I've topped up my electricity key token this evening, came home and tried to put the money on my meter and the meter just accepts the token but doesn't top up the credit to the meter. I have a disabled daughter and I dont know what we would do it the electric goes. What should I do? Ive been back to the shop and they said it definitely credited to the key!! Help!!! 

Hi @Lauren Jones ,

It sounds like no credit was added to the key. If your power goes off and you need it back on urgently, call 105.

I’d probably also recommend having the key replaced, just to be safe.

Also, if you keep having this problem even with a new key, I’d recommend getting the meter replaced. You’ll be upgraded to Smart Meters if you do that, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a key getting lost or failing to recharge properly.

Help please. I always topnup £80 on my electric meter (by key) each month. I have done this for years. A month ago Ivtoppedbup but the meter would not accept the credit, the balance didn't change. I had £108 on the meter but was building up a credit for the winter.

After a couple of hours on the phone I couldn't get answers so we swapped to online chat - I was told that you cannot top up more than £40 on a key, (which is obviously incorrect) and that the only option was to wait for the electric to run out, and then the meter "might" accept the £80 on the key. I have run out now, and the meter will not accept the credit - of course now I have no electric, their call centre is shut. What can I do? Do they not have an emergency response or 24 hour number?

Hi @Adam1010 ,

I’m Blastoise186 and I’m one of the OVO Forum volunteers. I don’t work for OVO so I can’t make changes myself.

What is the error code or error message you get on the meter when you insert the electric key? If you can tell me what happens, I can try to advise.

In the meantime, you should try to activate Emergency Credit to get the supply back on.

Hi thanks. There ia no error code, the balance just didn't change. I went back to the shop and they confirmed the payment had gone on. OVO confirmed on the chat that I had £80 credit on the key registered to that account. But they said I couldn't top up until the meter ran out, as £80 is too much.

By the way, yes, the emergency £5 credit has activated, it is ticking down pretty fast, and will go out roughly in the middle of the night.

Ok I'll try that thankyou

The problem I always seem to have

Ahh… I can reproduce that as well. I will report this to the moderators and ask for it to be looked into.

Do you need the power back on urgently? Especially if you’re on the Priority Services Register, try calling 105. Your DNO might be able to help.

Also, try 0800 358 3523

While I’m at it, I strongly recommend you immediately shut down anything that’s not important. That should slow down the EC drain.

Hi Emmanuelle. We have £2 left on the emergency credit - it still won't accept the credit on the key, so we are waiting for it to run out. We need some advice to explain how to get the credit from the key to the meter

You should just be able to put the key in the meter and follow the instructions on-screen. Does it not react at all?

Once you run out of credit and go off-supply, any response gets upgraded to emergency with a four hour response time. If either your key or the meter is found to be faulty (which is sounding likely!) you won’t be charged a penny for the engineer visit.

I suspect the meter probably is misbehaving, so it’d likely result in an Emergency Meter Exchange (EMEX). You’ll probably get smart meters as a result.

As for the credit on the key, if an EMEX goes ahead I’d recommend talking to Boost about getting a refund. They’ll figure something out with you about that.

Ok. Thank you very much for your help. Yes there is no response at all on the meter. We will know soon!

No worries.

Yup, sounds like it’s dead then. Sometimes there’s tricks an engineer can do to get it going again without needing to swap it out, but if those fail the only fix is to replace it.

Let us know how you get on!

It's been swapped out now. Thanks for your help 👍🏻

Can any one help me to top up my gas and electric via phone. As I'm running out. Had this problem since day one.

I’ve come back from the school run to find that the electricity ran out last night. I have then taken the key card to top up from the shop and have sadly managed to lose it on my way to the shop. I have no power at the moment and have been on hold for nearly two hours after one customer service agent picked my call and proceeded to pretend, they couldn’t hear me.

My work laptop has 20mins to go.

How do I get a replacement key card asap? I have tried the web chat several times but apparently, they’re not accepting new messages.

This is the poorest service I have ever come across for something that is an emergency situation.

Any pointers would be very welcomed. I am desperate, 

Hi @TerriblyServiced ,

You’ll definitely need the Support Team for this one I’m afraid. Getting a TAG Code from them is the fastest way to get a new key.

Please post photos of your meters though, I may have more options for you.

Why can't I get a definitive answer to the shops that actually supply replacement keys for my heritage meter in my local area?