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Pre-payment meter reading 'call help'

  • 23 October 2023
  • 18 replies
  • 1098 views
T
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Why does my meter have to have zero credit before they will send and engineer, when the web page states to ring before your supply disconnects?

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Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO 24 October 2023, 11:07

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18 replies

Blastoise186
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If you’re off-supply, it’s considered an emergency matter with a massively faster response time - usually four hours.

If you’re on supply with tons of credit, you could be waiting several weeks.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
T
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It’s ridiculous I’ve just been switched over to ovo and the first time I top up it creates a fault on the meter. 

Over an hour on the phone only to result in 
the web page stating that I should get an engineer before I run out of credit, by one member of staff that I have to have 99p or less credit, and by another that I have to have zero credit before they will book an engineer.

To add insult to the already conflicting information I was told that if there is the wrong amount of credit in the meter when an engineer calls I would be charged a £20 call out fee.  

How is it right that the people on pre payment meters (usually because of a tight budget) are the ones that have to use all there credit before they can have an issue resolved? 

If  this is the customer service I can expect I think it’s gonna be bumpy ride. 

Blastoise186
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Not all issues are handled in this way. There are ones that get handled faster regardless, all depends on the scenario. However, you will NOT be charged the callout fee if the issue is identified as NOT being your fault.

CALL HELP on a gas meter usually means the meter has suffered a serious fault that it is unable to recover from by itself - this often (but not always) means the meter has to be replaced. It can be caused by various things like tampering, card slot failure, meter damage, valve failure and various other triggers. Just because you switch supplier is not enough to trigger that message.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Emmanuelle_OVO
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Userlevel 7

Hey @Traceyryan,

 

Sorry to hear your meter is reading an error.

 

I found this guide which might be helpful to you. 

 

If your meter says HELP Please call us right away so that we can send out an engineer to reset your meter before it runs out of credit and disconnects.

 

Blastoise is right, if you’re off supply it’ll be treated as an emergency if not, you’ll be booked in with an engineer appointment for a reset. 

 

How to get in contact about my OVO Pay As You Go account

 

  • The best way to get in touch with us is via chat here. Just click the green chat icon on the bottom right of your screen. We’re here to help anytime from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday.
  • Or call us on 0330 175 9669 during the same times.

 

If you’re with Boost

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Jeffus
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Userlevel 7
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Hi @Traceyryan Did your issue get sorted? 

K
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This morning my metre shows ‘call help’ message. Credit 0, I topped up but nothing happens. Call help but all lines are closed. I am a vulnerable customer. What sould I do?

 

Blastoise186
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Userlevel 7
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Hi @Koolkat66 ,

You’ll need to either call OVO in the morning, or use the blue button on this page to speak to OVO today.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
K
Rank

Hi @Koolkat66 ,

You’ll need to either call OVO in the morning, or use the blue button on this page to speak to OVO today.

The chat is closed today

K
Rank

At the moment I have an old PAYG meter and I really would like to keep it, would that be an option?

 

Blastoise186
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At the moment I have an old PAYG meter and I really would like to keep it, would that be an option?

 

Not guaranteed at all. All meters only last for a maximum service life of about 10 years after which they must be replaced. The next one you get will almost certainly be Smart.

Traditional PAYG also relies on support still being in place for top-up keys/cards. Right now, it’s a supported method with the caveat that it’s considered legacy - support for which will probably get slowly phased out over the next decade or so.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Jeffus
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Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Hi @Koolkat66 ,

You’ll need to either call OVO in the morning, or use the blue button on this page to speak to OVO today.

The chat is closed today

@Koolkat66 

Try this as the customer got an emergency appointment quickly via social media just this morning 

Unfortunately you are not alone saying the blue button isn't great out of hours although I think it gets to the same team.

 

 

K
Rank

Thank you. I  did get a reply but was the same as before, wait till tomorrow

 

Abby_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 6

Hi @Koolkat66 

 

I’m sorry to heat about this.

 

All Support Channels are now open, please do get in touch with the team to get an engineer out.

 

How to get in contact about my OVO Pay As You Go account
 

  • The best way to get in touch with us is via chat here. Just click the green chat icon on the bottom right of your screen. We’re here to help anytime from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday.
  • Or call us on 0330 175 9669 during the same times.

 
If you’re with Boost

 

Let us know how you get on.

Location: Electric Avenue
K
Rank

Hi @Koolkat66 

 

I’m sorry to heat about this.

 

All Support Channels are now open, please do get in touch with the team to get an engineer out.

 

How to get in contact about my OVO Pay As You Go account
 

  • The best way to get in touch with us is via chat here. Just click the green chat icon on the bottom right of your screen. We’re here to help anytime from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 2pm on Saturday.
  • Or call us on 0330 175 9669 during the same times.

 
If you’re with Boost

 

Let us know how you get on.

I have called this morning and given a 3h emergency appointment. So far no one has arrived yet, still 40 minutes to go :)

Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @Koolkat66,

 

Is this resolved now?

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
K
Rank

Hey @Koolkat66,

 

Is this resolved now?

No. No one has turned up and I am on a call waiting to speak to somebody

 

Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @Koolkat66,

 

I’m so sorry to hear this,

 

Have you managed to get a replacement now? It sounds like your meter is an older, faulty model. 

 

Once you have a smart meter installed you’ll have more options to top up, also it may be advisable for you to change to pay monthly as you advised you are a vulnerable customer. This will mean you don’t have to worry about going off supply. 

 

Got a question about your Pay As You Go energy use, top-ups, keys, cards, or anything else? Why not see if you can find the answers in our dedicated PAYG Forum category.

 

There are also tons of helpful resources and information available on our OVO Help pages.  

 

If you or anyone in your household is vulnerable, or just needs a little extra assistance at a difficult time in your lives, our Priority Services Register is a free support service you might find useful.

Struggling with your energy bills? Our Winter Support Package might be helpful to you.

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
K
Rank

I have actually got it replaced to my old model, many thanks to all

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