My switch away was rejected as I have a 'profile class 0' (commercial) supply - how do I get database updated?

Sounds to me as if a bunch of those other suppliers are still going off of the old rules, despite the changes that were made. There’s no way for you to access ECOES because you need a login for that and self registration is basically disabled. In actual fact, the homepage for it is also extremely basic with little more than said login page and a couple of links.

I did read a report somewhere that a small group of domestic customers have been moved to half-hourly settlement since 2019, but unfortunately I forgot where I found it and haven’t been able to find it since.

However, Ofgem seems to support the idea of using it more often:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/electricity-settlement-reform

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/electricity-retail-market-wide-half-hourly-settlement-decision-and-full-business-case

It’s also worth bearing in mind that OVO has so far never offered services to non-domestic i.e. business customers, so under the old rules a profile class 00 would automatically block a switch to OVO by default on the basis of it being a non-domestic supply. My understanding is that you need to have a supply license that covers the right type of supplies in order to service them, but don’t count on that because I haven’t ever had the time to read absolutely everything in the license documentation.

To me, this suggests that profile class 00 is no longer restricted to non-domestic supplies, as OVO otherwise wouldn’t set any active accounts up this way. If it really is the case that OVO is correct, then the most likely explanation is that everyone who claims otherwise probably hasn’t caught up yet.

Hope @Blastoise186’s information helped explain the recent changes to how profile classes work, @MrPuds .

As offered previously we’d be happy to check your account to make sure the request to update your profile class has been raised correctly. Please respond to the private message from our Forum Support profile and we’ll take a look.

Ok, it is time for an update. 

First of all, I am pretty convinced that OVO are wrong here. The internal OVO system has me as a profile class 1, but they put me down as profile class 0 on the national database. And it is my understanding that elective half-hourly settlement has nothing to do with my profile class. As I said, if you have evidence otherwise, please point to it. 

Secondly, I filed both a customer service request and a complaint about this. The first one was given a resolution time frame fo 45 working days, which is over 2 months. Wow! 

Today, I asked for an update. The first agent said this was resolved, which was not true. After talking to 5 service agents, I eventually found somebody who could look into it. They said my complaint had been logged with normal priority, so it would “always go to the back of the queue”. They have now set it to high priority, so somebody should actually look into it within the next few weeks. 

I can only assume that customer service at OVO is currently completely overwhelmed with the acquisition of SSE. But to call this experience shambolic is an understatement, unfortunately. It has just been a comedy of errors.  

I’m so sorry for the confusion, @MrPuds.

As we explained when you first raised this issue, the usual timeframe to update a profile class on the national database is around 2 - 4 weeks so it sounds like the agent you originally spoke to may have misadvised. As offered at that time I’d like to check your account and get this corrected if needed. We’ve requested some account details via a private message here so will follow this up with you directly.

Once again I’m so sorry for any inconvenience and will do my best to get this sorted for you as soon as possible.

Hi. Not that i want to, but in case the new v2g offer isnt viable, i need mine resolving also. The question is, who is right. Ovo or others, happy tp take my fight anywhere, just need to get tge details spot on 1st. @Blastoise186 help!

Sorry John, no can do in this instance.

My ability to pull data out of ECOES and Xoserve or make changes to those records is locked down to only supplies that I have direct control over, or those which I am associated with. I’m unable to request changes to your records on your behalf.

Sorry about that.

@Blastoise186 this wasnt a request for you to change but can you help me find the answer to the key question:

Is OVOS use of profile class technically correct while other suppliers are wrong, or, are OVO incorrect and other suppliers correct. 

I.e. where is this officially documented (happy to read through a doc to find it) but who governs this, is this an ofgem thing?

Oohh, Ok. That is something I can at least try to do.

Leave it with me...

Well, I’ve got something to whet your appetite at least: https://www.elexon.co.uk/knowledgebase/profile-classes/

https://www.elexon.co.uk/knowledgebase/what-is-a-load-profile/

There is no reference to a class 0

But otherwise, pretty much all public sources are outdated.

Sorry!