. You pay in advance and what you use each day is taken from your account balance. The biggest difference is that, if your account reaches £0, you will not be cut off automatically. 

Hey ​@ptr_crisostomo, 

Welcome to the community!

We’re so glad you’re here! If you could share a bit more about your billing question, that would be really helpful. It’s not entirely clear what you need from your initial message. Are you curious about the billing date or the amount of your first payment? 

The more details you provide, the better we can assist you. Looking forward to helping you out!