Skip to main content
Solved

Final bill doesn’t reflect what the meter says and I am asked to pay?

Hi, I have a question regarding my electricity “final bill” from Ovo after moving out of property. The flat was supplied via prepayment pay as you go meter, a smart meter. I had an OVO app where I could always see the balance on my account and always kept it in credit. The last day of my tenancy I took a photo of the meter and it said it was in credit. I always kept it in credit. I never received any bills from OVO. Upon notifying OVO about wanting to close my account with them, I received a final bill where it says that for the past couple of months I had been in debit, and that I owe money. My question is, does the meter not reflect the true amount of the account? Why wasn’t I notified, why wasn’t my electricity cut off if, as they claim, the amount on my meter went into debt? (Which it hadn’t). It seems to me that they’re trying to squeeze a last payment from me. I have a photo of the final meter reading, where the amount of electricity usage is correct, and it says the meter is in credit. How can they claim I’m in debit then? Thank you for your answers.

10 replies

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Hi @Martynca ,

There may have been a “backscreen” debt on the meter. Try calling 0330 175 9669 and someone can check for you.

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

Hi @Martynca ,

There may have been a “backscreen” debt on the meter. Try calling 0330 175 9669 and someone can check for you.

What doesn’t make sense to me is that the meter (or my Ovo top-up app) never showed DEBT on it, or that I was in negative amount. Is it possible that the meter is incorrect or does it always reflect true amount on the account?

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

It may have had a debt on it that you didn’t see on the front screen - and it definitely wouldn’t show in the app. If you talk to PAYG Support, they can dig deeper and figure this one out for you. If they determine you owe nothing, they can wipe the balance to zero.

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

It may have had a debt on it that you didn’t see on the front screen - and it definitely wouldn’t show in the app. If you talk to PAYG Support, they can dig deeper and figure this one out for you. If they determine you owe nothing, they can wipe the balance to zero.

 One more thing, if the meter did go into debit, how come my electricity supply didn’t get cut off?

M
Rank

What I don’t understand is, my meter showed credit when I was leaving the property. How can I be in debit? Nobody has been able to explain it to me.

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Not all debts will result in Self-Disconnection on PAYG. Those that are set up to be paid off slowly over time will merely sap available credit at the agreed rate while allowing the supply to stay on.

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

Not all debts will result in Self-Disconnection on PAYG. Those that are set up to be paid off slowly over time will merely sap available credit at the agreed rate while allowing the supply to stay on.

Thank you for your answers. And how is it possible that the meter shows in credit upon moving out? While I’m supposedly in debit?

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

The current Meter Balance is the “credit” you see on the front screen. You have to go into the menus to find any active debts - or use the IHD if it’s a Smart Meter.

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

There are various reasons why it might happen.

This is just an example of one of those reasons - I am NOT saying this has happened to you. (But it might have).

It's possible that when there was a change in Ofgem  tariff rates, which happens every 3 months nowadays, that for some reason your particular meter did not update to the new rates.

That shouldn't happen, but occasionally it can happen.

If that should happen then the meter is charging you the wrong money for what you use, which can then lead to a debit if the tariff went up and so it is charging less than it should be (or to a credit if the tariff went down and it's charging you too much).

Normally if that has happened then the next time it changes the meter will be adjusted to take a bit more (or a bit less) to get things back to where they should be.

However if you have left then that can't be done and so you get a final bill (or a final credit).

When I left my last place the PAYG gas meter had been charging wrongly - it had been charging too much for a few months, and so I got a final bill showing £25 credit, and a cheque back from the gas supplier.

Greener energy? The answer my friend is blowin in the wind, the answer is blowin in the wind.
Chris_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 5
Badge

Hey @Martynca,

 

@Blastoise186 is correct in saying that a meter can have active credit and debt at the same time. We see this where customers that are in vulnerable positions ask for help and we can add credit to the meter to support them. This debt is then added to the backend of the meter and the customer can choose how much they pay off. We normally find that customers may choose the minimum payment and will continue to pay that off until completion but they will still top up as normal outside of this. 

 

We don’t have access to accounts to find out what exactly is causing your issues but if you call the number that he suggested above then one of our lovely Support Team can look into this with you. 

 

Keep us updated on what they say after you call 😊

 

 

Renewable energy jokes never get old.

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings