“This company deserve 0 star review. No matter how much I increase my monthly direct debit amount, I end up with more debt, despite I use less and less energy. I have no choose but to do what this company wants. I switched my supplier and now my monthly direct debit is over £160 less. So my advice is avoid OVO at any cost and switch to another supplier.”
“I was a long standing SSE customer who paid by direct debit and received my bills quarterly, with an annual review. I never had a problem, an argument or a cross word with SSE.
The attitude of the people workign for OVO stinks - that's the politest way I can describe the arrogant attitudes. I'm disabled and have mobility difficulties. OVO staff wanted to know what disability I had before they would send someone round to replace the smart meters that SSE installed that can not communicate with the OVO in home smart meter reader. Talk about an invasion of privacy! The person I spoke with refused to book in an engineer appointment and hung up the phone eventhough I told him my disability was none of his business. I thought the reason for disclosing I had a disability was so that additional assistance could be given but he continued to badger me to tell him details about one of the meters which forced me to go to the meter and when I told him that what he was asking about just wasn't there on the meter he just hung up the phone. Incidently, I had already sent in photos and a video (twice - once in whtasapp and another time in an email) to OVO representatives - clearly, as I told him there does not appear to be any internal communications and even worse attitudes to customer care.
I've called and wasted hours of my time since the handover in January with OVO representatives who did nothing to resolve the issues I was experiencing. I keep being antogonised by the staff's attitudes when I ring up and today I think I've found out why - it's because if OVO's system show you as not having a clear balance you are put directly through to collections no matter the reason you called. Of course my account is in debt, not by a lot because I pay by direct debit, OVO have been estimating my bills since day 1.
Don't even think about trying to be reasonable with an OVO representative - it only ends up in a you v them situation with the OVO rep keeping the upper hand - they must be being trained to approach every customer with suspicion and as debt avoiders. eventually the OVO customer care rep did call back and book an appointment and when I expalined I was disabled and distresed at the way I was being treated his only answer was that if I answer his questions he would be able to help. I told him the questions he was asking about my disability were none of his business and I refused to answer him, telling him in the end I didn't have a disability so that he could allerviate his sense of guilt before moving on to actually book an appointment. I asked for details to write to a complaints department. I was told there was none only a head office customer services department and when I was told the address and telephone number it turns out it's the same telephone number as the number I called to beign with. Talk about marking their own homework.
I could go on and on but it won't make a difference. My advice, forget about a life because OVO staff seem to think you're there to do their bidding. You must check your balance and keep it totally clear on the exact date each month otherwise don't ring OVO because you won't be helped - that's my experience. Even when I first called OVO to tell them the in house meter display wasn't working, something any organised comapny would have anticipated and replaced prior to the swapover from SSE, I was attacked by reps who kept telling me my account was in arrears and that I was responsible for ensuring it was kept clear.
One thing I will tell any of you who are upset at having their bills doubled and are trying to contact OVO - persevere - you can object to the increases in direct debits and OVO will reduce them - they have to. After all the whole reason I and millions others signed up to direct debit payments is to spread the cost of energy usage. Considering I pay more for energy than a small mortgage I certaintly don't have to spend as much time on the phone with the bank. These are greedy, money grabbing companies who have people with the same attitudes working for them. They don't care about a war in Ukraine or the cost of living crisis, all they care about is profit. Green energy etc., is just a smokescreen for a company that is making profits off the back of other people's misery. The energy regulators should be ashamed that so much profit is being made when people are not even able to put food on the table or keep a roof over their heads.
I will definately be leaving OVO. It makes no difference which energy provider I go to - they all make huge profits - but at least I won't be made to feel like my disability is a problem and that I'm just a bad debtor.
Oh, as a parting shot the last OVO rep told me that they report to credit reference agencies, so that if my bill isn't paid on time (direct debit??) my credit score is my responsibility....don't even think about going up against a bully like OVO, they haven't missed a trick, and invented some - or so it would seem.”
“Absolutely shocking customer service functions with seemingly none of the system back up to enable clients to have proper service. My account was switched to OVO from SSE ( another OVO Company) after I requested a final account which immediately meant that all my account went into lockdown. Trying to use their automatic customer login never works and on average each futile attempt at speaking to a customer service agent takes over an hour!!! Avoid at all costs. OVO continued to take money from my account after the account was terminated. Crooks and wastrels !”
“I was passed to OVO from SSE with the sale, without prior warning or information. I received glowing emails from OVO expressing the excellent points of their company. Then the truth emerged -
I emailed in meter readings, and waited for a emailed bill. (silly me) I complained - a person rang me, I discovered that I was expected to read meters EVERY MONTH! and keep logging on the site to get bills. I have only ever paid quarterly. I explained this and the person did not say I couldn't, and said my next reading would by June 8.
Logging on I saw that estimated debits were being created based on last year's higher usage. I sent meter readings and paid to that date. There is still a debit amount showing that makes no sense at all.
I tried the on-line chat (silly me) queues of 34, 54 (!) and 25 mins. I tried ringing- queue of 12 mins. I wrote a letter and posted it just before Easter - no reply. Today I received a letter asking me to pay my bill!
I am moving elsewhere!”
“The Manipulate the gas meter reading
I did not choose this company. I was with SSE for ten years and never had problems until this OVO took over SSE. This company manipulate the gas meter based on smart meter on the 21th of March the reading was 9239 then on 22 of March they changed the reading to 8324 then they meter jumped the the end of the day to 9268. So based on this they charged me on one day more than £1017. I never saw such theft. I called OVO 5/04/2023 and they promised to fix it within ten days which never happened. I called again on Tuesday 18/4/2023 and requested escalation to a manager.I will cancel their direct debit after five days if not solved. I am asking all the clients who were with SSE to check there meters reading especially the day when they moved them to OVO to protect their money.I wish that I can upload the photos of the smart meter reading to show everyone what they are doing.”
“This is the worst company and they have the worst customer service very rude. I was with SSE I have direct debit my bill have never gone past £300 a month. And in January OVO took over SSE, I was away could not send meter readings for January and February and this company estimated my bill and charge me more than 700 pounds by march even thought I have direct debit my account was over 900 pounds in arrears. I have been calling them for the past month to query my bill but all I am getting is the rudest customer service I have ever experienced I am not exaggerating I had to be the one to de escalate the arguments. And what makes it worst in march I sent them a meter reading and my bill for that month went back to around 300 pounds that should tell every sensible person that they over charged me in January and February but no they won't hear that as I am here frustrated with them my account is still over 700 pounds in arrears despite my monthly direct debit and they keep saying to me my smart meter sent them meter reading and I keep saying to them I don't have a smart meter but every time I call is the same issue and now I have given up. Its sad that the government does not protect the ordinary people from companies like this, they scam us any how and get away with it because they know they can get away with it. Am here to say to people to stay far far away from OVO. They are bad news”
“This company transferred my electricity account from Energy Australia without my permission. I hadn't even heard of them until I went onto my online EE account and it said inactive. I hadn't made even a call or enquiry with OVO, received a call from them, have no correspondence from them, haven't signed a contract - nothing. Not sure how this is even possible.”
“Having waited almost 12 weeks for action on a request, I've more or less given up. 4 telephone calls and several e-mails and they still haven't acceded to my request for documents. Disgraceful! ZERO STAR for this company. Refund on my overpayment still pending. Moving to another supplier”
“Awful clients service and zero efficiency. I’ve been chasing them for months to get a new smart meter to pay the correct and actual energy I use. Every time I try to request it on their website “the demand is too high” to proceed. I spoke like 7 times with them through chat or over the phone, nobody could come to sort this out.
Also, the only time I managed to book an appointment, it was like a month of waiting, I took day off from work, and they cancelled the appointment like a few hours before.
It’s a joke, unacceptable.”
“Rubish company. Sent us 11 pages of A4 paper simply to tell us how much we have to pay these rip-off merchants. We refuse to set up a D.D with them or have one of their smart meters, so we pay with debit card by phone. However, when you phone these robbers, you get the usual robot voice which you can hardly hear.... Hate them... Absaloutly hate them.....”
“Customer service no longer exists. Sometimes you need to actually speak to a live person, going on line, is sometimes not enough. They seem to only deal with vulnerable people. For the rest of us, customer service no longer exists. Don't get me wrong, I've spoken to some very helpful and friendly people. Once, one of their staff started shouting down the phone at me, I just couldn't believe it. The company is not interested in a decent customer service, it affects their profits.”
“I notified OVO energy on 09/03/2023 that the sale of my property would be completed on 27/03/2023. OVO energy told me to keep my direct debit in place so that they could pay me the arrears. On 02/04/2023 they took a further payment of the direct debit bringing my account into credit by over £1000. Imbeciles on the phone lines saying in due course they would send a cheque to my old address line and to date 14/04/2023 I have not received any monies. Please spare yourself the frustration and do not use this energy company who took over from a very organised Southern Electric”
“What didn’t go wrong . I had a big credit in my acc so had it refunded last September . They then seemed to bill me over four times my normal amount z. I paid almost all of it , I tried to contact them
But they have a really daft system of texting on the help line which means you cannot e otlf was , also my app has gone down and tsomiwlqueued to chat to the. On text for an hour speaking to someone who said he would pass me to someone . And never did . Do the y not understand that we have to work. I work 60’hours a week with 20
Minute lunches and cannot sit for hours queuing . I have given up trying to contact them
As it has become impossible . . I put in my readings and they have not registered them
Also . Hopeless . And ridiculous profiteering . About time then government films took
Control of this situation with the power companies”
“Took 3 months to set an account up when moving into a new property despite them sending bills to the New Occupier when I read the account number they said it didn't exist even though they kept sending bills!
I could not register as a vulnerable customer as I had no account number! ?
Had to go to CEO office to finally get an account
Took 2 lots of money out by bank... said they couldn't put back on my card as my account was not in credit (it wouldn't be as a direct debit is averaged across the yar and I only moved in in Dec when biulls will be more) I had to contact my bank to get the direct debit reversed
Appalling service”
“Now been on hold for over 25 minutes just to give metre readings , absolutely abysmal service , no one to answer phones , not everyone is high tech , we customers are all different & want different things , would be nice to respect that , already got compensation through abysmal service , yet you still are not any better , not sure how you have any good reviews of your service ceases to amaze me”
