Underestimated past usage & back billing- maths doesn't add up?
I was forcibly switched to a smart meter by SSE in 2023. I didn’t want to but they entered my home and installed whilst I was away. I have since paid by topping up.
I had an issue with topping up in May 2025 and OVO rep told me I should not be on a smart meter and should be paying monthly. I explained to her that it was done forcibly under SSE and she apologised profusely and switched me back to pay monthly.
I then went to the OVO app to check I could still log in as I needed to be able to monitor my monthly usage and bills. I found I had a credit of £2191.**. It was late so I could not contact OVO to refund the money straight away so decided to call back the next day.
I received an email from OVO the same evening claiming they had underestimated my energy usage. Claimed I would not be billed for any error past 12 months as it was their mistake but I owed £709.91. I thought that’s okay my credit amount should cover that no issues.
Imagine my surprise when I went to call OVO and logged into my app/account to find that my balance was now +£733.** . I spoke to several support agents many of whom were confused about the situation, some to the extent of just hanging up on me. On my bill I see a write off back - billing but it is logged as a minus. When I queried why it is a minus I have been told “The £770.92 write of the debt your account would have been due to underestimation which was no fault of yours so we added the credit to take care of the debit balance” however I did not have a debit balance so I am confused as to where the money has gone.
I started off with +£2191 on 20th May
£709.91 was deducted as money owed from miscalculations
A cheque for £688.90 was generated on 23rd May to me
My balance stands at £94 after a DD payment of £60
To me the above maths just doesn’t add up and no one can explain where the balance has gone.
I’ve included a screenshot of how the write off back-bill is shown as a charge on my latest bill. £770.92 was meant to be written off but appears to have been deducted instead. Would appreciate some input on whether I am being dim and just don’t get the maths or whether my calculations are correct and something has gone wrong..
Luckily I have a screenshot of the initial credit amount of £2191.** which for some reason is no longer being tracked or displayed anywhere in the app but the CX agents acknowledge seeing it on their end!
