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Rank 1
meccles
Rank 1
October 7, 2022
Solved

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

  • October 7, 2022
  • 645 replies
  • 34621 views

Can anyone explain what’s going on here?

Opening balance was £335, we used around £90 worth of electric/gas combined (£66 government payment was taken off this, hence the £22 charge), I paid £150 so by my reckoning the balance should have gone up by around £125.

It hasn’t though - they seem to have then deducted the £66 again.

Does anyone know why? Do I need to contact them or will it right itself?

Best answer by Blastoise186

Updated on 28/06/23 by Abby_OVO

 

This scheme is now closed.

 

How you will be awarded the £67 depends on how you pay. If you’re seeing a deduction, it’s because you pay by Direct Debit and the grant payment went into your OVO account and is then deducted from the account and refunded to your bank account. 

For all information on this topic please see the website page Energy Bills Support Scheme or this previous response:

 

 

If you pay by direct debit and have seen the credit go to your OVO account, this payment will be transferred into your bank account. 

 

The payment will be made 3-5 working days after the direct debit has cleared. This will happen automatically and you don’t need to do anything. 

 

All customers who pay this way will receive their refund into their bank accounts within 3-5 days of their direct debit date. For example, if your direct debit is the 15th of the month, it’ll be 3-5 days after this. 

 

For anyone that pays on demand, their payment will be made directly to their OVO account. 

 

 

If you pay by Direct Debit

You’ll receive your discount as a refund. This means you’ll carry on paying your full Direct Debit amount. Once the Direct Debit payment has cleared, we’ll refund the monthly discount amount to your bank account shortly after. If you cancel your Direct Debit, or your payment fails, there may be a delay in applying the discount to your account.

You’ll get your discount every month, even if you don’t get monthly statements. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next statement. 

 

If you pay when you get your bill

You’ll receive your monthly discount as a credit to your energy account in the first week of each month. You’ll see this on your monthly bills from October. 

We’ll add the discount to your energy account every month, even if you don’t get monthly bills. You'll see confirmation of the discount on your next bill. 

For example, if you receive your bills on the 15th of the month, we’ll add your discount in the 1st week of the month, starting in October, so you’ll see confirmation of this on your bill dated 15 October.

 

Hey @meccles !

Please check your Charges as well. I suspect you’ll see a line entry there that explains it, just like this example:

 

645 replies

Show previous replies
A
Newcomer
aarondowding
Newcomer
November 2, 2022

Hi guys, 

 

I pay my bill  by direct debit so I assume the refund will get paid back into my bank account? If this is the case how long should I expect it to take? I pay my bill on the 27th of each month

Jeffus
Rank 20
Jeffus
Rank 20
November 2, 2022

Hi guys, 

 

I pay my bill  by direct debit so I assume the refund will get paid back into my bank account? If this is the case how long should I expect it to take? I pay my bill on the 27th of each month

Hi @aarondowding personally i would wait 5 working days after you see the Refund line on your bills. Can you see that yet? 

 

Jeffus
Rank 20
Jeffus
Rank 20
November 2, 2022

@Mark L the government gave suppliers the choice

1. Refund the £66 to customers bank accounts.

2. Take the £66 off customers direct debits.

Suppliers are basically split. About half are taking it off direct debits, and half refunding the money to peoples bank accounts. 

 

Surely there’s no difference between those two, is there? For someone with a DD of £100, putting £66 into his account and then taking £100 out is exactly the same as putting nothing in and taking £34 out. On the other hand, things get complicated for someone whose DD is £50. Who gets to keep the £16? OVO, in the customer’s account, or the customer, in his bank account? 

On balance, I think OVO’s system is the most transparent.

Hi @Firedog ultimately both approaches distribute the money as, you highlight 

For the vulnerable people i know, a reduction in the direct debit would have been better. It would have reduced the risk of them being overdrawn on their bank account for a few days in the period between taking the direct debit and getting the £66. A small benefit in the scale of things. But banking charges can mount up for some. 

I suspect the Energy Bill Support Scheme in its current state will never be repeated. We have donated our £400 to charity, and i would encourage others to do the same if they don't really need it. But obviously that is a personal choice. 

    A
    Newcomer
    aarondowding
    Newcomer
    November 2, 2022

    No not yet! I will wait until I see that then, thank you!

    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    November 2, 2022

    No not yet! I will wait until I see that then, thank you!

    Hi @aarondowding if the Refund line doesn't appear by the end of the week i suggest contacting the OVO Support Team. For a small number of customers we have heard the first payment has had to be pushed through manually if their direct debit was close to the end of the month. 

     

      W
      Newcomer
      Wendy64
      Newcomer
      November 2, 2022

      I never got mine 

      Blastoise186
      Super User
      Blastoise186Super User
      Super User
      November 2, 2022

      Hi @Wendy64 ,

      If your £66 didn’t come through at all, please let the Support Team know. They can force it through if necessary!

      Could you show us what you’re seeing though please?

      Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      W
      Newcomer
      Wendy64
      Newcomer
      November 2, 2022

      I am just wondering as I am running out on electricity and don't get paid till Friday 

      Blastoise186
      Super User
      Blastoise186Super User
      Super User
      November 2, 2022

      In that case, there may be options to get things like Additional Support Credit and you do have your Emergency Credit. Try having a chat with Support. They’ll sort you out.

      If they can force the £66 through, they will.

      Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
      J
      Newcomer
      Jolewin
      Newcomer
      November 2, 2022

      OK, so, for the past 2 months for thise of us that pay by dd, ovo have processed a £66 refund into our accounts. All that is doing is refunding £66 of the £251 I pay each month. There is no credit to my account. So yes, my payment has reduced by 66 each month, but as my usage is the same I'm just being allowed to pay less. Its not actually reducing the bill by 66 which was the point of this scheme. We should get a £66 credit on the account AND then a refund of £66 to benefit.  They are basically just giving us our money back not crediting the 66 pound. Which leaves the accounts worse of each month. 

       

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      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement

      OVO Energy Ltd, Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ, (Company no. 06890795) registered in England and Wales.

      OVO (S) Gas Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 02716495) at Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ.

      OVO (S) Gas Limited is part of OVO Group Ltd