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Best answer by Tim_OVO

Updated on 07/09/23 by Abby_OVO

Hi @Simon Tate, my advice for someone who has medical equipment requiring 24/7 electricity supply is to consider a move away from prepayment energy. It’s not suitable to risk going off supply due to not being able to top up. Boost Power will be able to discuss with you the required steps that would allow a change to OVO Energy, speak to the team about this here.

 

Contact details for complaints are here

 

We can’t offer specific advice here as Boost Power is OVO’s sister company and have their own customer service team. Hope you find the right option for you. 

69 replies

Emmanuelle_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
February 27, 2024

I’m really sorry for the experience you’ve had @Big Kev, it sounds very stressful. 

 

Unfortunately, as the other Community Members have advised, you’ll need to contact Boost directly about this issue. Their website outlines the full complaint procedure here

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Buzby
Rank 6
Rank 6
March 17, 2024

I had a problem which included both BOOST and OVO. 

This situation became apparent when my power was cut off unexpectedly on a Saturday morning last December. In the flurry of calls to get the power restored it became clear that I had an OVO account I did not know about, and the payments to BOOST were going nowhere.

This is when my problems really started. I had days of ‘chats’, and a few emails, to both companies, but no results.

All communications with BOOST ended with them telling me I needed to talk to OVO.

All communications with OVO ended with them telling me I needed to talk to BOOST.

I was getting nowhere.

The solution to this problem came when I sent an email to someone who could actually do something about this ‘dual company’ problem, Stephen Fitzpatrick.

Immediatley my £400 was moved from BOOST to OVO, and I got a £60 goodwill credit as well.

RESULT !.💎

( Well, nearly. BOOST are still taking £80 a month, but this time I know who to talk to. )

So a big thankyou to Stephen ( although I suspect he never saw my email ),*edited by moderator*

I burn gas, petrol, and diesel. I am 100% Carbon Neutral ( Well, I will be, when I can buy some carbon offsets.. )
Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Community Manager
March 18, 2024

Hi @Buzby 

 

I’m sorry you had such a lengthy and difficult experience with this, but I’m glad you were able to get things sorted out there in the end.

 

I did have to remove agent names from the post so that it fits with our house rules, but I’d be happy to pass along the feedback to those you had mentioned.🙂 

Currently Playing: She's Electric
Buzby
Rank 6
Rank 6
March 18, 2024

@Abby_OVO 

Hi Abby,

Yes it was a fairly good result, but I think I only got a response because somebody higher was included in the email. All previous agent level comms were useless, each side telling me they couldn’t help.

I said it was a fairly good result, I got a refund, but BOOST are still taking my money !.

Today I phoned OVO, and spoke to an agent, I’ll call her ELL. ELL was very, very, helpfull, far more than any other agent I’ve dealt with so far.

!!!! ELL could see both my OVO and BOOST accounts !!!!

This was a breakthrough. No one before has ever been able, or admitted to being able, to view both systems.

Although ELL could see my BOOST account, ELL could not make changes to it, which is fair enough, I can accept that.

So ELL transferred my phone call to BOOST, and it all went downhill from there. I didn’t get the agent’s name, I’ll call him USLSS.

USLSS said he couldn’t see any payments to my BOOST account because there was no DD associated with it.

Argh !!!. How many times do I have to tell them !.

There never was a DD for the BOOST account, it was a CPA from a debit card.

All the details, card type and number, payee reference, etc. were provided in the email I sent on 13 Dec, the one that resulted in the £400 refund, so somebody must have read it.

I told USLSS the payments were shown leaving my bank account, he wanted screenshots.

So I asked USLSS, the agent from BOOST, what email address to send them to. Guess what address that was ?

It was hello@ovoenergy.com

I didn’t send screenshots, I sent a list of payment dates, and asked them to look at my email sent 13 Dec again.

 

OVO sent me a Red Letter in February. They can whistle for it !.

I’m not paying a penny till they stop taking my £80 pm and squirreling it away somewhere !

All my frustration is not helped by the fact that I’ve never been able to create an online account. It’s all well and good saying ‘phone this number’, but it’s so slow. ( Unless of course, you’re one of those ‘special people’ who can get through in 30 seconds, direct to a dedicated Account Manager )

One of my reasons for switching from BOOST to OVO was the fact that BOOST did not have an online account, but OVO did.

If I don’t have an online account by the time this payment stuff is sorted, I will jump ship.

I burn gas, petrol, and diesel. I am 100% Carbon Neutral ( Well, I will be, when I can buy some carbon offsets.. )
Buzby
Rank 6
Rank 6
March 20, 2024

I think I may have solved part of this problem myself !

When I was with BOOST they had an app for my phone. I downloaded it, tried it, and never used it again, it was seriously crap.

Today I tried it just to see if it might give me a clue.

The home screen said I had a debit of £2.14 as of 13 Dec 2023. That’s weird, as I got a final closing balance payment from BOOST on 9 Aug 2023.

Undeterred, I proceeded to find a way to pay this ‘debt’, and it then showed me the scheduled payment currently active, i.e. the £80 pm they have been taking since the account was closed in July.

This page had no buttons on it, other than an ‘Add New Schedule’ button. There was a green block with the word ‘Active’ written vertically at the side of the screen.

This green block did not look like a button, but I pressed it anyway.

It was a button !. 

I could now see the details, including my card number and the amount. Even better, it had a ‘Cancel Schedule’ button.

I pressed ‘Cancel Schedule’, and, after a confirmation screen, the schedule was marked as ‘Cancelled’.

The app is still crap, but hopefully it will have stopped the £80 payments.

 

Now I just need to wait for the refund of the latest set of £80 payments, although I wouldn’t be surprised to get a Red Letter for £2.14 first.

 

Another result ! 💎 ( Maybe )

 

I burn gas, petrol, and diesel. I am 100% Carbon Neutral ( Well, I will be, when I can buy some carbon offsets.. )
Shads_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
March 21, 2024

Hi @Buzby,

 

I’m glad to hear that your issues have now been resolved.

 

Please reach out if you have any further issues and we’ll get forum support to look into it for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Buzby
Rank 6
Rank 6
March 21, 2024

I’m glad to hear that your issues have now been resolved.

Please reach out if you have any further issues and we’ll get forum support to look into it for you.

I’m not counting my chickens yet …

Let’s see what my next statement, and card bill, show.

I can’t be sure the problem is fixed. I’ve been told before it was fixed, but it wasn’t.

 

Forum Support did ask for my account details over a week ago, but that I think was about online account access. I’ve not had a reply yet.

I burn gas, petrol, and diesel. I am 100% Carbon Neutral ( Well, I will be, when I can buy some carbon offsets.. )
Newcomer
April 23, 2024

im using the boost app and since april 2024 i cannot top up the electricity more than £15 per time.if i try to top up more it is declined.the boost web chat told me the electricity providor has capped the payments .

“Thank you Trevor, the meter was capped to a limited amount of top ups, usually the council needs to have it uncapped however please do contact any of these numbers for assistance to have the meters uncapped, 0800 328 1111 or 0800 6783 105.”

this is the first i have ever heard of this.

ps my bank say they are not declining payments.

Chris_OVO
Community Manager
Community Manager
April 23, 2024

Hey @golfinblack

 

I will say this is the first time I have ever heard of this. Unless there is something we can’t see without access to your account the official guidance from Boost is “If you’re topping up at a PayPoint, you can buy any amount from £5 to £49, and if you’re topping up through the app, online, by text, by phone or by auto top-up, it’s £5 to £99”.

 

The numbers they provided are for the Distribution Network Operator who supply the energy to your home. You can find more information about them below. I would suggest calling the 0800 6783 105 number as this is the general enquiries line and asking them directly. 

 

Keep us updated with any new findings you have.

Renewable energy jokes never get old.