Ovo Energy customers hit with 'horror' bills of up to £116k

Ovo Energy customers person been deed with bills of up to £116,000 for a month's energy, the BBC has found.

Customers person claimed their vigor usage has been miscalculated aft transferring implicit to the vigor elephantine oregon having a astute metre installed.

Some of their complaints person been upheld by the vigor ombudsman yet they are inactive waiting for their relationship indebtedness to beryllium recalculated.

"We are precise atrocious for shortfalls successful service," said an Ovo spokesperson.

"Our teams person looked into the cases shared with america by the BBC with urgency, and successful galore cases provided a resolution."

Emma Rosser, from Portsmouth, moved to Ovo Energy connected 9 January and since past she has received bills ranging from £500 to £116,000 for a month's usage.

She had transferred from Boost wherever she was paying £220 per period for energy and gas.

"They kept saying they'll look into it and not getting backmost to me," said Ms Rosser.

"I've been to the ombudsman and they've told Ovo to close my measure and compensate me."

The indebtedness connected Ms Rosser's relationship has since been removed but she said she was inactive receiving incorrect bills.

"I spent hours respective times a week connected the telephone successful immense queues, often being disconnected aft 40 to 60 minutes connected hold," Ms Rosser said.

"The web chat was useless, often not available, and erstwhile it was I'd get to 2nd oregon first, past it would clang and I'd person to commencement implicit again."

Ms Rosser is simply a parent-carer to 3 disabled children and has described the indebtedness arsenic "an intolerable situation".

She said: "It is earnestly affecting my intelligence and carnal health."

Ms Rosser is 1 of galore radical who person been fixed incorrect bills and past faced a combat to person them corrected, the BBC has found.

Katie Nicholls, who lives successful a two-bed level successful Bristol, was billed much than £2,000 for a month's energy successful December 2021.

Her mean monthly measure is usually astir £50.

She had conscionable had a astute metre installed by Ovo but it was registered against the incorrect flat.

The institution came backmost to reinstall the metre but the indebtedness remained connected her account.

"It's been astir 2 years since they enactment this fearfulness indebtedness connected my account," Ms Nicholls said.

"Since past they person refused to instrumentality my calls oregon enactment a resolution, adjacent aft the ombudsman ruled they should resoluteness the matter."

Ms Nicholls is simply a azygous genitor and she described the concern arsenic a "constant root of accent and frustration".

"I'm terrified indebtedness collectors volition commencement asking for repayments oregon that it volition impact my recognition rating, oregon adjacent my quality to merchantability my flat," she said.

"I've been deed hard by the outgo of surviving situation and the menace of this erroneous indebtedness hanging implicit maine is horrendous."

An Ofgem spokesperson said their marketplace compliance reappraisal discovered weaknesses successful Ovo's lawsuit services, which the regulator is liaising with the institution connected already.

"There's a cost-of-living situation and vigor suppliers are ever expected to dainty customers fairly, repaying immoderate overcharged amounts," they said.

Brian and Ann Morris, a mates aged successful their 80s, became Ovo customers successful August 2022, aft the institution took implicit from SSE.

They went connected vacation for 2 months successful January, truthful the location was empty, but erstwhile they came backmost they were fixed a measure for £5,500.

They usually wage astir £200 per period successful bills for their location successful Port Talbot.

"We are perfectly disquieted sick astir owing this wealth and are struggling to slumber astatine night," Mr Morris said.

"We person been told to benignant things retired online which is not imaginable for us."

The mates person raised a ailment astir the debt.

Kerry Akins, from Wolverhampton, is simply a single-parent who transferred to Ovo Energy successful January, erstwhile the institution took implicit SSE.

She was paying astir £230 per period for state and energy connected a nonstop debit scheme.

On her archetypal Ovo bill, they said she had utilized £1,500 of vigor successful February, according to astute metre readings.

"The thought of owing that benignant of wealth erstwhile you don't is stopping my each time life. I'm disquieted I'm going to beryllium chopped disconnected oregon person bailiffs astatine my door," said Ms Akins.

"I americium already struggling with my intelligence wellness arsenic it is and this conscionable escalates my condition."

Ms Akins has managed to permission Ovo and transportation to Octopus but she fears she volition beryllium chased for the debt.

"I person cancelled my nonstop debit arsenic I'm not feeding a indebtedness they person created," she added.

An vigor ombudsman spokesperson said: "We're atrocious to perceive that this has been a distressing clip for these consumers.

"The cases the BBC has highlighted suggest that immoderate Ovo consumers are being overcharged for the magnitude of vigor they're using.

"It's important that vigor suppliers complaint consumers accurately, peculiarly astatine the infinitesimal erstwhile prices are truthful high.

"If consumers are unhappy with the work they person received, we ever suggest that they should rise this with their vigor supplier successful the archetypal instance, who'll purpose to find a resolution.

"If consumers are incapable to scope a satisfactory solution, and the ailment is unfastened for longer than 8 weeks, past they should interaction us."

A spokesperson for Ovo said: "We're precise atrocious to these 5 customers for the shortfalls successful service.

"Their acquisition does not bespeak our absorption to supply a precocious modular of lawsuit work for each our customers.

"Our teams are present to assistance customers who are disquieted and supply them with the enactment and proposal they need."