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Switched supplier: Economy 7 smart meter not sending reads and IHD needs re-configuring?

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J
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Hey guys… Just a reminder. Please DO NOT post employee email addresses to this forum. The moderators don’t like that and I’ve had to report your post.

The emails quoted here are freely available on OVOs own web pages and are searchable within the public domain, I don’t feel that I’m doing anything wrong but collating such information. 

However - should the original post be deemed inappropriate and removed, I will gladly supply information directly, should anyone care to request them  

if OVO customer services were to deal with issue as they were reported rather than hoping the issue will ‘go away’, then there wouldn’t be a need for that type of information to be posted anyway!

 

 

Blastoise186
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I should warn you that doing so can get you banned from the forum. Whether that stuff is public elsewhere or not doesn’t mean it’s allowed here. I don’t make the rules unfortunately. If you have a query about it please contact forum@ovoenergy.com .

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
J
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@MikeMilf - just got home and checked the meter. No change!  Nothing has actually been done despite the responses to say otherwise. 
 

I’ll have to have chase again but I have a feeling I’m going to end up at the Ombudsman again at this rate. You can go from when you initially raised the issue for the 6 weeks, as long as you can show that you’ve been chasing it at least every 14 days - or at least, I was able to with the last one (which was also a metering issue) but in either case, it doesn’t look like it will be resolved before we’re likely to need to start using the heating again  

*edited by moderator*

Will update after I’ve had chance to chase further - probably tomorrow afternoon  

 


 

 

M
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Well I was having a most excellent morning dealing with Ovo (and I think on balance I still am)……

Rang CS and got connected to brilliant guy in Swansea who absolutely couldnt have been more helpful. I would mention him by name, but he specifocally asked me not to for some reason.

Anyway, he very swiftly found my support ticket re the revered tariffis and could not believe it had not been answered, given the solutions was apparently so simple.

He asked me to hold for 10 minutes then got me to check my IHD which miraculously was now showing things the right way round. Apparently within 48 hours my online account should also update

Apparently when migrating one particular batch of customers, SSE reported the handover figures to Ovo the wrong way round, which made the Ovo systems throw a wobbler (including my online account not being updated with readings they were definitely getting

My trust in electricity companies was at an all time low following my experience with SSE, but this guy really went above and beyond. I really wish I could give some direct feedback to his boss/manager

HOWEVER….. (lol)

Having just checked my IHD 10 mins ago, I saw I was on the correct current tariff, but the next scheduled change was not until 1am! On Economy 10 there should be two tariff changed before then. So back on the phone again, connected to another nice guy who said he had sent a configuration file to my meter/IHD and to give it 24 hours then re-check.

I so hope this will be the end of things (much as Im grateful to the knowledgeable people on these forums). Its ironic that nine weeks of aggravation could have been caused by SSE being unable to fill out a form the right way round!

 

Will report back when this is hopefully sorted. Jessica, maybe you can use the information I gathered today to assist you if your issues are still persisting.

Mike

 

J
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Userlevel 2

@MikeMilf - glad you’ve got somewhere. The latest on mine is that they want 10 days to ‘look into it’ - I’m off work On Friday so will change with my ‘complaint handler’ then. 

M
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Well sending a config file remotely didnt do anthing. Currently IHD shows following times/rates

1am to 8am  Off-Peak

8am to 1am  Peak

Dont know what tariff that is but it isnt Economy 10

 

Back on the phone we go…..sigh

 

 

Blastoise186
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That sounds like Economy 7 to me

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
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Well being happy with Ovo didnt last long…..Im now beyond peed off

Conversation with guy went like this

CS - Doesnt look like we are in contact with your meter

Me - Erm nonsense...meter readings have been appearing on website since I came from SSE. Guy yesterday managed to rectify my inverted tariff times while I waited, so you must be in contact

CS - We have to follow procedures

Me - I logged a support issue for tariff problems at beginning of August and nothing was done. Your guy yesterday couldnt have been more apologetic

CS - Cant comment on that we have to follow procedures.

CS- I am going to send you an email with some questions - please answer to the best of your ability and attach the photos requested

 

I then received the most generic email possible that they must send when they arent in contact with the meter. (Where is it located, supply pic of location, supply current meter readings and serial number etc)

…...and to make my blood boil “please allow up to 45 working days for a response”

I have already waited nine weeks for nothing to be done with my original ticket, and it was only direct intervention from the apologetic guy yesterday that appeared to get things moving.

How can you get such good help one day, only to feel you are back at square one the next?

I was in such a good mood yesterday I was going to let sleeping dogs lie. Now I want to be compensated for the stress and sheer wasting of my time since I came from SSE. I dont care that SSE may have sent readings the wrong way round - not my effing problem!

 

God Im angry!

 

 

Firedog
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Uh oh. Support agents are perhaps not all equal, and some are more equal than others.

Check your Plan page to see just what tariff they’ve put you on. Then have a look at the available plans for your situation (postcode, then filter for payment method and multi-rate meter). Can you spot the one you’re on? Availability varies a lot around the country, and even then it’s not certain you’ll find your precise flavour, because you will have been grandfathered from SSE, I think. Remember that the IHD will show the rate(s) inclusive of VAT, while the Plans page shows them ex VAT. 

The switching times you quoted are indeed the ones for Economy 7, so your E10 seems to have been misplaced. 

More work needed, sadly. If I were you, I’d write all the details of my current situation down in a text file, then point out how they don’t match my expectations (wrong switching times, wrong peak/offpeak rates). I would then start a webchat, e.g. here, and once I’d made contact with an agent, paste the text into the chat and ask for it to be forwarded to the metering team. Include both the MPAN and the MSN so they can find your meter easily. The MSN is the one on the meter starting with 21M…
 

[No consolation, I know, but I had an identical meter installed last week. The problem I faced was that the offpeak circuit supplying my storage heaters wasn’t switching on. It took a day to get that fixed. I thought for a few days that the offpeak register wasn’t clocking anything, but it turns out that the meter only displays whole kWh - so it showed 0 for the first few days.]

 

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
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Userlevel 4

As always Firedog thank you for the reply.

I dont regret coming from SSE as the community is infinitely better, but my god this is getting frustrating

From day 1 the time/tariff changes were matching with Economy 10, its just all was reversed (as ive bored you good people with). My web account plan has always shown Economy 10 and the time changes matched to my IHD (just not the tariff)

The wonderful guy from Swansea, who genuinely gave off the vibe of actually giving a toss, seemed to have solved the issue. It was only a little later that I noticed there werent enough rate changes happening during the day for it to be E10, so looking at the time of the single rate change its E7

Ovo are gradually wearing me down - life is too short for this cr*p. At the momentr I appear to have E7 timing changes matched to E10 £ rates on the website. So I guess I can at least have my storage heaters on when it gets cold without paying peak rate £

Ive returned their stupid generic email, and attached the two pointless pictures they asked for. If they continue to say they are not in contact with my meter I shall scream. Usage readings continue to appear on the website, and since the helpful guy intervened, I actually have the usage bar charts starting to appear.

 

…..progress i guess lol

M
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Userlevel 4

Well thanks to the ‘benefits’ of insomnia, Im able to see that with my off-peak circuit switched on, Im now being charged 77p for each hour its active rather than the £1.11 previously. Also the IHD light is back to glowing amber rather than red (which alerted me to the inverted tariffs initially)

All worth mentioning to Ovo in case I have to start a multi-million £££ complaint lol.

M
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Userlevel 4

Hmmm I seem to have had a message ‘censored’

I posted my comments in response to an utterly stupid follow up email I received, basically telling me everything was working perfectly with my meter...this was after they “deeply investigated” my account

Well my tariff is still wrong so its not perfect.

In my original post I didnt swear, didnt name names but was scathing about the customer service I had received since I came over from SSE

Is that not allowed now?

 

 

 

Blastoise186
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There are many ways to trigger the AutoMod here…

The things you refer to are not the only ways...

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
M
Rank
Userlevel 4

Well thats okay then….jeez

I am utterly sick of this, so I am thinking of just switching to E7 seeing as that is what my meter appears set to

My mother is on E7 so I can see the rates she is on are cheaper than mine. However is that down to the difference between E10 and E7, or are there  differences between localities? She is in High Wycombe, I am in West London

Would appreciate any feedback

Firedog
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You’re both in the Southern England DNO region, in some places indicated by ‘20’ (e.g. the first two digits in the bottom line of your MPAN) and in others by ‘H’ just to maximize confusion. There will thus be no regional difference in rates, and any difference you do see will arise from other causes.

You would expect E10 rates to look different from E7 ones, simply because on E10 there are only 14 hours at full peak rate, compared with 17 for E7. The supplier has to compensate for that by charging a bit more all round, although the outcome for the average household would work out the same - that’s what the price cap dictates.

You are in effect paying more for the comfort of being able to top up your storage heaters cheaply in the afternoon, giving a bit more oomph for later on when the heat demand is highest. My E7 heaters have run out of steam by about 4 PM if they’re on all day, leading to a chilly evening in front of the telly.

 

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
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Userlevel 4

Thank you….I will give them a call tomorrow and see if i can them to quote the E7 rates so I can make a decisiony

Rates Im seeing on our respective web accounts are:

Mum   29.82 / 18.71 / 47.32 SC

Me        30.34 / 22.6 / 53.36 SC

 

E7 does seem cheaper across the board, but as you say, if you factor in the number of hours you get at each rate, the difference is marginal.  Standing charge appears £22 per annum cheaper

God knows why things like this niggle me so much…..I just hate things being incorrect

 

Firedog
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Are you sure about those rates? Both sets including VAT? Both paying by Direct Debit? I’m looking particularly at the standing charge, which is dictated by Ofgem. For your region, it should be 52.19p inc. VAT, but OVO have chosen not to apply the 1 October increase. Yours should thus be 49.98p, I think. It may be more for E7 and E10 (they cost more to manage).

The Plans page is down at the moment (probably a bit of housekeeping going on at this time on a Sunday night), so I couldn’t check your figures against the available tariffs. If you’re up for a bit more jiggery pokery, you should be able to find the rates available to you on one of the pages round the back of the website: 
smartpaymapi.ovoenergy.com/orex/api/available-plans/1234567

(Remember to sign in to your account first, then access that page having put your own account number at the end of the URL instead of 1234567.)
  

[I once had a long webchat with OVO support about tariffs. We couldn’t agree about anything at all, and I was eventually able to establish that the agent was reading from not the previous quarter’s, but the one before that’s tariff tables.]

 

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
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Userlevel 4

Morning Firedog

Sorry mate probably should have been more precise - the rates I quoted are ex-VAT, both lifted from the Plan pages of our respective website accounts

Dont currently pay by DD due to previous experience with both SSE and Ovo. May reinstate when current issue is sorted out,

Have gotten into the tariff section via the link you provided. Will report back once Ive found the E10 amd E7 rates that applly. That web page doesnt exactly have the relevant info leap out at you lol

 

Thanks again my friend

 

M
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Userlevel 4

LOL found the info needed on that web page - my god not something you want to read through at insomnia o’clock!

Found the section for Simpler Energy E10 / On demand and the rates do match what I quoted in my post and to my IHD (albeit with 5% VAT added)

There is a difference of £75.67 in the estimated annual cost between DD and on-demand. This is a price I am currently willing to pay in order to stop Ovo jacking up my DD to absurd levels as they did with my mother….(long story). Will revisit once I feel I can trust them

Looked very carefully down the list, and whilst there are some other tariffs listed, there is no mention of Simpler Energy / E7, so cant make a direct comparison.

To summarise then, I am currently paying correct E10 tariff, but using E7 timing changes. (Only 2 changes at 8am and 1am). Its a first world issue I know, but that means Im paying marginally more than I should for the potential to have slightly chilly evenings in the future lol. Sound right to you?

With all thats going on in the world, I feel churlish even wanting to query it, but as Ive said before, things that arent right niggle me. I feel that it may be easier for CS to just change me to E7 rather than the technical team change my meter timings. Please feel free to say if you think im wrong!

Thanks again

M
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Userlevel 4

Very last early-morning word on this today (promise)

When comparing the two “Renew Plan” pages on respective web accounts, mum gets offered a one year fixed alternative, whereas I got offered only what Im on.

Not really fussed but just wondered why?

Firedog
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… mum gets offered a one year fixed alternative, whereas I got offered only what Im on.   Not really fussed but just wondered why?
 

It’s probably the payment method at work again. Good boys who pay by DD get treats. Urchins paying On demand only get bread and scrape.

 

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
Userlevel 4

Sorry nope….she pays on demand as well after being treated appallingly by Ovo about a year ago

She is a pensioner living in a (very pleasant) sheltered housing maisonette

At the time she was £900+ in credit and they wanted to increase her DD to £210pm due to a wholy ridiculous usage forecast. They refused to reconsider over the phone, so sent a rec delivery letter and allowed 30 days for a response.

Got nothing, not even an acknowledgement so cancelled DD. Over the next year not a single bill was over £110 and as of this summer was down to £90 odd. She sets aside each month £100 currently and has only in the last three months actually had to pay them anything.

Even if I advised her to, theres no way she would allow them a DD….the trust is totally gone

Firedog
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Plans is back up, and this is what I found for a bogus postcode in Southern region:

 

Your plan

  
 

Mum’s plan

  
So you’re being charged E10 rates without getting the extra cheaper three hours. As you say, it’s not right, and I would press for getting the meter switching times re-configured. You might have to submit a complaint to get them to spark, because the complaint handler should pass it straight on to the metering people for them to fix. Email to complaints@ovoenergy.com from the account email address, head it COMPLAINT and include as much detail as they need to identify both you and your meter (name, address, postcode, date of birth, account number, MPAN and MSN). Tell them you’re paying E10 prices for E7 service when you expect to get E10 service.

Best of British!

 

 

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
Userlevel 4

Thanks for that and for confirming the current state of play

Just one thing - theres no mention of “Warmer Homes Plan” on mums Plan page just Simple Energy E7

Dont suppose theres any difference the prices appear the same

Im going to give them until end of week to sensibly answer the email reply i sent back last week, then I will indeed be heading down the complaint path. Ive told myself not to stress about this now….the differences are there but small, and nowhere near as bad as when tariffs were inverted

Once again thanks for responding

 

M
Rank
Userlevel 4

I absolutely give up with this level of incompetence:

In response to my third email to customer care, they have replied:

“We have checked your meter and it is submitting readings half-hourly as it should”...and

“Your account is currently £*** in credit

 

Yet again (3rd time) they have completely failed to make any comment re the E10 tariff being charged for E7 timings

Do I really have to expend more time with a formal complaint?

 

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