Debt repayment whilst running on emergency credit?

Hey ​@mquinn 

Welcome to the Forum, I’m glad to see one of our volunteers has already stopped by with some helpful advice on this for you. 

We’ve got a handy article which may also be of use to you. 

Let us know if there’s anything else we can help with.

can anyone explain why I have had debt repayment and standing charge come off my smart meter whilst running on emergency credit

Hi ​@mquinn ,

That’s not strictly possible. Are you sure that actually happened?

yes, I have watched it come off every time when on emergency credit 

Hmm… I’ll ask someone about that.

This may take a little time.

Hi ​@mquinn 

Could I ask, when you say “ I have watched it come off every time when on emergency credit “ could you explain/describe that a bit more?

Where are you seeing it, on a In-Home-Device or on the meter itself? (or somewhere else such as the app?)

When are you seeing it happen, when you top-up again or at some other time?

What is the meter/IHD/other saying that makes you believe that it is takng a standing charge each day, and any debt recovery charge would presumably be taken either weekly or each time that you top up?

And just to be sure- we are talking about “Emergency Credit” where the money on the meter has run out, and not talking about “Free Vend” which can happen following a power cut or with a gas meter can happen for other reasons?

Hey ​@mquinn 

Sorry to hear about this.

Nukecad has asked some really good questions that would help us understand what you’re seeing better.

If you could even share a photograph, if it is the IHD you’re looking at, it would be very helpful.

I have viewed both meters , gas and electric and viewed the in house display just before midnight and then viewed again after midnight and all meters and displays show the same amounts.  They all reduce buy daily standing charge and by an extra 0.75p each as debt repayments.  

This happens even when running on emergency credit. 

For example, the electric will show as £12.00  emergency credit remaining just before midnight and then it will reduce to approximately £10.84 just after midnight. 

This is the combined amount of the daily standing charge and the 0.75 p debt repayment,  both being taken whilst running on emergency credit. 

Both the actual meter and the in house display show exactly the same amount all the time.

But now OVO have said that they cant see this happening and have to monitor the situation for 48 hours and then after that they might have to organise an engineer appointment.  All the while my meters are running out and charges are coming off when they should be paused.

The above photos show just before midnight and then after midnight when daily standing charge and debt repayments have come off whilst running on emergency credit.  The outside meter shows the same readings.

This is what happens and OVO are saying that they cant see it. The transcript of a conversation they sent me states that this would not happen but clearly has. Therefore they have voided any contract between them an I by doing this, intentionally or otherwise. 

Yet I am still watching it happen 

All because I was struggling and they gave me a friendly amount, or whatever it is called and then stated that debit repayments would not come from said amount but only from actual in positive credit and definitely not standing charges during emergency credit running. 

That these would be paused,  yes I would pay them but they would be paused whilst running on the above. 

If memory serves, debt repayments and Standing Charges are NOT suspended when you’re using Additional Support Credit/Discretionary Credit. Given that it gets considered “Normal” Credit rather than Emergency Credit, a Meter may sap it for repayments as it would a regular top-up, depending on how it has been configured. This would not be a breach of contract - technically that money isn’t yours anyway and you’re just borrowing it for a while.

I actually spent over 2 hours earlier on the OVO message chat with them only to have the conversation ended without any real outcome. When asked by the lady if she could do anything else for me, I said that I was still waiting for my actual issue to have sone sort of outcome.  Then she ended the chat and sent me a message requesting that I go on to trust pilot and give her company a 5 star review and even said that I should use her name.

Then spent another hour on a phone call to no avail and got told by the lady I spoke to that firstly daily charge would come off even when on emergency credit,  which is clearly wrong. Then she changed her mind and said it would not and that debt repayments would not come off whilst running on the credit OVO gave me. 

When I asked how ot was then still coming off and if an engineer would be sent out and what was going to be done about all the charges that should have been paused,  she said that she is only and expert in debt repayment and meters so could not answer. 

I apologise to anyone reading this, as I am clearly getting stressed

ovo have categorically stated that they would not take debt payments from credit they have given, as that would be like them using the credit they lent out to repay themselves. 

if this is not the case then they have either lent it out under false pretences or simply stated a falsehood. 

either way, this is what they have said to me and then done the complete opposite. 

As for running on emergency credit, it can be clearly seen from the above photos that charges and debt are being taken whilst on emergency credit. 

I am just searching anywhere I can for help as I feel OVO are not helping, or not understanding or not even believing what I am saying, even when I show them.

Thank you to all for all your insights and advice 

Thanks for the clarification, particualrly the photos of the IHD as it changes.

They definitely show that EC is in use for electricity, and that charges are being taken at midnight.

Can we assume that you don't actually have a gas smart meter conneced to that IHD? If there is also a gas meter then it might be that which is somehow confusing things.
(It might be just me, but isn’t it also odd that the IHD says ‘selected’ for gas but then says ‘in use’ for electricity and shows EC for electricity?)

We can only agree that it's puzzling why that charging would be happening as it is, and can understand how it's stressful.

Have you sent those, or similar photos to support? Or are they new ones taken for here?
Often photos like those that back-up what you are saying can help get better action from support.

If we can first work out, or at least narrow down, here on the forum just what is going on then it should help when your are next talking to support.
(There are more of us here, with more time to look at things and work out what might be happening than an agent on the phone/webchat has).

​@mquinn could I ask:
I’m not familiar with PAYG smart meters and the IHDs, in emergency mode like that how does the figure for emergency credit remaining usually change as electricity is used during the day.
ie. Does it constantly reduce say a penny at a time? or does it go down in jumps? (maybe every half hour).

Hey ​@mquinn 

Something definitely doesn’t seem quite right as the charges should be paused while on emergency credit, and resume on your next top up.

It may be that the IHD isn’t updating correctly and not showing accurate data. I'd recommend getting in touch with the Support Team so they can check a few things for you, webchat might be your best contact option as you’ll be able to share these photos with them during the conversation. 

They’ll be able to check if there are any issues with the meter communicating with us as it may be a delay in updating the IHD. It’d be a good idea to have them check that the meter is set to send readings every half an hour, and I’d get them to do a balance update. You may also wish to log this as a complaint until the team are able to fix this for you.

Keep us updated with how you get on.

hi all,

so I have a has and electricity smart meter, the gas said selected because I was about to drop into the emergency credit i e. i selected the emergency credit before the gas would run out, knowing that ovo would force it into emergency credit as soon as it passed midnight. which it did. the in house display shows exactly the same as the meter reading from outside the house. So they are communicating with each other, showing the same amounts.

for the person asking about how my meter  goes down,  as soon as I use electricity.if I boil the kettle, it will drop by 3p straight away. 

I have spoken to the support team and sent the photos already and am still waiting for them to get back to me. tomorrow morning it will have passed the 48 hour point that the said they would need to monitor the meters. 

so now tonight at midnight I am sure the same charges will come off my meter yet again forcing me further into the emergency credit which will run out very soon

I have also logged it as a complaint 

sorry, above should have read that I have a gas and electricity smart meter

Thanks, in that case I wonder if it has got mixed up because one fuel is on emergency but the other is not?

It shouldn't confuse the charging for the 2 difderent fuels, but we all know that pretty odd software errors can crop up from time to time.

hi, it is not that it has got mixed up. both meters run separately and both take different amounts for daily standing charges. both have been pushed into emergency credit by ovo taking seperate charges from from each meter. the meters are running and reading separately and are being charged continuously by ovo both are on emergency credit because ovo have pushed them onto it and ovo are still taking the charges. 

the meters are not confused, ovo have said that it is not happening as they cannot see it. yet it clearly is. I am going to run out of emergency credit even because they are taking over £1 every day from my gas and over £1.40 from my electricity.  that is without me using a single penny 

the above is happening now whilst both are on emergency credit and I still have to wait until tomorrow before I can contact them again as I can guarantee that I will not get this sorted within the 48 hours window that ovo have said

so as it has now passed midnight again, the same is still happening. How can OVO say this is not happening 

electric shows £9.40

now it shows £8.00

This is a reduction of the daily standing charge and of debt repayment