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M
Rank 2
Mallakye
Rank 2
July 11, 2022
Solved

Is my Direct Debit increase accurate?

  • July 11, 2022
  • 59 replies
  • 1270 views

Hello, 

I will copy/paste my sent email here..... (sent 2nd July 2022)

Hello, 

 

I would like to request a review and reduction to calculations for my Direct Debit amount. 

I currently pay £107 per month (I have always chosen to pay a little more than the minimum requested amount) , and I have been informed today that OVO will be changing my monthly payment to £255.

 

Thats a 238% increase. 

 

I would like to request an 'estimation' that accurately reflects my actual usage as I a) live alone and work 6 days a week (ie: reduced usage) and b) an increase to £255 per month is both unattainable and excessive to say the least for a single occupancy, lower usage dwelling. 

 

My current account balance is +£696.05

 

I am on the 2 year fixed energy plan for both Gas and Electricity. 

 

The OVO email estimates that my account will be -£2,959.51 at contract end on 7th Feb 2024 (end of contract). 

 

Regards

 

Leigh Foster 

 

I really would appreciate a response from people as I am really concerned with how I can afford this Increase. 

 

Many thanks 

 

Leigh. 

 

 

 

Best answer by Tim_OVO

Updated on 17/12/24 by Abby_OVO

 

For more information on Direct Debits, check out our handy topics:

 

 

I’ve just caught up on this thread, fantastic support on offer. 

 

@Mallakye thank you for your patience and the level of detail that you provided. Everyone has spent their own time helping and advising each other and now it’s our turn to back this up into some action. 

 

I agree with Jeffus that the Future annual consumption figure for electricity might be wrong. If it is, I think this is the likely cause of the over inflated Direct Debit recommendations.  Mine is 5489 kWh and I live with 4 others. We’ll be looking for and collecting examples of this on the forum and passing it on to the relevant team if we see more than one. 

 

What to do now?

 

  • Please discuss this with our Support team, as they are best placed to raise a ‘case’ to the billing platform teams that can fix any issues with the way this works. We'll be contacting them as well if we see more examples on the forum, but it won’t be linked to your account.
  • I can’t see an answer from you, @Mallakye, to whether you have a smart meter or not. if you do, ask our Support team to make sure the meters are set to send us your readings every half an hour.
  • I would also recommend that you request a Direct Debit review exemption be put in place on your account. This lasts for 3 months and will allow any issues that might be affecting your account to be resolved.

To save you having to explain all of this to our Support team, feel free to link them to my comment. I’ll copy the URL for this below once I’ve posted it. You can then share that URL with our online chat team and sit back whilst they read it and get up to speed. 

 

I hope this helps and that we can take it from here and get this sorted for you. 


Tim

 

URL for this comment is: 

 

59 replies

Show previous replies
M
Rank 2
MallakyeAuthor
Rank 2
July 12, 2022

@Jeffus 

on a PC that setion shows up, but not on the android app for me.

 

 

M
Rank 2
MallakyeAuthor
Rank 2
July 12, 2022

Cancel direct debit and set up a standing order or pay bill when it comes in hope that helps 

That’s not the correct solution and doesn’t help anyone out. By doing that on OVO, you’ll lose the safety of a fixed rate deal and be forced onto Simpler Energy unless you re-instate the Direct Debit.

@Mallakye I do agree that increase seems unusual and I’ve not seen that level before. I’d recommend getting in touch with the Support Team to challenge the increase and ask for it to be reviewed again manually. You can do that here.

Hope this helps! If you still get stuck, feel free to stop by this thread again.

@Blastoise186 Thank you for the link

M
Rank 2
MallakyeAuthor
Rank 2
July 12, 2022

@Blastoise186 

Unfortunately after entering my details in the messgae to support I get this…

 

 

Im not in a position to be on the phone/on hold etc right now.

Jeffus
Rank 20
Jeffus
Rank 20
July 12, 2022

on a PC that setion shows up, but not on the android app for me.

 

Yep the app doesn't show the consumption figure on the plan page unfortunately. There are a few differences in the app and website unfortunately.... 

That looks like a very high estimated electricity usage and a very low estimated gas usage. 

Does your cooker use gas or electric? 

Does your heating/hot water use gas or electric? 

Do you have a old SSE bill? SSE use to provide annual kWh figures on one of the pages. 

    M
    Rank 2
    MallakyeAuthor
    Rank 2
    July 12, 2022

    Yep the app doesn't show the consumption figure on the plan page unfortunately. There are a few differences in the app and website unfortunately.... 

    That looks like a very high estimated electricity usage and a very low estimated gas usage. 

    Does your cooker use gas or electric? 

    Does your heating/hot water use gas or electric? 

    Do you have a old SSE bill? SSE use to provide annual kWh figures on one of the pages. 

     

    I’m afraid I used online billing and the app with SSE, i just tried to access old bills but they are not available it just says I am now with OVO

    My house runs Electric cooker, Gas boiler for heating and hot water, I also use a nest thermometer that is frugal with heating lol

    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    July 12, 2022

    Im afraid I used online billing and the app with SSE, i just tried to access old bills but they are not available it just says I am now with OVO

    My house runs Electric cooker, Gas boiler for heating and hot water, I also use a nest thermometer that is frugal with heating lol

     

    See if you can see your old SSE bills on OVO

    https://account.ovoenergy.com/billing-history

    They should have transferred 2 years worth but we have  seen some examples where this hasn't happened unfortunately.

    If they are not there i would ask SSE or OVO to email you the last 2 years you were at SSE. 

      M
      Rank 2
      MallakyeAuthor
      Rank 2
      July 12, 2022

      @Blastoise186 

      At that billing history page I have nothing before 03 Jan 2022

      Will look into requesting last 2 years bills, Thanks

      M
      Rank 2
      MallakyeAuthor
      Rank 2
      July 12, 2022

      @Blastoise186

      SSE Electricity Annual Usage estimate

      Cant seem to find the gas one so far

      just found the gas one……….

       

       

      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      July 12, 2022

      @Blastoise186

      SSE Electricity Annual Usage estimate

      Cant seem to find the gas one so far

      just found the gas one……….

       

      @Mallakye

      OK so the SSE estimates are very different to the OVO estimates unfortunately. We have seen this before with some other SSE customers. Where did you find the SSE estimates in the end? 

      OVO gas annual estimate 3536

      SSE gas annual estimate 2680

      OVO electricity annual estimate 9495

      SSE electricity annual estimate 2863

      It is the annual OVO estimates that are driving the bills.

      So lets look at your actual usage since joining OVO.

      When does the usage start on the usage page?

      https://account.ovoenergy.com/usage?datePeriod=yearly

       

        M
        Rank 2
        MallakyeAuthor
        Rank 2
        July 12, 2022

        @Blastoise186

        I found them on the SSE account 

        There was a section to “download previous bills”

         

        Electricity (Above)

        Gas (Above)

         

        Usage start Jan 22 (odd entry)

        Show more replies
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        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