Why such a large increase to my recommended Direct Debit?

Hi Emmanuelle.

not yet,  it’s been a busy at work so never got time.

but I sent you a screenshot 

What is missing from all this chatter??

What is the forecast of your consumption for the year ahead, and do you agree with it?

What tariff are you on and what region do you live in?

Basically is your Direct debit correctly assessed or not?

All the rest is circumventing the real question. There are almost no customers who like the prices of their energy at the moment, so everybody feels a bit aggrieved.  But concentrating on whether the DD level is correct or not would consign the trust issues to the bin where they belong.

Hi @Debbiec ,

The government decided the £400 should go to your bank account rather than your OVO account. If you pay it back into your OVO account, it will be factored into the calculations and might let you reduce your DD again.

It is being increased from £195 to £242. I appreciate that a calculation has been done and OVO have “estimated” I’ll be in debit after 12 months but I don’t agree. Even if I was, I’d clear the balance myself.

I was under the impression that those on a Direct Debit were on credit not prepayment accounts?

I think most people are aware of the price rises :)

I’m confused why I’m required to have a significant credit balance. I only pay for what I need use with regard to water, broadband and mobile. I’m not required to pay for what they *think* I’m going to use. Why are OVO any different?

Indeed. Pretty much the only way for a mobile phone bill to go up, is if you do anything that’s out-of-bundle. A problem that’s easily solved by setting out-of-bundle spending limits to £0. Also, you tend to pay any extra charges in arrears, whereas any inclusive charges are paid in advance.

But with energy accounts, it really is impossible to know exactly how much you’re going to use in advance. And the only way to pay in arrears is by paying on-demand.

Im sat here crying, feeling like getting nowhere with my issue and speaking to people on phone isnt helping me at all dont know where to turn to i tried to give a metre reading today to try to tell them that im a single person in a 1 bed flat only thing have on all time is a fridge and computer, theres no way i can be using 400£ a month in electric but just starts going on about smart metres again, the guy who was supposed to come and read metre every month didn’t come i cant seem to find out how to ask for help for this:

customer support package, that i need to apply for, got turned down by british gas cause they said they have this. I can’t do stuff via email im not tech savy disabled and all this is effecting my mental health real bad.

To answer some questions:

I already am on priory register, my landlord said didnt want a smart metre, i dont want one and he said on phone a gas one has being installed already without my permission?? I want to apply for customer support package, warm home winter discount that i cant seem to find info on. They say i owe 2000£ now, my issue stems from metre man stopped coming during covid and for 2 years i was underpaying bills but now they saying i use 400£ a month in electric. 

When i was with SSE never had this issue had a dedicated disabled number i could call about winter discount and things. I need to get through to someone at ovo who could help please i really am stuggling to cope, people on phone just dont listen. I dont know about last 12 months bill etc back payment waved under back billing rules someone mentioned. I will try to go to citizen advice but my mental health being so bad and i live in countryside dont get to town easy i will try over phone.

Sorry for all talk but i needed to get this all out i just want to get away from OVO its hard to cope i dont have 2000£ to give them. Thanks wolfgang

My original topic that seems to have being moved.

“Hi I was an SSE customer whos being forced to move to OVO energy and since the move the situation I’m in has only gotten alot worse. At least with SSE I had a dedicated phone number for vunerable people I could call and the people there knew to be patient with me through with OVO I just keep getting sent in circles and its driving my mental health way worse.

My situation: I suffer with mental health and learning disabiltys and registered disabled. I just moved into my new flat just before covid happened and i was with SSE. For 10 years I had a meter man come out and read the metre and helped me keep on top of everything but due to covid that stopped and dispite 3 phone calls in past year to try and get it reorganised and now moved to OVO energy finally get someone to read the metre and it turns out ive being under paying my electric for past 3 years dispite me calling SSE to tell them i need help get metre. 

So now  OVO are saying i Owe 1800£ which as a poor person I can’t afford, im pretty backwards when it comes to numbers and elctric devices such so really makes me uncomfortable  trying to do things via text need to speak to someone on voice, but every time I get through to someone I have to try and explain my situation which is really stressful. Last month i got told I use 753£ in electric every month and he was gonna take out 480+ in direct debts every month, as a disabled person in a one bedroom flat theres no way i can use that amount is there? I have a friend whos bill is about 150 every month and its causing me no end of stress, people on phone seem to have no clue try to put me on pay as go metres. My landlord doesnt want smart meters and with my disabilty i just need it to go back to how it was please metre man.

I applied for a british gas trust grant to help pay that 1500 but being refused because they said OVO now have there own scheme: OVO's £50m Customer Support Package. When I tried to call to ask about hardship payment help he just started going on about putting me on a pay as go metre again and i had to end call due to him not listening. I just want a telephone number or can speak to someone who understands situation im in, i couldnt help covid stop my metre man coming out and now im have underpaid for bills for past couple years and with electric cost going up i cant afford ovo to take 450+£ pounds out of my account every month and ovos website is so bad and is no way i can speak to someone to ask for hardship help or like. I feel so lost and i rarely leave house due to my disability no way i can go on pay as go and why doesn’t ovo have a telephone number for vunerable customers like SSE used to do, i want to just get away from OVO its making my mental health really bad worrying about all this but i dont know what to do, can anyone give me any advice please.

Thank you Wolfgang.”

As requested I called again and the person is insisting i use 400£ a month in electric, wouldnt accept my electric metre reading cause my electric metre is a smart metre cause her system says it is????? I told her it isnt but wont listen says cant help me? I did get upset and angry earlier and worried someone might have messed with my account changing to saying i have a smart metre when i dont? This is beyond stressful surely a computer and fridge dont use 400£ a month in electric… and now she just ended call on me. I didnt swear or be verbal in any way. I dont know what to do.,….

I called as adviced in private message and and the lady on phone insisted i had a smart metre as it said on her PC, i tried telling her i dont and she wouldnt listen to me, then said cant help me and will put me through to a manager and phone went dead. Im in tears again, got confirmed via private message that my metre isnt a smart metre that they checked on a national database….

I dont know what to do i really dont want to have to call again twice now being told i have a smart metre when i dont, i just wanted to give metre readings today since metre man not come out like promised a priory customer they are supposed to and still claiming i use 400 a month on electric when if accept my metre reading surely could have worked it out so show i use less.

hi i have submitted them on the website abit ago, and i have had Emmanuelle_OVO already confirm to me via national database that the metre i have is already a non smart metre, thank you for help.

Thank you after i was in tear i did call the electric obmusmen and have being on phone last hour making a formal complaint, the phone calls are recorded and i should have proof twice where the person said i have smart metres and ignored me when i dont, not beleived me or something cause computer said i did, this issue has being going on for months since i only owed 700£ and i told them thats because id being underpaying since covid estimates and but instead of sorted out with metreman and arrgange payment plan but instead kept trying to take 400£ from my account or one person tell me i use 700 in electric so had to cancel my direct debt.

I will try to remember to ask for names in future thank you i will also do a formal complaint with ovo but really i just want to leave asap, with sse i had a disabled number i could call for  winter payment help etc I never agreed to join OVO and had non stop issue since join and i am hoping obusment make them have service like SSE had.

I use around £75 a month for gas and electric. I am VERY CAREFUL about my useage. 

OVO have increased my direct debit to £159 a month.

I couldn’t understand why they would want twice as much money from me than I actually use………..

I think it’s because they are a ‘pay in advance’ provider not a pay your bill at the end of each month provider !!!!???? 
 

Hi @SueD take a look at the plan page on the website not the app.

https://account.ovoenergy.com/plan

What does it say under Future Annual Consumption?