I've got smart meters, so why did Morrisons Data Services come to read my meters?

OVO engineers are clearly identifiable by their livery and that of their vans, quite apart from any ID they may show on request.
  

If your mother isn’t on OVO’s Priority Services Register (PSR), perhaps she should be! One of the features of the scheme is that she can choose a safe word to be recorded in her account. Anyone claiming to be visiting from or on behalf of OVO should know the safe word and be able to give it when challenged.  

Hey ​@DPea,

From time to time, we send engineers to check the meters and make sure everything is running smoothly. ​@Firedog has shared some great advice about the Priority Services Register that I think you’ll find useful! Also, in addition to our OVO engineers, we work with a fantastic company called Morrison Data Services. If you're curious, you can learn more about them in our article, "What to Expect When We Visit to Read Your Meter."

I hope you find this information helpful!
 

I I don’t think this was a legitimate engineer from OVO. It would make me suspicious & anxious if I had someone knock on my door.
I would check with OVO if this was an actual OVO Representative if you don’t feel comfortable. There are Scammers out there impersonating officials putting on a high vis-vest & a lanyard with who knows what identification to fool you, and then robbing from the house.
Your right to feel uncomfortable & questioning this, as this is, as you’ve said safeguarding issue. 
Maybe inform Confirm if they did or didn’t send an OVO Engineer to the property & request that it put on her account no un-arranged visits. 
Also sign her up as a Priority Customer, as previously mentioned you can select a coded security word, along with other help available in the event of a power cut in your area. 
I hope this hasn’t unsettled your mum, getting older (I’m one) events like this can make you feel really vulnerable and cause alot of anxiety 

I hope your mum feels safe with you there to check it out. 

Why is a person on my door wanting to read my meter all of a sudden when I have had a smart Meter for years with no problem 

Hi ​@Mariabg ,

It’s a bi-annual check that OVO is required to do. Only takes a couple of minutes and then they’re gone!

Always check for ID before allowing entry.

Never had this before. Had a smart meter for years. And no ID shown . I don't need to let them in . My smart meter does all the readings or what's the point of them 

It is important to allow these checks - OVO is required to do them Smart Meter or not as part of verification checks.

Please allow the meter reader access in future if they call again.

Hi ​@Mariabg and a warm welcome to the OVO Forum.

Apologies for any alarm caused by the engineer - they were most likely from Morrisons Data Services.

​@Blastoise186 is correct in what he’s saying - we have meter readers contracted to carry out this work whether customers have smart meters or not. You can find out more here:

Hi, in my absence my son had someone at the door who wanted to take meter readings.
I have a smart meter.
Do meter readings still take place with smart meters?
Also: should I not receive notification of upcoming visits?
I would expect an email detailing over what time period to expect a call and by whom.
How else can you verify that this is legit?

Howdy ​@UprightRealist ,

Even with a Smart Meter, you’ll still get a meter reader visit every so often, on average once a year. They don’t tend to announce their visits but they do always carry ID. OVO uses Morrison Data Services aka M Group Energy for this purpose.

It’s mostly for safety checks, validate readings for data integrity purposes and to verify the meter is working properly. Only usually takes maybe 5 minutes at most and then they’re gone.

The meter itself will send auto-reads on its own - this is just a secondary check.