‘Ovo is billing me for properties I don't live in’: what to do if you receive an incorrect energy bill

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Dear Which?,

I moved out of a property supplied by Ovo on 22 June and sent final meter readings to the lettings agent. However, on 27 June, I received an inaccurate bill which included inflated estimated readings.

The situation worsened when it emerged that Ovo had seemingly opened a new account in my name for a property I had previously lived in.

I used Ovo's web chat, emailed the complaints team and sent the same information several times. I finally received a call a week later confirming that something had gone wrong and someone would get back to me. During the call, I once again confirmed the final readings and my address.

This circus of calling, spending hours on hold, using the web chat and emailing only to be continually transferred from person to person promising a call back ‘within 24 hours’ has been very annoying.

After all this, I received a new bill for the property, which again contained incorrect readings.

Are you able to offer any advice?

Glenn Adams

Put to Rights

Tali Ramsey, consumer rights expert at Which?, says:

Receiving an incorrect bill is so frustrating, especially when you’ve tried on more than one occasion to resolve it by contacting customer service.

We contacted Ovo on your behalf. It told us that it didn’t receive any accurate readings when you moved into your previous property, so all of your bills had been based on estimated readings.

It also said that customers always receive a final bill a few weeks after leaving a property. It confirmed that your account has now been re-billed and that there is no outstanding balance remaining.

If you have a problem with an energy bill, you should initially complain to your supplier by letter or email, including any evidence you have of the issue.

If you and your supplier haven't reached an agreement within eight weeks of your complaint, you can ask for a letter of deadlock and escalate the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

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source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-to-do-if-you-receive-an-incorrect-energy-bill-axqLc2o5YnaQ