£66 government energy bills support scheme deducted from my OVO account balance not added?

Hi @sunderlandlady ,

If there really is a problem, you’ll need to contact the Support Team for help. We’re unable to make changes to your account here.

Could you show us your billing history please? We’ll see if we can figure this out.

You are correct. You have paid £385 into the account and two amounts have been deducted: the charges of £306.55 and the refund of £66, totalling £372.55.
So 385 - 372.55 = 12.45 ie the difference between your opening and closing debts.

Are you happy that the £66 has come into your account in the Charges Detail section ok?

Hi everyone.

I’d be interested to know if anyone else has noticed the glaring mistake (at best, or blatant robbery at worst) or tried to speak to OVO about the £66 energy assistance payments guaranteed by the UK Government?

I noticed that OVO had refunded £66 to my bank.  But then also noticed they charged me £66 on my bill!  This, surely, cancels out the £66 assistance completely, leaving customers no better off or assisted as promised at all.

Has anyone else seen this?  Has anyone raised this with OVO and received any info as to what on earth is going on?

Would be interested to know / hear from anyone else thats seen this, or from OVO to explain themselves.

Thanks,

Matt.

The £66 was actually credited to your bill. If you see a line entry of -£66 Energy Bill Support Scheme, the money was knocked off the bill. Therefore, cancelling out the refund and putting your account back to how it should be.

You may pay it back in if you wish.

Here’s an example

Hi Blastoise, I disagree.  If it credited to my account then my balance at the time would have gone from circa £159 in credit, to circa £225 in credit.

But it was charged, not credited.  so £159 Credit effectively became circa £97 in credit before monthly DD went in.

Yes, £66 was refunded to my bank, but that only makes up what you charged me, it’s never been an actual credit to my balance.

Why dont OVO just; a) refund £66 to bank after DD is paid or b) just credit each account with £66?

What you’ve actually done is resulted in net Zero assistance for everyone.

Also, nowhere on my account is there anything detailing a credit as per the example you’re showing.  Nothing at all.

I don’t work for OVO myself and can’t access your account as I’m just a forum volunteer.

If you cannot find any traces of the credits, please let the Support Team know. They will be able to investigate and force the credits through if it didn’t deliver automatically.

OVO also initially started by refunding you after the DD came through. But people got impatient and started complaining about it taking too long, so OVO’s been working on tweaking it in the background.

It’s ultimately being done this way to provide full transparency about exactly what’s happening. I’ve had two payments through now without issue - but the government wants the money to land in your bank account. That fact, means OVO cannot just credit your account and leave it there.

Hi @aviatormja

Let's see if i can help at all?

What are the start and end dates of your last billing period? 

@aviatormja is there a line on your Charges in Detail section ? Your Total charges are £37.52 which is low compared to your Direct Debit of £110. Have a look at the detail and there should be Energy Bill Support Scheme -£66 which is a negative charge ie a payment into your account. 

Ok, so the -£66 was CHARGED on the bill dated 24th October. 
On 23rd October I was £159 IN CREDIT, the balance at the end of 24th October was £97 in credit, once some usages were also charged.

This to anyone who can add/subtract is a glaring LOSS of £66.

even if it was refunded to my bank, I’ve only broken even and not physically received the promised assistance of £66.

I am showing no detailed credit details anywhere, even if I was, the end result as it stands today, is still the same.

Hi @aviatormja what are the start and end dates of the billing period above? 

As per this screen shot. 

As per this screen shot. 

Thanks @aviatormja

Can you click on See details in the bill for the period 25 Sep 2022 to 24 Oct 2022.

Then post what you see. It may need a couple of screen shots. 

Can only see this:

Can only see this:

 

@aviatormja

That's the current period.

Do the same for

25 Sep 2022 to 24 Oct 2022

I think you might find that you have the credit @aviatormja but as others seem to have found, the credit is paid into your own account, as all suppliers have been instructed, giving you the option to use as you wish. 
It took me a while to follow this through but I can now see how it adds up

Yes there is a credit in my bank, mentioned that earlier. But as this ‘refund’ has been directly cancelled out by charging it back to me as my screen shots, pleas explain where the benefit is?! 
As I say, it’s zero’s out and the proposed credit doesn’t actually exist.

@Jeffus see below. Still nothing. Am yet to be convinced that any credit has actually ever been made to my account.  Appreciate your time though.

Ah wait, yes can see it now…….

It may have been paid into your account in the billing period 25sept to 24oct. Have a look in details for then…🥳🥳👏🏻👏🏻

@Jeffus can see it now, and thank you for the pointers.

it only begs the question why, if this is being done, do OVO go to all the trouble and confusion of even doing the bank refund and debit arrangement afterwards?

Just leaving as shown in the workings is good enough, surely?!

thanks again for your time, it’s finally put my mind at rest.

I was equally confused about my £66 not helped by the fact that I immediately paid it back into my OVO account! But you'll find they have reduced your bill by £66 and made the whole thing unbelievably confusing. Other companies I have heard about so far   do reduce the DD by £66 which helps.

Glad we have been able to help 

I have to say, I'm not impressed with Ovo. I never had all this confusion with SSE. The Bill's were simple and it was always easy to speak to someone.