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BOOST top up problem

  • 5 June 2023
  • 5 replies
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I must say how disapointed I am with this company. I’ve just moved into property with a smart meter. The landlord put credit on the meter while I decorated all the rooms in the flat, this was throughout January and February this year. I officially took over the tenancy in March of this year. The gas credit was fine but I was down to £3.80 or so just before the weekend for electric. This is when the problem started. I tried to contact Boost since the 2nd June. Webchat didn’t respond after waiting 2 hours, telephone call wasn’t much better. I’ve tied every day watching my credit run down. I finally manged to speak to someone today ,a woman in South Africa  who was helpfull but I’m now in a similar position. This time the gas is on emergency and I just cannot top up either on line or at a Paypoint shop. What really disappoints me is  the credit that was on the gas is now zero.  All credit has been wiped , so my £51.54 gas credit is gone. The woman quoted me 2 very long numbers , I did ask her to send me them by email, which has not happened. The Electric must be OK but the gas one isn’t. So, now I have no means to top up my gas account. I am elderly with hearing problems and it seems your company expects everyone to be an expert on the internet and have the latest smartphone with all the latest apps. I just dont have any of that. I will have to go with another company, a company who understands that these problems can confuse and frustrate elderly people.

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Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO 7 June 2023, 11:31

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Tim_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Hi @rickyt

 

Thanks for sharing this negative experience - I’m so sorry to hear about it and I want to help as best I can. 

 

It sounds like you’re a Boost Power customer. They’re part of the OVO Group but they have a separate Support team and systems. It sounds like one of the advisors gave you a PAN number each for your gas and electricity smart meter. That should let you top up each meter via the Boost Top Up app or at a PayPoint. Have you attempted this for each PAN number? There’s some helpful FAQs here to guide you. 

 

If you’re low on credit and unable to top up the meters, please call the Boost Support team when you can: 0330 102 7517. As you have smart meters they can support you remotely to make sure you stay on supply.

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
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Hi , Yes I’m a new boost customer. I’m still no further forward and still cannot top up my gas.  The woman I spoke too 6K miles away gave me 2  19 digit numbers , one for electric and one for gas. The gas one doesn’t seem to work so I have no means to top up.. I read the numbers back to her and she read them back to me to make sure there was no mistake. I’ve tried at the paypoint shop and the gas numbers did not go through. I did ask the woman to send me the 2 19 digit numbers to my email address but this has not happened. Very ,very disappointing service. I spent 2 hours waiting on the webchat the other day, then it just froze. I cannot take any more time off work to sit at the laptop or phone waiting for a reply. Let this be a lesson for others who are thinking of  using a service with smart meters. you can be literally be left out in the cold.

Emmanuelle_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Hey @rickyt,

 

Really sorry to hear this,

 

The following topic may be helpful to you:

 

 

Top up issues and frequently asked questions

 

 

How can I top up my Pay As You Go meter?

 

You can add credit to your meter in 3 simple ways. Top up anything between £1 and £200 at a time.

Helpful to know: you’ll need to add credit to your electricity and gas meters separately (if you have both).

  1. OVO Energy Top-up app
    Download the OVO Energy Top-up app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to add credit anytime, anywhere. You’ll need to use your top-up card numbers – this is the 20-digit number on your gas or electricity Pay As You Go top-up card that we sent you. The app also lets you track all your top-ups and save bank cards to make the process easier

  2. PayPoint shop
    You can top up at any PayPoint shop. Just show them your top-up card numbers or the barcodes in your OVO Energy Top-up app

  3. Find your nearest PayPoint shop
    Visit paypoint.co.uk and pop in your postcode

  4. Top up online
    Make payments online here

 

When you buy credit, it’ll usually reach your meter within 40 minutes. If the signal in your home is ever too low to pick up your credit, you can add it yourself. You’ll need to use the 20 digit “VEND” code on your payment receipts.

 

 

Hope this helps.

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
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Yes ,topping up is all well and good if I  was sent  a top up card. I dont have one. I was only given 2 19 digits numbers over the phone. The gas one did not work as the operater didn’t delete the old PAN number off the system. So, I could not top up the gas. I spoke to another person today and she  sent me the required bar codes by email . I dont know if I will get any cards through the post.

I must admit the whole system seems very disorganised. This whole episode has been very stressful,with my electric running out and not being able to top up. Getting the electric on then not being able to top up the gas.

Blastoise186
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Userlevel 7
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Those PAN Numbers can be used at any PayPoint in the same way a card can. If you provide them to the shopkeeper, they can enter the PAN manually into the terminal and it’ll locate your account. You can also use the PAN to generate a digital card in the app.

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