105 is the number to call. You CANNOT claim for the freezer food however 

There’s a big difference between a Smart Meter not communicating and a power cut.  The National Grid 105 number is used If you’re experiencing a power cut i.e. a total loss of incoming power to the premises.  That’s easy to check - ask the neighbours. We hear on this forum all the time about smart meters (NOT the IHD) not communicating but that will result in a billing issue not a grid supply issue.  Your home/contents insurance will usually cover freezer food up to the value specified in your policy documents - just don’t keep opening the freezer door to check! Meanwhile just make sure that the freezer hasn’t been switched off by mistake.
If you are in the SSEN area then  https://powertrack.ssen.co.uk/powertrack is a very good indicator of grid failure. Other DNO’s have very similar systems.

Hey @Broadm8ke 

I’m really sorry to hear about this.

If a smart meter simply isn't communicating the supply won't be lost. If you’re off supply the Support Team should send out an engineer on the same day. If they’ve not already re-arranged to come out I’d recommend getting back in touch with the team to arrange this. We'd advise to keep the freezer closed as much as possible as it will maintain the temperature for longer if it remains closed.

Just a follow up on yesterday guys

After me hash tagging as much negativity towards Ovo as i could after no sign of engineer we get a phone call at 745pm off engineer he'll  be with us in 30 min.

Credit where credits due he turned up smack on 715pm.

After chatting with him he had a back log of 8 emergency calls to do in the CF area of Wales, which is a good few hundred miles in area to cover on his own

So when customer care give you a 3 hour window it's virtually impossible for him to cover it in time.

So a heads up if engineers a no show in the future.

Anyway all sorted now thanks for the responses 

This is just my experience I'm sure it's the same everywhere else.

*6.45 pm lol

Just wanted to ask for some help, as we feel increasingly desperate. 

On Monday evening when going out to top up my pre payment gas card I lost the card. I rang Ovo who said that any pay point could issue a new card. I went to the nearby shop they recommended, but they did not have any Ovo gas cards. I went to 3 other shops listed on the paypoint website as issuing cards, none of whom had any ovo cards available.

The next day I rang every shop that was listed as issuing the cards in 3 different areas. Only one shop I spoke with had an SSE card available, which an advisor had told us would work. I went there and they were unable to issue the card as the tag ID came up as not valid on that scheme- I was later told by another advisor that SSE cards no longer work for Ovo. We then called Ovo again who said they would send an engineer, and they would be with us on Tuesday evening. They did not arrive.

On Wednesday morning we rang Ovo again - they apologised and said they would send another engineer, and to ring at lunchtime if they had not arrived. When they didn't arrive, we rang again. We were told that we should ask the emergency team to cancel the Wednesday morning appointment and schedule a new one. The advisor promised to ring us back in 3 hours to check someone had arrived. We were then put through to the emergency team who said the advice we had been given was bad, that the company being used were very poor quality, and that the advisor would not cancel the appointment we had scheduled on Wednesday morning, but request another appointment via emailing the engineers. The idea was that we would have 2 engineers on their way to see us. 

It is now Wednesday evening and no one has arrived. I have just rang Ovo again and they have assured me that an engineer is on the way, but have not been able to do anything other than that. We are very cold and very frustrated! Does anyone have any advice please?

Hey @RichardW,

I’m so sorry to hear this,

Did the engineer arrive? 

I’d advise getting a smart meter installed so that you can top up online or via an app instead of using a card. Or, there is the option to switch to pay monthly so you don’t have to worry about going of supply.

These topics may have some helpful advice:

Hi Emmanualle,

Thanks for getting back to me. Thankfully an engineer did arrive last night. He was friendly and solved the situation but was confused as to why previous appointments hadn't been attended and it didn't seem like the problem was at their end. He also spoke about how the issue with a lack of Ovo cards in local shops is something they have been telling Ovo about regularly and hasn't been rectified.

Thanks for the advice about switching to a direct debit - that was our plan but when an engineer arrived last week they had been given the wrong information by Ovo and couldn't proceed with the work. They are due to come back next week. All in all, not a great experience!

Hi @RichardW 

Good to hear you made progress

You may be entitled to compensation under the ofgem rules. Obviously up to you if you ask OVO. Ideally it should have been automatic.

£30 for missed appointments where you don't get a days notice 

£30 if the engineer turns up with the wrong stuff

Then another £30 if the compensation is not paid within 10 working days of the event.

Am sure @Emmanuelle_OVO can give you more information if needed.

I called OVO this morning to report that my gas meter was displaying ‘battery fail’.  The lady I got on the phone was very pleasant and arranged for an emergency appointment, therefore an engineer would be within 4hrs, so before 4pm.  4.15pm arrived and still no engineer.  Called OVO back and got a very rude, abrupt lady who said ‘engineer is on his way and will be within ½ hour.  So……5pm arrives and guess what? STILL NO ENGINEER!!!  So called OVO AGAIN to be told that he may just be running late!   The guy said that the 3rd party who provides engineers was now closed so he couldn’t check - more or less saying he may arrive, he may not.  I stated I couldn’t believe they didn’t know where there engineers were and I’d been without heating and hot water since last night.  After being put on hold for over 5 mins (now sure what for), he came back on stating I would either have to call 105 or call back tomorrow, as there was nothing more he could do.  What a way to run a business - service received is absolutely shocking and totally unacceptable.

Hi @Abartram 

I’m really sorry to hear this.

Did you call the team to get this sorted yesterday? If the issue is still not resolved, you should contact the Support Team so they can get someone out to get the meter sorted.

You may also find this topic helpful, as you may be entitled to £30 compensation for the failed appointment:

My meter was faulty I getting no gas through meter enganire ment call and come out they never showed or called I called every one it down to over got no hot water or heating have children

Has any one got any idear how can they leave people like that angenier ment come in 4 hours it past that they sent wrong person first time around

Hi @Zoeward475 ,

Please note that the OVO Forum is currently in Hibernation Mode for Christmas and New Year. The response times for Forum Volunteers such as myself may be slower to respond than usual during this time and our service here may be limited. There will also be limited or no responses from the Forum Moderators during this time and their responses may be delayed. Thanks in advance for your understanding. We’d also like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Forum Moderators and Volunteers of the OVO Forum.

You may be able to get someone’s attention on OVO’s Social Media accounts if you DM them that way. However, the office is otherwise closed today and you’ll have to wait until Wednesday at the earliest before you can reach out.

If you are on PAYG, you can still get in touch today - call 0330 175 9669 for that.

Really hope this is sorted by now, @Zoeward475?

Blastoise has given spot on advice about who and how to contact. More info here:

i have been without gas since 4pm today it’s now 11.10pm and no engineer has turned up! i’m on the priority list and there is no out of hours number to call or web chat to use! ran out of credit as i am waiting for new card they said it would arrive yesterday! any advise would be greatly received 

Hi @morgan1 ,

Please see this thread:

It’s crucial to note however that an engineer won’t attend unless you explicitly request one.

I’d also strongly recommend that you consider upgrading to Smart Meters and potentially switch to Pay Monthly to avoid this issue in the future.

@Blastoise186 i have requested one at 4pm today and they said one would be here! my meter was fine until my card stopped working so i requested a new one they said it would be here yesterday but has not arrived! so now my gas has run out so therefore  i am being left with any gas! 

I have been waiting on a gas engineer from 4oclock today was told 4hrs and still no sign of him. Has anyone else had this? I have lost my gas card and sitting with no heating or hot water the whole day with my kids in the house. 

Hi @Dionne2709 

It does happen sometimes unfortunately 

Ask ovo to pay you the £30 compensation under the ofgem rules.

If they don't pay this within 10 working days of the event, then ask for another £30 compensation under the ofgem rules

Give ovo a call if you haven't already

Pay As You Go customers

Phone: 0330 175 9669

Opening hours:

• Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm

• Sat-Sun 9am to 5pm

You can also leave feedback at Trustpilot at any time 

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.ovoenergy.com

Are you sorted now @morgan1 ?

@Jeffus for now i have a little credit but i have to ring back when that runs out! there was a problem with them sending my card! i am not expected to receive it until wednesday so when the gas goes off again i have to request another engineer appt! so yes for now but not completely! 

thanks for asking 

@morgan1 if ovo missed an appointment then under the ofgem rules you are entitled to £30 compensation. If this isn't paid within 10 working days of the event you are entitled to another £30 compensation under the ofgem rules.

Ask for this if appropriate the next time you contact OVO.

You can also post a review on the ovo trustpilot site if you haven't already 

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.ovoenergy.com

@Jeffus  thank you for the info! really appreciate your time! 

for the third time, the engineer did not show up for the scheduled appointment to install the smartmeter,I am disgusted by your behavior towards your clients,I also have to change the operator.Unfortunately, in my opinion, obvo is the worst company when it comes to supporting its customers.I haven't been able to top up my electricity for half a year because I don't have a smartmeter that worked. When it was SSE And when they switched to that, everything stopped working and it hasn't been fixed yet.my meter is still running on credit I can't see anything on my account, neither consumption not top-up or contact an engineer to change it.

I am disgusted with your behavior