“First call to OVO having been ‘migrated’ from SSE was simply to pay a bill however, trying to understand the operative on the other end of the line between the clatter and banging, raucous laughter and the threats of ‘reporting to credit reference agencies, debt collectors, bailiffs and disconnection of services’, was not how I envisaged paying an energy bill was all about. I honestly believed that SSE were rebranding themselves under the OVO name, how wrong was I! First all I receive an email, one of three all at the same time….’your latest bill is now ready’ the second one ‘register your account’ third one ‘your password’ followed all this and got an up to date bill £601.90. Tried making a payment. Nothing, tried numerous times, nothing. Decided to call them on the number provided, nothing. Long and the short of it, after over a week trying to get through to them I finally did, however the day before I did get through to them I had received a fourth email to say my bill of £540.19 was overdue. During the telephone conversation with the OVO operator I was then told it was £787.42. Obviously I queried it, his answer was that it included an upto date billing for the current month. I told him that I was on quarterly billing, he told me I was on monthly billing ,I said I’ve always been on monthly billing. Not anymore you’re not you’re with OVO he told me, and then started talking over me, becoming abusive with threats of credit agencies, debt collectors, bailiffs and disconnection of services etc. it takes people power to shame these people and bring them to account. Share your experience on this site, your local MP, Energy Ombudsman, Ofgem etc.”
“I was was with sse for 14yrs till Dec 15th 2222 had never had a problem sent reading in every 3mths then paid full bill by direct debit ovo will not let me do this have to pay monthly in full but just cannot understand how they work bill out every day now says balance +less amount each time we were told everything would stay the same also my migrated bill was estimated yet they had an up to date reading from me l m so fed up with them lm just waiting for my first monthly bill from them because we only have electric have economy 7 not allowed gas as in tower block never been so stressed”
“OVO energy decided that I had moved from my current home last July. I had not moved or told them I would. Since then, despite getting assurances to the contrary my account has not been reinstated. I am in danger of losing my £400 winter fuel payment because of their inaction. Contacted them today via WhatsApp but they have gone strangely quiet.”
“If there was a No Star's I would have picked that! I have been trying to sort out an issue.....no replies to emails for 4 months! I am even writing to the CEO who hasn't replied either (he's certainly not leading by example!)....I'm chasing them but I'm beginning to wonder why I bother! I'm trying to do the right thing....... absolutely useless company!”
“I had been with Atlantic/SSE for over 20 years and have had nothing but problems with OVO. Firstly, without asking, they changed my billing from 3-monthly on receipt of bill to monthly, secondly, I used to pay at the Post Office but they have stopped that, which is very inconvenient. They added my last SSE bill for December 2022 to the December-January one, I rang on 25 January and an agent finally said she would send a revised bill but I've never received that. Emails have been ignored. I had to ring again today and ask for the bill, since my next bill will be due in a couple of days. The agent (had the cheek) to read out a statement saying that a credit company will be notified if my bill is not paid! Dreadful Company.”
“OVO is claiming SSE migrated a 644 pound debit to my account from 27 June. I moved to the UK and rented the address for the account on 16 April. My billing account from 16 April till 30 June shows 122 pounds. OVO/SSE erroneously added 644 pounds to my account. Now they won't resolve it. It is impossible for me to have a migrated bill of 644 because I lived in South Africa and never had used any energy or gas in the UK prior to my very first usage from 16 April - 30 June of 122 pounds. I paid 644 pounds to my account on 30 June as a credit and they added it as a debit and now claim it was from my previous account which I never had!”
“Sent me a welcome letter (never ever contacted them) saying thank you for getting in touch.
Conned DoB and phone on a phonecall (they never had my main details in the first place).
Proceeded to send me a bill for 70 days for 3250 even though living in property for only 24 days at most. Absoulte con artists.
Repeatedly hung up on and information changed.
Scammers”
“this company is out to steal from people.
wont correct my units so have to get ombudsman involved as they owe me a lot and are still charging me £250 a month to sit in the cold”
“During the changeover from sse to ovo all the credit was wiped off my meter. These thieves have robbed me and there is no way to contact them.
The phone number doesn't work, the webchat doesn't work and if I don't keep paying them my energy will be cut off automatically.
Can't even begin to explain what this does to my health.
Avoid if possible, I wasn't given a choice, they took over and robbed me just like that.”
“Just received a new bill for January with estimated day and night readings. Which is fantastic as last year I spent 6 months trying to get a smart meter fitted to replace an old meter that had dual readings, they fitted me a smart meter with a single meter reading in September 2022, so how the hell do I get billed with estimated readings from my old meter (serial number of my old meter is shown on the bill) when it hasn’t been in my property since last year, I’ll tell you all how, since OVO took SSE over they are now a very disjointed company with a call centre not based in the UK who have absolutely no interest in sorting out any issues that customers have. This has been partly driven by the allowance of greed within the industry to go unchecked and mostly because these days nobody is ever held to accountable. Well if they do manage to sort it out (6 months time I suppose) maybe I will finally have to shop elsewhere. New customers be warned.
Oh and don’t get me started on the £1500 of credit they are carefully looking after for me for the Gas I haven’t used. Bring back Swalec”
“This is the worst company I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. There is something seriously wrong with the people that work here - they will drive you crazy going over the same topic thousands of time over many weeks, and each time they will contact you again with the same issue, and claim no correspondence has been sent. They gaslight you, and ask you to do THEIR job for them in trying to solve problems THEY caused. They have mixed up my meter with my neighbour's, and after multiple phone calls, many emails with repeated photographs of my gas meter, multiple readings submitted of my gas meter, they refuse to change anything and resolve the issue. On the phone they say they will sort it out then seem to go away and disappear into the ether and nothing is done, and you are back to square 1. Avoid like the plague if you value your mental health. They have caused me endless stress and still the problem is not fixed. Seems like a systemic issue, judging by other reviews who report the same issue. Worst customer service EVER, hands down. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.”
“Hang up on you 3 times .. increase direct debit when you are in credit.. make up usage you have not used… I was with SSE for 15 years .. I will be switching from this greedy lying company as soon as I can.. AVOID”
“Incorrect meter reading back in September 2022 sent me a gas bill for £6000 in one month. Lost count of the number of calls made to try and resolve and still no closer. Ever time speak to agent told no manager avalible can see not correct escalated as a complaint will here in 3/4 days, escalated as incorrect reading when will someone actually contact me. Avoid at all costs a company shouldn’t be able to treat people like this final straw was yesterday where I had an email stating because I hadn’t been in contact they had now increased my direct debit to over £1000 pound a month tried calling yesterday on receipt waiting 2 hours and then the line went dead.”
“I am going through a complaint with them at the present time. I was an SSE customer, for many years, who was migrated over to Ovo energy. I never had a problem with SSE billing and always paid anything owed to them, correcting any estimated billing if it wasnt near the actual usage, then a correct bill was sent out from SSE.
I can honestly say that I've never experienced a billing system like the one I'm receiving from Ovo energy. They seem to be moving their estimates around from month to month. Ive never had DD with my energy company and I pay what I owe to the energy company when I get my bill, and I would advise anyone who can to do the same. Bills from Ovo are messy, inaccurate and really difficult to understand. They are monthly instead of quarterly for me me now.
I implore anyone who is having any difficulty understand these messy, incomprehensible bills to complain until the complaint reaches the energy ombudsman. Ovo has already been fined 8.9 million in 2020 for inaccurate, complicated billing. They need to change their billing system ASAP so it is more transparent and accurate.”
“AWFUL COMPANY CHANGED A METER LEFT ACCOUNT UP TO NOW 13 days without hot water or heating. Small baby in the house 2 hrs to get through to them, 5 days to get a response to a complaint email still no hot water or heating”
“I’ve been with SSE for over 10 years never a problem now ovo took over keep sending high bills to pay I’m so confused even looking at the bill I don’t understand anything contacted somebody a month ago they don’t seem to know much. Looking at the bill nothing makes sense.”
“Our tenants are out of power. The meter wont accept new credit. held forover 2 hours on the phone - and then operator hung up on me. They are absolutely useless. We are in an emergency situation but they are VOID OF CARE!!!!!!!
Avoid OVO / Boost. Criminal business.”
“Dreadful company. Impossible to get through to them either on chat or by phone. I have now switched to another supplier and they have {deliberately I'm guessing} given my new supplier the wrong readings. I've just tried emailing them, to be informed that they are no longer contactable by this method. Avoid like the plague!”
