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Cid296
Rank 3
October 22, 2023
Solved

Traditional PAYG meter with blank screen

  • October 22, 2023
  • 88 replies
  • 16354 views

Good Afternoon.

We recently had a power cut in our building. Shortly after that, when we got electricity back, i realized my meter had a blank screen and I could not see how much credit I had left.

I contacted OVO assistance to book an engineer to come fix it, which they did, but I was worried that I could run out of credit before they come (almost a week later). They told me I should not be worried because when that happens the meter basically starts working as a billing meter, so there’s no possibility of me running out of electricity in the meantime.

Could someone confirm if this is really the case? I really don’t want to call 105 in the evening and wait in the dark for three or more hours waiting for help to come.

Thanks very much.

Best answer by Blastoise186

Updated on 29/04/26 by Ben_OVO

 

Hi @Cid296 ,

 

Just a heads up, I’m one of the Forum Volunteers here, rather than an OVO employee.

 

I can confirm that what you’ve been told is correct. The meter will have gone into Free Vend Mode as a result of the power cut. Obviously, you won’t be charged any usage for the time the power was out, since you can’t have used anything during that time. Oh, and you won’t be charged a fee for the engineer visit either as it’s not your fault.

 

However, to avoid disruption in case of a fault, Free Vend Mode triggers in these situations. You’ll still need to pay back what you used later, but you will not be disconnected in the meantime. You basically have unlimited credit until the meter is reset by an engineer. Try not to go too power hungry in the meantime though as the meter is still tracking your usage!

 

You can pay back the usage via future top-ups after the reset. It might be worth upgrading to Smart Meters though to avoid this situation. :)

 

We’ve got some similar topics which may also be helpful here:

 

 

If you need to get in touch with our PAYG Support Team, the contact details can be found here:

 

​​​​​​

88 replies

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Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Abby_OVO
Community Manager
December 9, 2024

Hey ​@Cantona71 

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble you’ve been having.

 

I’m really glad to see one of our volunteers, Blastoise186, has already stopped by with some really helpful advice here. 

 

How did you get on with this?

 

Currently Playing: She's Electric
C
Newcomer
Cantona71
Newcomer
December 9, 2024

Hi Abby 

firstly thank you for your comment and yes Blastoise186 was very kind in giving me the information and put my mind at ease I have spoke too a colleague yesterday and I am booked in for an appointment on the 23rd for a new meter I also received a message from another colleague (Shaun)this morning just too confirm my appointment and gave me information if the electricity runs out in the mean time so all good 🤞🏻🤣thank you both very much 😊🍺

    H
    Newcomer
    Hdallan
    Newcomer
    May 29, 2025

    We have recently moved to a flat supplied by OVO, with a traditional PayG meter.

    Currently it is blank and unresponsive, however our electric is working.

    Is there anything we can do? We are conscious of creating lots of debt as we are unable to see what it is currently at from the previous tenant/landlords usage. Any advice is appreciated.

    Thank you

    Blastoise186
    Super User
    Blastoise186Super User
    Super User
    May 29, 2025

    Evening ​@Hdallan !

    The name’s186, Blastoise186. Good to meet you! Just a heads up, I don’t work for OVO myself so I can’t action anything directly. Firstly, congrats on the new place! Hopefully everything else is working OK for you?

    The good news is that I do have a solution for you that will definitely get this fixed. The bad news is that I can’t make it happen myself and OVO’s office just closed for the day about an hour ago.

    Your meter is in Free Vend Mode due to a recent power cut. You won’t lose supply at this time, but you can’t do anything with the meter either. I’d say call 0330 175 9669 in the morning to get registered with a new account and please let the agent know about this! They’ll arrange an engineer to swing by to fix this ASAP.

    If you wish, you can also discuss moving to Pay Monthly during the same call or you can just stick with PAYG. Totally up to you - I won’t judge! You can also ask about a Smart Meter at the same time, which is probably worth doing either way.

    If you’ve got any other questions, I’m all ears. Just let me know in this thread and I’ll swing by again.

    Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      Abby_OVO
      Community Manager
      Abby_OVO
      Community Manager
      May 30, 2025

      Hey ​@Hdallan 

       

      Welcome to the Forum. I’m glad to see one of our volunteers has already stopped by to help out here, I hope you’ve been able to look through their advice and find it useful.

       

      As they’ve mentioned, it sounds like the meter is in ‘free-vend mode’, this means the supply is still running in the background, but the meter will need replaced. I’ve linked below to a few similar topics which may be helpful:

       

       

      If you’ve not done so already, please do get in touch with the Support Team so they can get this sorted for you. Keep us updated with how you get on.

      Currently Playing: She's Electric
        H
        Newcomer
        Hdallan
        Newcomer
        May 30, 2025

        Evening ​@Hdallan !

        The name’s186, Blastoise186. Good to meet you! Just a heads up, I don’t work for OVO myself so I can’t action anything directly. Firstly, congrats on the new place! Hopefully everything else is working OK for you?

        The good news is that I do have a solution for you that will definitely get this fixed. The bad news is that I can’t make it happen myself and OVO’s office just closed for the day about an hour ago.

        Your meter is in Free Vend Mode due to a recent power cut. You won’t lose supply at this time, but you can’t do anything with the meter either. I’d say call 0330 175 9669 in the morning to get registered with a new account and please let the agent know about this! They’ll arrange an engineer to swing by to fix this ASAP.

        If you wish, you can also discuss moving to Pay Monthly during the same call or you can just stick with PAYG. Totally up to you - I won’t judge! You can also ask about a Smart Meter at the same time, which is probably worth doing either way.

        If you’ve got any other questions, I’m all ears. Just let me know in this thread and I’ll swing by again.

        Hey ​@Hdallan 

         

        Welcome to the Forum. I’m glad to see one of our volunteers has already stopped by to help out here, I hope you’ve been able to look through their advice and find it useful.

         

        As they’ve mentioned, it sounds like the meter is in ‘free-vend mode’, this means the supply is still running in the background, but the meter will need replaced. I’ve linked below to a few similar topics which may be helpful:

         

         

        If you’ve not done so already, please do get in touch with the Support Team so they can get this sorted for you. Keep us updated with how you get on.


        Thank you both for your advice. 

        We contacted the support team and they said as we are ‘on grid’ they cannot do anything about it.

        Would you know if there is a designated time for the power to go out, or should we try raise the issue again?

        Blastoise186
        Super User
        Blastoise186Super User
        Super User
        May 30, 2025

        You’ll definitely want to raise this again - you’ll never go off-supply whilst in Free Vend Mode.

        Make sure to tell the agent that the meter is in Free Vend Mode and is in a broken state where an emergency engineer visit is mandatory to resolve regardless of supply status.

        If you still don’t get lucky, let me know here as I have a magic trick I can try if needed.

        Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
          H
          Newcomer
          Hdallan
          Newcomer
          May 30, 2025

          You’ll definitely want to raise this again - you’ll never go off-supply whilst in Free Vend Mode.

          Make sure to tell the agent that the meter is in Free Vend Mode and is in a broken state where an emergency engineer visit is mandatory to resolve regardless of supply status.

          If you still don’t get lucky, let me know here as I have a magic trick I can try if needed.

          Thank you, we’ll try that.

          The lines are shut now, we’ll keep you posted

          Blastoise186
          Super User
          Blastoise186Super User
          Super User
          May 31, 2025

          Lines should be open again now!

          If you still don’t get lucky, try the Social Media Team on Facebook/Twitter - they’re pretty good at fixing this stuff.

          At very least, please make sure you’ve registered an account in your name - that team can’t help you until you have one.

          Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
          Abby_OVO
          Community Manager
          Abby_OVO
          Community Manager
          June 2, 2025

          Hey ​@Hdallan 

           

          Did you go back to the Support Team about this? If the meter display is blank and unresponsive, the meter will need to be replaced so we can work out your usage and charge you accurately. 

           

           

          Let us know how you’re getting on.

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