“Direct debits drop one month then shoot up the next. Cant get any useful help from customer services. They can become very threatening and unpleasant.”
“Where to start?
1. Engineering is disgusting..they outsource the work to firms with no people- 6 months for an engineer to fix broken meter equipment.
2. It broke again? (within 4 weeks)- Sorry hit the back of the queue."will be months"
3. leaving this company?- good luck getting any balance back. left in January-- still waiting!!
4. Customer service..hahaha. have made 30-40 calls -- read above for results.
I have had complaints upheld by the Ombudsman, have been bounced around 10's of Ovo employees and provided with endless problems.
as another example...OVO have continued to take DD money when I have left and hold hundreds of pounds on account.
---In summary---
If you:
- enjoy above average prices without access to engineering support,
- are looking for chronically poor customer service
- want to fight for your money in excess balance (£600) months after leaving.
&
you dislike yourself....Then OVO Energy are the company for you!!”
“Where to start?
1. Engineering is disgusting..they outsource the work to firms with no people- 6 months for an engineer to fix broken meter equipment.
2. It broke again? (within 4 weeks)- Sorry hit the back of the queue."will be months"
3. leaving this company?- good luck getting any balance back. left in January-- still waiting!!
4. Customer service..hahaha. have made 30-40 calls -- read above for results.
I have had complaints upheld by the Ombudsman, have been bounced around 10's of Ovo employees and provided with endless problems.
as another example...OVO have continued to take DD money when I have left and hold hundreds of pounds on account.
---In summary---
If you:
- enjoy above average prices without access to engineering support,
- are looking for chronically poor customer service
- want to fight for your money in excess balance (£600) months after leaving.
&
you dislike yourself....Then OVO Energy are the company for you!!”
“We've been with OVO for a number of years. However last year, after a switch to a smart meter, we found our bills became very high. I'm a physicist so I did some tests on our side of the meter and things didn't look right so I ask OVO to review our meter. OVO's customer service was so poor we ended up at the Ombudsman who upheld our poor customer service complaint.
During the whole process, we could get a single person at OVO to take ownership of the problem, and promises that it would be escalated to management were broken. We are now leaving OVO as the metering problem has still not been addressed.
OVO has grown considerably and they are highly dependent on their automated systems. This is a problem when things go wrong.
OVO are at the cheaper end of the market and like everything in life you get what you pay for.”
“Very poor billing performance. OVO thought that it knew better than I do my energy consumption. It kept wanting me to increase my D.D. I am glad to have left and Bulb is a far better choice.”
“Tried to raise our direct debit for gas & electric from £45 to £105. When we complained we received a very short reply which was very unsatisfactory. I then switched to another company & they then phoned me & said I was on the wrong tariff & all sorts of discounts. Needless to say "to bloody late".”
“Terms were changed half way through a 2 year contract. I wasn't informed till after it had happened and their attitude was, if I didn't like it I could leave. Very disappointed in them.”
“As a customer in receipt of disability benefit my income is quite rightly: the minimum the government has assessed is needed for me to live on.
Therein, obtaining maximum value for money on my utility bills is vital.
After joining OVO Energy on the recommendation of freinds & family & the 'Which?' Award, I signed up to their lowest tariff.
A year later this expired without my knowledge & OVO failed to tell me.
My account had switched to the standard rate & subsequently began to accrue a debt.
OVO allowed this to continue in this state for nearly 8 months by which time the account became £160 in the red. I only became aware of this when I applied for a Smart Meter to be installed.
OVO reviewed the account & without notice, put my monthly direct debit up 60%!!
So that is twice they breached regulations & thirdly, they lied to me on the phone by telling me the new amount reflected my increased usage.
In fact, their computer had factored the debt into the equation aswell.
I explained to them that I was unable to afford the new payments & that I had applied for the 'Warm Home Discount' - (the Winter Fuel Allowance equivalent) for people on low incomes & that this would help pay off the majority of the debt.
They then threatened me with installing a pre-paid meter & referred me to a scheme they run in conjunction with the Citizens Advice Bureau, which checks your eligibility before awarding their charitable funds to clear the debt.
I duly applied & was told OVO were taking longer than usual to approve applications.
Unbelievably, the government approved my Warm Home Discount in the meantime & OVO illegally applied it to the debt!
2 months later & surprise, surprise - there is still no word of their fund award & I now have nothing to help me with my winter fuel costs.
AVOID OVO AT ALL COSTS!!”
“Be warned - Ovo were excellent on prices but not on service. I had a smart meter fitted which upset my Burglar Alarm [and neighbours] I complained to Ovo that the meter had caused it.. had a very nice responce - don't worry - get an electrician to confirm it is the meter and we will refund you... paid £72.. electrician confirmed meter was causing it and managed to get alarm working for a very short time by by-passing it - told ovo reply was we won't be paying you as your alarm is now working and wanted another letter from electrician who was disgusted and refused to do one ..even though it was only working with the meter off.
Changed suppliers - [this was 3 years ago] but didn't expect being a lady pensioner I would still be having to climb a ladder to read my electric meter because the Ovo smart meter is still there turned off so can't read it!!”
