Meter saying 'Call Help'- Off supply on a Sunday

meter was working fine prior to putting in new key, it beeped when inserted , then message appeared at bottom,  can still press button A and B to watch credit running out and to see meter reading

In that case… It’s most likely a matter of a damaged card slot. At least, that’s the best diagnosis I can think of...

thanks for reply, will now have to wait and call them in morning to report  a no show engineer

You are entitled to £30 for each missed appointment and another £30 if ovo don't pay within 10 working days.

So ask for compensation if you are not automatically offered when you speak to ovo

Hi @weedug 

Really sorry to hear about this.

Have you spoken with the Support Team this morning to re-schedule this?

Also some good advice from Jeffus;

Let us know how you get on today.

Hello,

When trying to add a credit top-up to our PAYG “heritage” meter on Saturday it took a long time to register the top-up, then did not recognise the credit on the card and we received a flashing display of “Call Help”. 

Our meter was still in credit at the time so it was not a credit issue.

Tried a couple more time in case it was due to a ‘dusty chip’ as has happened when in PO topping on occasion but still meter read “Call Help”.

We actually did “Call Help” firstly calling Ovo Customer service to hear an automated messaging saying they were closed – it was 4.30pm.

Then tried the Ovo option for ‘No Supply’ gave contact number 0800 111 999 – this sent us through to the National Gas Emergency Line (NGEL) whose contact number is 0800 111 999.

The advisor at NGEL calmly explained that Ovo were incorrect to give this number as they deal with power outages only not meter “Call Help” messages.

NGEL also stated that Ovo (& other suppliers) are using this number without permission when their own lines are closed and it’s an issue that management are aware of and trying to eradicate.

At NGEL the very sympathetic male adviser I spoke to then gave us another contact number which actually got us through to someone claiming to be an Ovo advisor (*in a non-UK contact centre) but she was so unhelpful, rude and obstructive, repeatedly refusing to pass us to a different advisor or a Manger, which we requested 6 times, the time just ran out and it was nearly 5pm (they allegedly close the lines at 5pm).

Finally, after she realised she was being listened to by several people not just one lone customer she put us through to a (alleged) manager who was (if even possible) even more obstructive and unhelpful stating that they use “3rd party engineers not Ovo engineers and they will not be sending and engineer out to us as they have all gone home now”.

Our house is on the Priority Register due to illness & disability but it made no difference.

To cut a very long story and multiple (bad customer service) conversations short, we have been without a Gas supply for 3 days now.

No heating, no hot water - we are still in winter months and the temperature has been very low down to 1°C today and over the weekend.

We verbally raised it as formal complaint but that has not been acknowledged.

We have seen that other customers have has similar issues but the last forum post about this seems to be around 1 year ago.

Therefore, our query is as follows:

1. Can anyone on this forum please clarify actually what causes this “Call Help”? Is it a dangerous issue?

2. Our meter was still in credit so it was not a credit issue.

3. Has anyone else recently had a similar problem, and more so, is there any way to bypass the singular process put in place to deal this?

4. Ovo seem to be very bad at communication and quite the worst supplier we have been with in over 30 years – is this due to the call centre set-up and poor threshold of understanding?

5. Is there a dedicated department for chronically ill, vulnerable customers that will be easier to deal with and actually get this issue rectified?

6. We are now going to change supplier as this is yet another issue we have had to deal with from Ovo – SSE were much better before the change-over.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
 

Hey ​@StillWaitingForGoodService,

I’m sorry to read about the issues that you’ve had with topping up your meter. 

The "call help" message on your meter can be caused by a number of reasons, including a fault or damage that requires service or replacement. While I can't provide a specific reason here, you can arrange for an engineer to visit and diagnose the issue. I've included some helpful articles below for you to read:

• Meter saying 'Call Help'- Off supply on a Sunday

• Faulty smart or traditional meters: Blank display, inaccurate, broken, noisy meters - DIY tutorial series Tutorial

• Help, I think my traditional meter's faulty: Your guide to what could go wrong with your meter and how to get it fixed! Tutorial

 We have a post that details our emergency process and PAYG outages. If you find yourself off supply which is in the green banner on every post or you’ll find it here:

• Emergency contact info and our planned PAYG outages coming up - (Mar 2025) F.A.Q.

We also have a dedicated team that supports vulnerable customers on the Priority Services Register.  Additional information on this free support service is available at the links provided.

I hope this helps 🙂

Hello Chris,

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

We will check out the information you have provided.

Kind regards,