Solved

Warm Home Discount is late- Got a letter saying it would be paid in November?

  • 1 December 2023
  • 52 replies
  • 2610 views
Show first post

52 replies

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

It’s sad that some customers haven’t yet received the WHD they were expecting and probably banking on. However, I’d point out that there was a very good reason why some payments have been delayed beyond the deadline OVO may have notified. Their only fault was writing “We’ll get your discount to you by ...” when it would with hindsight have been wiser to say “we aim to get your discount to you ...”. 

OVO have a few weeks yet to comply with the rules for the discount, so I suspect that entering a complaint won’t make the payment appear any earlier. It may even make matters worse, by adding to the already unbearable pressure on the complaints department. A complaint may have the effect of stopping all transactions on an account until the complaint has been resolved, and this may include occasional payments like WHD.

I can only suggest that affected customers try to be patient. If any of those whose payment has been delayed have now received it, it would be good if they could come back here and say so.

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
M
Rank

It’s sad that some customers haven’t yet received the WHD they were expecting and probably banking on. However, I’d point out that there was a very good reason why some payments have been delayed beyond the deadline OVO may have notified. Their only fault was writing “We’ll get your discount to you by ...” when it would with hindsight have been wiser to say “we aim to get your discount to you ...”. 

OVO have a few weeks yet to comply with the rules for the discount, so I suspect that entering a complaint won’t make the payment appear any earlier. It may even make matters worse, by adding to the already unbearable pressure on the complaints department. A complaint may have the effect of stopping all transactions on an account until the complaint has been resolved, and this may include occasional payments like WHD.

I can only suggest that affected customers try to be patient. If any of those whose payment has been delayed have now received it, it would be good if they could come back here and say so.

 

That doesn’t excuse the poor show. So appreciated but still reserve the right to complain.

J
Rank

@Firedog I agree there may have been a good reason and of course careful wording is always important.
However consistent communication within OVO support has been my issue. 


the underlying issue for my query about the WHD is that Ovo have not resolved an outstanding problem with my account and meter,  I am concerned that the discount will be applied to the wrong account and I will then have  to spend effort to rectify this - when I have tried to check any details i have been told about the dates.
 

The dates are important but there’s layers to my complaint and the frustration increases and just adds to the overall terrible experience  

 

K
Rank

I got an email saying that my warm home discount would automatically go on my pre payment meter after topping up 3 to 5 times but it hasn't and I rang up yesterday and the woman said she was sorry and was going to raise a complaint but I haven't heard anything else 

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Hi @Kris67 ,

Please note that the OVO Forum is currently in Hibernation Mode for Christmas and New Year. The response times for Forum Volunteers such as myself may be slower to respond than usual during this time and our service here may be limited. There will also be limited or no responses from the Forum Moderators during this time and their responses may be delayed. Thanks in advance for your understanding. We’d also like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Forum Moderators and Volunteers of the OVO Forum.

This is something that’s been mentioned a couple of times now. I’ll try to ask backstage but it’s unlikely I’ll be able to get any updates there until at least the 2nd January.

Are you OK to hang on for a couple of weeks? I’m really sorry about this, but with basically 98% of the UK now shut down until January, that’s the earliest chance I can get to ask about this.

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

Hey @Kris67,

 

Sorry for the issues you’ve had,

 

If you contact Pay As You go Support Team, they will be able to look into this for you.

 

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

Find answers or chat with Boost at boostpower.co.uk/help. Or call them on 0330 102 7517.

 

*Just a note* for Warm Home Discount a customer will need to top up 3-5 times at the same store on different days, but there was also a delay in sending some messages to the meters (any top ups before the date given for the WHD payment wouldn't count). 

 

I believe the support team can call itron who can confirm if the Warm Home Discount message has been sent. If not, the support team may need to cancel that message and in previous years they've been sent a code letter to use at paypoint but I’m not sure if that's the same this year with failed WHD messages. I’ll ask for the team to clarify. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
A

I left another update last night but it was removed by the forum manager. Since then, I have a further update. 

The cheque that I was promised on 14/12/23 failed to arrive within the 2 week time scale. I had a couple of people reply to my update last night before it was removed saying I should just hang on, that it was likely held up by Christmas post. 

I phoned the complaints team again today. I asked to speak to the person who had initially handled my complaint. He was in the office but wouldn’t speak to me! Everything was relayed through the person who answered my phone call today, so the original complaint handler could speak to him! What an absolute joke!

Anyway, it turns out that the cheque that was issued on 14/12/23 was rejected by whatever department sends it out, because the validation department didn’t validate it! This was only discovered today when I called. Who knows how long it would’ve taken to discover it had I not called! It will be re-issued today and I’ll have it in 10 days time apparently. I asked what I was supposed to do in the meantime, and I was given the option of being put through to OVO’s debt department. I refused because I am not in debt!

I asked for my complaint to be escalated further and I was told an escalations manager will contact me within 5 working days. 

I also asked what the hold up was in the first place, and I was given yet another excuse that I’ve never heard before! Apparently OVO had to transfer thousands of SSE customers to a new system and they couldn’t cope with it! That’s the fifth or sixth reason I’ve now been given for why it was late in the first place!

So I’ve had a cold and dark Christmas and now I’m going to have a cold and dark New Year too. Don’t you just love how civilised Britain is in the 21st Century? People like us sit in the cold and dark, while OVO’s billionaire owner holds on to our Warm Home Discounts paid to him by his cronies in the Tory government. I wonder how much interest he’s made on all the payments since 27 October 2023?

This is absolutely shocking behaviour from OVO. Someone needs to be held accountable, but I know very well that they won’t.

A

Btw, I would like to know why it says Solved at top of this thread, which I started. It clearly has not been solved. Do the forum administrators work for OVO Energy?

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

The Solved status on a forum thread here is not linked to whether your problem is actually solved (which is tracked elsewhere anyway). 99% of the time we never find out anyway as most folks don’t come back to tell us. It is instead used when there’s a solution that helps the community in general. You can’t ask to have it undone in cases like this one.

As for the Forum Moderators, yes they do work for OVO - helping to run the show here is their primary role and they mostly help with housekeeping, managing the Forum Volunteers and keeping the place in good shape.

The Forum Volunteers however (which includes me) are not OVO employees. We are instead a group of volunteers who may or may not be OVO customers who help out for free in our own time. We don’t get paid in cash, but we do sometimes get rewards in other ways as a thank you.

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

I wonder how much interest he’s made on all the payments since 27 October 2023?

 

I’m sorry you’re still waiting for your WHD, and that you’ve not been given a satisfactory explanation for the delay. However, I’d like to point out that usually when a scheme like this is set up, the Treasury make very strict rules about how the funds are to be handled. One of those rules is that any interest accrued in the interval between funds being transferred to the paying organization (here OVO) and their being transferred to the payee has to be returned to the Treasury at the end of the scheme. So however much interest has been earned, I don’t think OVO will see a penny of it.

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

On top of that, it’s worth noting that as well as the interest, every penny of whatever WHD funding that doesn’t get paid out also has to be sent back to the Treasury at the end of the scheme.

I don’t think it has to be transferred the very second the scheme closes, just as long as it’s done within a reasonable timeframe.

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

Ridiculous to have to wait until 9th February for Ovo to send me a cheque for my warm home discount after being promised it for 19th December with no explanation for this delay but they want me to pay my gas bill! I'll pay after I receive the money they owe me first so I can earn more interest too 

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Ridiculous to have to wait until 9th February for Ovo to send me a cheque for my warm home discount after being promised it for 19th December with no explanation for this delay but they want me to pay my gas bill! I'll pay after I receive the money they owe me first so I can earn more interest too 

Hopefully OVO have learnt a lesson about setting expectations so this doesn't happen next winter

I suspect many vulnerable people had planned around getting the money on the date specified by OVO in the letters.

It is particularly not great as by its very nature these WHD payments are targeted at people who may be struggling with bills and their physical and mental health.

M
Rank

Got mine by post on Jan 17th (last Wednesday) so all solved. Sorry to anyone still waiting.

K
Rank

OVO shouldn't make promises they can't keep after been told I was going to receive my warm home discount in December then got told I have to wait for them to send me a cheque out in February I've now been told they have until the end of March to give me it now, even though they've already received it from the government. I owe them a bill and I've been told that if I don't pay it I'm going to be charged a late fee surely they owe me a late fee too. I'm going to speak to citizens advice about them now and make sure everyone else knows what this company is like 

Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @Kris67,

 

I’m sorry to hear this, when you get your discount depends on what ‘core group’ you’re in. 

 

England or Wales

 

If you live in England or Wales you don’t need to apply for the Warm Home Discount but you will need to meet the eligibility criteria set by the Government. This is split into two Core Groups:

  • Core Group 1 - for people who get Guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Core Group 2 - for people who get qualifying means-tested benefits or tax credits

The eligibility qualifying date for both groups is 13 August 2023. The Government will write to benefit claimants between October and December 2023.

What do I do if I don't get a letter?

In some cases the Government will write to you to request more information. It's important you give them this information by 28 February 2024 to be considered for the discount. We can only apply the discount once we’ve been told to by the Government.

 

When will I get the discount if I’m eligible?

 

Once we're told by the Government to apply your discount, we'll aim to do this within 30 days unless an exception applies. An exception could be that we weren’t your registered supplier on 13 August 2023. If this happens, we'll tell the Government and ask they give the discount to the correct supplier.

For automatically matched eligible customers

The Department of Work and Pensions should tells us to apply the discount to these customers between October 2023 and December 2023. We'll aim to apply the discount for these customers by the end of December 2023 or within 6 weeks of being told to by the Government.

For customers that need to get in touch with the Government

We should be told what discounts to apply between October 2023 and the end of March 2024.  We'll apply discounts to accounts we're told about before March 2024 or within 6 weeks of being informed.

 

More ways to get financial support

 

If you’re struggling financially or you’re worried about your energy bills, we’re here to support you. There are also other ways we can help.

You can find out about other available payment schemes, as well as where to get advice. Our team can also give you this information when you get in touch and they can make sure you receive any financial help you’re eligible for.

Useful links

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
K
Rank

I don't think my message was read correctly, I already got a letter saying I qualified in October then I received an email from Ovo in December saying that if I top up on 5 separate days using the same shop my warm home discount will automatically go on my meter which it didn't then after complaining the person I spoke to said she would put a complaint on the system but I never heard anything else obviously closed down for holidays then went on the online chat and they said I would have to wait for a cheque to be sent out which for some reason takes 28 working days to write out!!!! But after being told that if I don't pay my bill I'm going to be charged a late fee yet they should send me a late fee for not sending me what they owe me and after going online again to speak to someone she just kept repeating that they have until end of March to pay me, she even rudely cut me off while I was messaging back so staff are not helping at all. I just want my money so I can move to another company as I didn't even want to go to Ovo as I never had problems with SSE 

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

Sorry, @Kris67, this isn’t making much sense. If you normally top up at a shop, then how come you have an unpaid bill? Bills are issued to customers who aren’t on prepayment meters, but it’s prepayment customers that top up. 

Could it be that you used to pay on receipt of bill but switched at some stage to prepayment? If this is the case, then it may well be the cause of the delay if different parts of the OVO system think you’re using different payment methods.

If you talk to the Collections team (0800 069 9831), they may be able to help if you’re relying on the Warm Home Discount to pay off an old bill. 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
K
Rank

I have to top up my electric meter but pay bills for my gas which I used to pay quarterly but since Ovo took over it's been changed to monthly for some reason. I hope this clears this now 

Firedog
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge

That would explain it, thanks. Have you tried talking to Collections?

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA
Emmanuelle_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

Hey @Kris67,

 

Sorry for the issues you’re having,

 

I’ll ask Forum_Support to reach out. Please keep an eye on your private messages. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
K
Rank

Still no joy with getting my warm home discount after being told I would get a cheque by 9th February which I didn't so I rang them and was told that it was put on my meter in January which it hadn't and I had to press the blue button and read the numbers and was told it hadn't gone on so now I know I was never going to get this cheque which I was promised in the first place. So I was given a code which would put the money straight onto my key but told to wait about an hour to make sure it worked or wait the next day so I waited until the next day but guess what???? It came up as an invalid code so I still haven't received it!!! The shop assistant said they've had a few in with these codes and they haven't worked either. While I was on the phone I even asked if they could take the £150 off my gas bill which I owe them but she couldn't get in system to do it but I'm going to be charged £10 late fee if I don't pay my bill so they owe me £10 too if this is the case after waiting from December for my money 

Abby_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 6

Hi @Kris67 

 

I’m really sorry to hear about this situation.

 

Do you have a complaint already raised? If you’ve already got one raised, I think it might be a good idea to have the Support Team escalate that complaint, so they can hopefully get that resolved and either apply it to the gas account or get the cheque sent out.

 

If not, they can certainly get one raised for you. You can find out more here on our complaints procedure.

Location: Electric Avenue
K
Rank

I have finally got some good news my warm home discount code has worked, I ended up trying another shop today just in case it took longer to go on the system before giving them a ring and it worked, soooo happy now, so anyone else who gets a code and it doesn't work try waiting a few days and another shop to make sure. Thankyou to everyone who tried to help. 

Abby_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 6

Hey @Kris67 

 

I’m really glad to hear that’s worked for you now. Thank you for letting us know, hopefully anyone else how may be in the same situation can find that useful too.

 

If you’ve ever got any other questions, always feel free to pop back to the Forum.🙂

Location: Electric Avenue

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings